At Markel, you'll work at the heart of the business, partnering with underwriting, actuarial, finance and portfolio teams to identify opportunities, optimise performance, and help make confident, data-driven decisions across Markel International.
What part will you play? If you’re looking for a place where you can make a meaningful difference, you’ve found it. The work we do at Markel gives people the confidence to move forward and seize opportunities, and you’ll find your fit amongst our global community of optimists and problem-solvers. We’re always pushing each other to go further because we believe that when we realize our potential, we can help others reach theirs.
Join us and play your part in something special!
The opportunity:
The Underwriting Performance team sits within the Underwriting Strategy & Performance department, reporting to the Chief Underwriting Officer, International. We help Markel International achieve safe and profitable underwriting by supporting portfolio optimisation, building strategic partnerships, and providing clear, forward-looking insight.
We link underwriting, actuarial, finance and other specialist functions. Our role is to help colleagues understand portfolio performance, identify risks and opportunities, and turn analysis into practical decisions. We combine constructive challenge with a strong understanding of the commercial pressures facing the business.
Our approach is based on partnership. We aim to be accessible, clear and solution focused. We use data to inform decisions, communicate proactively, and maintain underwriting discipline without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.
This is a broad role, with a remit across Markel International. You will work closely with the Head of Underwriting Performance and other members of the team, contributing flexibly across portfolio analysis, business planning, management reporting and strategic initiatives. The precise balance of work will evolve with team and business priorities.
What you’ll be doing:
Shape Markel International’s cycle management strategy
- Perform market cycle analyses, supporting underwriting strategy and responses to emerging issues
- Contribute to Markel International’s cycle management approach, leading on portfolio optimisation approach
Support planning and performance activity
- Support portfolio reviews, forecasts, business planning and assessments of underwriting performance
- Test key assumptions, prepare clear senior-management materials and maintain oversight of agreed actions and emerging issues, including assessments of new underwriting initiatives
Generate useful insight
- Analyse underwriting and portfolio performance, identifying the principal drivers, trends, risks and opportunities
- Combine information from different sources into clear conclusions, implications and practical options, including from independent underwriting reviews (IURs)
- Produce well-evidenced, technically sound work
Partner with the business
- Build constructive relationships across underwriting, portfolio analytics, actuarial, finance, exposure management and other functions
- Understand stakeholders’ objectives and portfolios, working collaboratively while offering commercially aware challenge
Contribute across USP priorities
- Deliver defined work across strategic projects, ad hoc analysis and changing business priorities
- Take ownership from question to output, communicating risks early and improving the work process
Our must-haves:
We seek someone with the analytical foundations and curiosity to develop into a trusted underwriting performance partner.
Experience and knowledge
- Proven experience in insurance, reinsurance, underwriting, actuarial, finance, consulting or analytics
- Experience analysing business or portfolio performance, with an understanding of insurance economics; London Market knowledge is beneficial
Analytical and communication skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Clear written and verbal communication
- Data visualisation or analytical-tool experience is advantageous.
Approach and behaviours
- Curiosity about underwriting performance and a proactive approach to investigating issues and proposing options.
- A collaborative style that builds trust.
- Commercial judgement, balancing analytical rigour with relevant and workable outcomes.
- Accountability: you take ownership, communicate openly and follow through on commitments.
- Adaptability: you are comfortable working across varied priorities in a role whose scope will develop over time.
- Constructive confidence: you are willing to test assumptions and challenge appropriately, while remaining open to alternative views.
Who we are:
Markel Group (NYSE – MKL) a Fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory, and investment operations around the world.
We’re all about people | We win together | We strive for better | We enjoy the everyday | We think further
What’s in it for you?
- A great starting salary plus annual bonus & strong benefits package…
- 25 days paid holiday plus Bank Holidays, with the opportunity to buy/sell extra leave
- Fantastic company pension scheme, private medical and dental cover, life assurance, travel insurance cover, income protection, season ticket loan as well as other great benefits on offer
- There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career and we can provide the support needed to do just that!
Are you ready to play your part?
Choose ‘Apply Now’ to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.
Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at [email protected] or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.
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Skills Required
- Proven experience in insurance, reinsurance, underwriting, actuarial, finance, consulting, or analytics
- Experience analyzing business or portfolio performance
- Understanding of insurance economics
- London Market knowledge
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Clear written and verbal communication skills
- Data visualization or analytical-tool experience
- Curiosity about underwriting performance and a proactive approach to investigating issues and proposing options
- Collaborative style that builds trust
- Commercial judgment balancing analytical rigor with practical outcomes
- Accountability and ability to follow through on commitments
- Adaptability across varied priorities
- Confidence to test assumptions and challenge appropriately
Markel Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Markel and has not been reviewed or approved by Markel.
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Healthcare Strength — Comprehensive coverage includes medical, prescription, dental, vision, and telehealth, complemented by company-sponsored wellness programs and free fitness/mindfulness apps. Feedback suggests expanded mental-health resources and wellness incentives further enhance support.
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Retirement Support — Retirement offerings include 401(k) and other financial protections that can add meaningful long-term value. Feedback suggests strong company matching and retirement contributions are a notable part of the package.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — A broad suite includes paid time off, corporate holidays, parental leave, hybrid work, volunteer time, and education support. Feedback suggests PTO accrual grows with tenure and can include an option to buy extra days.
Markel Insights
What We Do
At Markel, we believe in hard work, a zealous pursuit of excellence, and fairness in all our dealings. Markel Corporation (NYSE: MKL) is a global Fortune 500 company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. We seek to be a leader in each of our pursuits, with insurance being our primary business. As a market leader for specialty insurance, reinsurance, and investment operations around the world, Markel embodies integrity, commitment, teamwork, and innovation in every day operations. We are encouraged to look for a better way to do things. Since our founding in 1930, we have sought to know our customers’ needs and to provide quality products and service. Markel specializes in providing coverage for hard-to-place risks for a variety of niche markets including: • Agricultural and equine risks • Reinsurance for large risk enterprises such as oil rigs • Event cancellation insurance for weddings, concerts, and sporting events • Inland marine coverage for fine art collections • Environmental pollution • Yachts, ATVs, and motorcycles At Markel we provide an atmosphere in which people can reach their personal potential. We are results-oriented, and we continually strive for a better way to do things. The Markel approach is one of spontaneity and flexibility. Markel helps employees balance work and social activities. Markel gives you the keys to success! Keeping an open mind and learning new skills allows our associates to stay ahead of the marketplace. Above all, we enjoy what we are doing. There is excitement here that comes from innovating, creating, striving for a better way, sharing success with others…winning. That is the Markel Style.
