About DUAL
Working across 21 countries, DUAL has built a reputation as a specialist underwriting group and the market of choice for insurance intermediaries around the world. That's how we have become one of the world's largest international underwriting agencies (or MGAs) with US$3.4bn GWP.
DUAL is part of Howden, a leading global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Founded in 1994, it provides insurance, reinsurance and underwriting services to clients ranging from private individuals to the largest multinational companies. The Group operates in 57 countries, employs over 24,000 people and manages premiums totalling US$50bn on behalf of its clients.
Team Leader (NB)
Role overview
Lead and manage a team while performing the technical and trading responsibilities of a Senior Property Underwriter. Deliver agreed service and performance objectives through effective people management, workflow oversight, technical support and broker relationship management within a wholesale distribution model.
Role responsibilities
Team Leadership & Performance
•Set clear team objectives and priorities aligned to business requirements.
•Conduct regular one-to-ones, agree and follow up actions, provide constructive feedback and support development and career progression.
•Manage routine performance, attendance and wellbeing matters within delegated management responsibilities and company procedures, involving the Associate Director and HR where required.
•Coordinate onboarding and training, promote an inclusive team environment and address concerns constructively.
•Lead by example, setting the standard for behaviour, attendance and engagement, and hold the team to account.
•Provide cover for other Team Leaders and Associate Director (Operations) where required.
Service Delivery & Workload Management
•Take day-to-day responsibility for telephone service, timely and accurate document issuance, and performance measures appropriate to the team, such as agreed enquiry, quotation and referral turnaround times or renewal retention.
•Review queues, task lists, referrals and aged work throughout the day; allocate and redistribute work fairly according to capacity, competence, authority and priorities.
•Coordinate telephone cover, breaks and service commitments, prioritising urgent broker enquiries and time-sensitive cases.
•Monitor service shortfalls, take corrective action within the role's remit and promptly escalate capacity, system, broker-service or conduct risks.
•Use service information and team feedback to investigate recurring operational issues, recommend improvements to workflows and systems, and support agreed changes.
Senior Underwriting & Technical Referrals
•Assess, negotiate and underwrite in accordance with documented underwriting authority, underwriting guides, insurer requirements and company procedures.
•Maintain an allocated personal underwriting workload, including complex cases.
•Act as the team's first point of contact for technical underwriting queries, referring onwards where higher authority or specialist guidance is required.
•Identify recurring technical queries and share learning to support consistency and reduce avoidable repeat referrals.
Appointment as Team Leader does not create or extend underwriting authority. The holder must remain within documented authority and sign-off status and must not override insurer requirements.
Communication & Collaboration
•Act as the team's operational contact, remain accessible during agreed working hours and communicate business updates clearly.
•Maintain effective internal stakeholder relationships and work with other Team Leaders to ensure consistent standards, clear work ownership and effective handovers. Agree cross-team cover with the Associate Director and escalate unresolved resource conflicts.
Trading & Distribution Channel Performance
•Agree appropriate performance measures with the Associate Director (Operations).
•Monitor performance and take improvement action where required.
•Review quote activity and conversion and/or renewal retention, broker feedback and reasons for lost business; work with Business Development, underwriting management and support teams to increase business levels and address barriers.
•Proactively manage broker relationships within the allocated channel, addressing service concerns and supporting commercially sound decisions without compromising appetite, pricing discipline, underwriting quality or regulatory requirements.
•Undertake any other reasonable duties, appropriate to the level of the role, as required by the Associate Director (Operations).
Balance of responsibilities
Personal underwriting workloads and quotation targets will reflect the time required for leadership, people management, technical referrals and coaching, rather than assume the output of a full-time Senior Underwriter without these duties. Expectations will be reviewed as team size, referral demand and service requirements change.
Key requirements
•Minimum Cert CII; five years' property underwriting experience or three years' non-standard property underwriting experience.
•Established residential property underwriting expertise, including complex risks, technical referrals, authority controls and clear decision recording.
•Sound understanding of relevant insurance regulation, the responsibilities of a wholesale underwriter in supporting policyholder outcomes, and the systems, workflows and broker relationships of the relevant team.
•Experience leading, mentoring or coordinating colleagues, with the ability to conduct effective one-to-ones, coach and support development.
•Strong communication, relationship-building and prioritisation skills; ability to balance personal underwriting with team management.
•Ability to interpret service and conversion or retention information, investigate exceptions and take proportionate action.
Objectives and review
Objectives and numerical targets will be agreed separately and reviewed regularly, reflecting the balance of management and underwriting responsibilities.
Contract type
Permanent
