Underwriting Manager

Underwriting Manager

Blackburn, Lancashire (Office-Based) Full-Time, Permanent

LOCATION

Blackburn, Lancashire (Office-Based)

SALARY

£55,000 – £75,000 per annum, DOE

CONTRACT

Full-Time, Permanent ( 1 Day WFH)

Monday- Friday 09:00am-05:00pm

About Warrantywise

Warrantywise is a UK vehicle warranty provider based in Blackburn, Lancashire, protecting drivers against the cost of unexpected repair bills with clear, jargon-free cover and a strong reputation for customer service. Sound, well-controlled underwriting sits at the core of that promise – balancing fair pricing for customers with a profitable, sustainable book of business as the company continues to grow.

The Role

We're looking for an experienced Underwriting Manager to lead our underwriting function, setting the risk appetite, pricing discipline and policy standards that keep our warranty products competitive and profitable. You'll manage a team of underwriters, own key relationships with insurer and reinsurer partners, and work closely with Claims, Pricing and Data teams to make sure underwriting decisions are grounded in strong evidence. This is a senior role for someone who combines deep technical underwriting expertise with strong people leadership and commercial judgement.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, develop and performance-manage a team of underwriters, setting clear standards for the quality and consistency of underwriting decisions.
• Own underwriting policy, risk appetite and pricing strategy across the warranty product range, balancing growth with profitability.
• Review and authorise risks outside standard underwriting authority, referring to insurer or reinsurer partners where required.
• Monitor loss ratios, claims trends and portfolio performance, working with Pricing, Actuarial and Data teams to refine risk models and rating factors.
• Ensure underwriting practices comply with FCA regulation and other relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with insurer/reinsurer panels, brokers and other external partners.
• Develop underwriting guidelines, referral criteria, training and quality-assurance processes for the team.
• Report on underwriting performance and portfolio health to senior leadership, with clear recommendations for action.
• Identify opportunities for new products, risk segments or process improvements that support sustainable, profitable growth.

What We're Looking For

Essential

• Significant experience in an underwriting management role within the insurance industry (motor, warranty or general insurance backgrounds all welcome).
• Strong technical underwriting knowledge across risk assessment, pricing and policy wording.
• Proven experience leading, developing and performance-managing a team of underwriters.
• Sound understanding of FCA regulation and compliance requirements within general insurance.
• Strong commercial acumen, with a track record of balancing growth and profitability.
• Excellent analytical skills, comfortable interpreting claims and portfolio data to inform underwriting decisions.
• Strong stakeholder-management and communication skills, confident engaging insurer/reinsurer partners and senior leadership.
• A relevant professional qualification (e.g. Cert CII, Dip CII, ACII) or working towards one.

Desirable

• Experience within the motor warranty, extended warranty or automotive insurance sector.
• Experience working with reinsurers, insurer panels or MGA arrangements.
• Familiarity with pricing or actuarial techniques and data-driven underwriting tools (e.g. Power BI, SQL).
• A degree in a relevant subject such as business, finance, mathematics or risk management.

Salary & Benefits

• £55,000 – £75,000 per annum, depending on experience.
• 22 days holiday plus bank holidays.
• Company pension scheme.
• Healthcare support including free eye tests and EAP (Wisdom App), Mental Health First Aiders within the business.
• 30% discount on all warranty products for employees, friends and family.
• Interest-free loan of up to £1,000 after 6 months of service.
• Friendly, high-energy office environment.
• Staff incentives and social events.
• Recommend-a-friend referral scheme.

Pay: £55,000.00-£75,000.00 per year

Work Location: In person