Full time

About Our Client

Our client is a leading Australian underwriting agency specializing in commercial insurance products with strong relationships with domestic and international capacity providers. Their delegated authority model enables them to provide responsive, expert underwriting decisions while maintaining the technical sophistication required by their insurer partners. They pride themselves on underwriting excellence, innovation, and delivering superior value to their broker partners and their clients.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced and strategic Chief Underwriting Officer to lead their national underwriting operations from their Melbourne headquarters. This senior executive role will drive underwriting excellence across the core product portfolio of General Liability, Financial Lines, and Cyber insurance products operating under delegated authority agreements with insurer partners.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing underwriting strategy, risk appetite, and pricing frameworks for negotiation with capacity providers, managing portfolio performance, and driving product innovation to support the agency's growth objectives across Australia.

This role requires expertise in operating within delegated authority frameworks while maintaining the technical sophistication to influence and negotiate with multiple capacity providers.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Capacity Management

Develop and implement comprehensive underwriting strategy aligned with company objectives and market opportunities

Establish and articulate underwriting philosophy, risk appetite, and strategic direction

Create compelling business cases and portfolio strategies

Lead binding authority negotiations incorporating developed risk appetite and pricing frameworks

Manage relationships with multiple insurer partners and optimize capacity deployment across product lines

Balance agency growth objectives with insurer partner requirements and appetites

Coordinate capacity allocation across product lines and geographic regions

Underwriting Strategy & Guidelines Development

Develop comprehensive underwriting guidelines and standards

Create risk selection criteria and underwriting frameworks that demonstrate technical expertise to insurer partners





Establish flexible guideline structures that accommodate multiple insurer appetites

Design tiered underwriting approaches that maximize placement opportunities across different capacity providers

Present and negotiate guideline modifications with capacity providers based on market conditions and performance

Create and maintain underwriting manuals and technical documentation for both internal use and insurer partner review

Implement quality assurance programs to ensure consistent application of guidelines

Define and articulate risk appetite frameworks that align with and optimize capacity provider appetites

Design appetite frameworks that demonstrate technical sophistication to capacity providers

Negotiate appetite adjustments and expansions based on portfolio performance and market opportunities

Coordinate appetite changes across multiple capacity providers to optimize placement opportunities

Monitor emerging risks and propose appetite modifications to insurer partners

Oversee IBNR and Loss Development as well as any Catastrophe and Accumulation modeling

Lead development of new insurance products and coverage enhancements

Create compelling product propositions that demonstrate market opportunity

Design flexible product structures that can be adapted to different capacity provider appetites and requirements

Collaborate with insurer partners on product development initiatives and coverage innovations

Negotiate product terms, conditions, and coverage scope

Drive innovation in cyber insurance products given the rapidly evolving threat landscape

Present product performance data and enhancement proposals to capacity providers

Ensure product compliance with regulatory requirements across all capacity provider relationships

Develop sophisticated pricing principles and methodologies to support capacity provider negotiations

Create adaptable rating frameworks that accommodate different insurer pricing philosophies and requirements





Establish pricing models that demonstrate technical competence and support rate adequacy discussions

Design pricing structures that optimize competitiveness while meeting capacity provider return requirements

Lead pricing negotiations and rate change discussions with insurer partners

Negotiate profit sharing arrangements and commission structures based on pricing performance

Establish pricing governance frameworks that satisfy insurer partner audit and compliance requirements

Monitor competitive pricing and market conditions

Oversee performance of General Liability, Financial Lines, and Cyber portfolios across Australia

Monitor portfolio profitability, loss ratios, and key performance indicators on behalf of capacity providers

Implement portfolio optimization strategies to maximize profitable growth

Conduct regular portfolio reviews and provide detailed performance analysis to executive leadership and insurer partners

Coordinate with actuarial teams on portfolio modeling and pricing adequacy reviews

Provide regular reporting and performance updates internally and externally

Manage portfolio concentration and accumulation exposures across multiple capacity relationships

Compliance & Governance

Ensure strict adherence to all delegated authority agreement terms and conditions

Implement robust compliance monitoring and reporting systems

Coordinate regular internal underwriting audits and compliance reviews

Maintain detailed documentation and audit trails for all underwriting decisions

Oversee regulatory compliance across all jurisdictions and product lines

Implement governance frameworks that meet both agency and insurer partner requirements

Coordinate with legal teams on coverage interpretations and policy wordings

Ensure data quality and integrity for all reporting to capacity providers

Maintain professional indemnity and errors & omissions coverage as required by binding authorities

Lead and develop a high-performing underwriting team across multiple locations

Establish clear performance metrics and professional development pathways for underwriting staff

Implement training programs to ensure consistent application of guidelines and standards

Foster a culture of underwriting excellence and continuous improvement

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📌 General Manager - Product & Underwriting (Melbourne)
🏢 Hooker and Heijden - Insurance and Underwriting Recruitment
📍 Melbourne