✎ The Mission
You will join the Underwriting team to help us profitably grow our business across Europe. You will report to the CUO Europe.
📌 Responsibilities:
* Lead the underwriting strategy for surety businesses, working closely with pricing, product, claims, and other teams.
* Grow Surety line profitability in line with financial objectives.
* Manage the full surety portfolio, collaborating with profitability actuaries.
* Take full accountability for underwriting results in surety.
* Align underwriting and reinsurance strategy, handling reinsurance programs, participating in negotiations, and validating reinsurance terms & conditions.
* Support relationship management with TPAs, including selection and agreement drafting in collaboration with Legal & Compliance.
* Act as a key consultant for underwriting criteria, commercial terms, and claims-related sections in Partnership Agreements.
* Assist the Claims department in managing large claims and mitigating potential losses.
* Serve as a product and market expert across Europe, supporting the Sales team in account targeting and evaluation.
* Engage with the market, including MGAs, Brokers, and Direct clients.
✯ Your Profile
✔️ Experience & Skills:
* Strong expertise in insurance underwriting principles, including risk assessment, pricing, and policy issuance for surety insurance B2B products in a European environment.
* Experience underwriting financial/credit products within an insurance company or a large TPA.
* Background in financial analysis, risk management, and deal structuring in B2B industries (corporates).
* Solid experience in underwriting bonds & financial guarantees, particularly in construction and manufacturing sectors.
* Deep understanding of the surety industry, including market trends, competition, and distribution channels (Brokerage, MGAs).
* Ability to ensure compliance with underwriting policies, regulatory requirements, and company standards.
* Strong financial skills – ability to set business forecasts, monitor budgets, and ensure profitability.
* Customer-focused approach with an emphasis on satisfaction and consumer duty.
* Strong analytical and reporting skills to assess and report on insurance risk effectively.
* Proven leadership and stakeholder management skills.
* Fluent in English; other European languages (ideally French) are an advantage but not essential.
🧠 Working Mindset:
* Risk-aware: Vigilant in identifying and mitigating underwriting risks.
* Strategic thinker: Aligning underwriting practices with company goals.
* Data-driven: Using analytics and modeling to support pricing and risk assessment.
* Customer-centric: Prioritizing client needs in underwriting decisions.
* Adaptable: Open to adjusting practices in response to market conditions and regulations.
* Compliance-conscious: Ensuring full adherence to legal and regulatory frameworks.
* Results-driven: Motivated by achieving measurable business outcomes.
* Collaborative: Working closely with underwriting teams, senior management, and stakeholders.
* Ethical: Committed to integrity in underwriting practices.
* Detail-oriented and accountable.
📅 Hiring Process:
1️⃣ Interview with a member of the Talent Acquisition team
2️⃣ Interview with our Group VP Underwriting Officer
3️⃣ Interview with our Chief Underwriting Officer Europe
4️⃣ Interview with our Group CEO
5️⃣ Interview with our HR BP
Recruitment Agencies:
Wakam has an in-house recruitment team, which focuses on sourcing great candidates directly. Wakam does not accept unsolicited resumes from agency or search firm recruiters.
Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired. When we do use agencies, we have a PSL in place, so please do not contact our managers directly.