Category: Insurance Location: Melbourne Victoria Australia General Manager - Product & Underwriting - National Role Leading Underwriting Agency | Melbourne | Strategic Leadership Opportunity 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 General Manager - Product & Underwriting 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 Risk Appetite & Management 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 Product Development & Innovation 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 Pricing Strategy & Framework Development Develop sophisticated pricing principles and methodologies to support capacity provider negotiations Create flexible 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 Portfolio Management & Performance 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 Team Leadership & Development 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 Details Apply Now
