SME Underwriting Product Manager

Who Are We?

Taking care of our customers, our communities and each other. That’s the Travelers Promise. By honoring this commitment, we have maintained our reputation as one of the best property casualty insurers in the industry for over 170 years. Join us to discover a culture that is rooted in innovation and thrives on collaboration. Imagine loving what you do and where you do it.

Product, Underwriting

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We're looking for an experienced SME underwriter to take ownership of portfolio performance and product development across our Commercial Combined, Property Owners, and Office books. This role combines hands-on underwriting accountability with a critical product development function — translating underwriting strategy into winning eTrade product definitions through rules, rating, conditions, and trade sector configuration within Acturis.

You'll be accountable for delivering against new business and quote/bind ratio targets across both eTrade and Traditional channels, driving segmentation strategy, and leading broker integration launches. A core part of the role is to optimise digital trading through the smart use of rules and data integration — enabling straight-through processing while maintaining underwriting discipline.
This role sits at the intersection of underwriting and eTrade product delivery. You'll shape risk appetite, optimise product performance through data-led analysis, and work closely with brokers and internal stakeholders to grow profitable business. You'll also play a key role in executing our SME Towers strategy.

The ideal candidate brings hands-on SME underwriting experience with strong technical knowledge of Acturis and rules-based underwriting environments. You'll understand how to turn underwriting intent into system logic — defining trade sectors, setting conditions, calibrating rates, and configuring rules that win business while protecting the book. A commercial mindset, analytical capability, and ability to engage brokers on trading opportunities are essential.

Travelers Europe currently offers flexibility to employees who wish to work on a hybrid basis in accordance with our Hybrid Work Arrangements Policy. This entails full time employees working three days a week in the office and two days at home (or pro rata for part-time employees). This policy may be changed at the Company’s discretion.

What Will You Do?

• Implement, define and monitor underwriting appetite & rules for new and existing products in collaboration with US/CAN Select, Europe portfolio managers and Europe UW office.
• Work with product development on coverage analysis in new or optimisation of products to be market relevant and in line with our underwriting strategy.
• Ensure the appropriate use of ‘input’ data, third party data and SoF to select and manage risks in a eTrade model that is in line with our target risk selection strategy.
• Provide UW guidance for referral handling within the team – what info to collect, risk management approaches to use.
• Identify and take corrective action based on portfolio analysis across SME, ensuring rules are working as expected and that any knowledge or behavioural gaps are addressed through communication, coaching and training.
• Manage the profitability, growth, and retention across the portfolio ensuring the underwriting quality is maintained.
• Underwrite and skillfully negotiate risks to minimise risk and maximise profitability, including Mid Term Adjustments (MTAs).
• Proactively manages SME portfolio, ensuring key performance indicators are consistently achieved and you actively target new business and retention.
• Identify and capture opportunities to write additional lines of business using knowledge of products, risk characteristics and appetite.
• Proactively utilise various technology platforms to quote and bind E-Trade risk efficiently.
• Prepare, lead and present Underwriting Reviews for individual policies or portfolios/schemes and manage action points.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with internal partners within the business unit and across the enterprise to identify cross-selling opportunities.
• Foster and maintain relationships with brokers to ensure they have an appropriate understanding of BI SME products and the BI SME goals and objectives.
• Develop and rollout UW training material to support SME product trading as a result of new products, product optimisation, UW strategies developed with the product portfolio owner and national UW officers
• Support and collaboration across SME, providing coaching and guidance, including referrals.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What Will Our Ideal Candidate Have?

• Knowledge: Expert knowledge of products, the regulatory environment, and the local insurance market.
• Portfolio Management: Ability to execute strategic direction across assigned portfolio in partnership with leadership.
• Analytical/Critical thinking: Strong critical thinking skills with the ability to underwrite, market products, identify financial challenges, and analyse available information to make decisions in alignment with our risk appetite.
• Communication/Influence: Excellent communication skills with the ability to successfully negotiate in difficult situations with brokers.
• Inclusion:
• Ability to work with and lead people from different backgrounds, experiences, cultures, races, etc. and views those differences as assets to be leveraged to accomplish business goals and objectives.
• Leadership: Experience coaching and mentoring others.
• Industry / Competitor Analysis: Review competitor press releases and industry trade press for helpful insights, linking key themes together and identifying applicability to team strategies.
• Project Management: Participate in and/or lead projects that involves complex analysis and implementation of non-complex, routine business and regulatory changes relating to the enhancement, maintenance or introduction of new products

What is a Must Have?

• UK: A-Levels or similar qualification
• Advanced experience of underwriting, product knowledge, financial analysis, or risk assessment experience.