Head of High Net Worth (HNW) Underwriting | Wealth Solutions
Why Join?
✅ Shape a Global Function – Build and lead a best-in-class HNW underwriting capability across multiple international markets.
✅ High Visibility & Influence – Partner directly with executive leadership and play a key role in strategic business growth.
✅ Market-Leading Client Base – Work on complex, sophisticated cases involving UHNW individuals, trusts, offshore structures, premium financing, and cross-border wealth solutions.
Head of High Net Worth (HNW) Underwriting
An exciting opportunity has arisen for a highly experienced HNW underwriting leader to establish and drive underwriting strategy, governance, and technical excellence for a rapidly growing international wealth business.
Reporting into senior executive leadership, you will be responsible for creating a globally consistent underwriting framework, delivering market-leading underwriting outcomes, enhancing customer experience, and building a world-class specialist underwriting function.
This is a rare opportunity to combine strategic leadership, technical expertise, and business transformation within a high-growth wealth platform serving affluent and ultra-high-net-worth clients globally.
Key Responsibilities
Underwriting Strategy & Governance
- Develop and lead the global HNW underwriting strategy and operating model.
- Establish underwriting philosophies, technical standards, governance frameworks, and authority limits.
- Ensure underwriting practices align with risk appetite and regulatory requirements across jurisdictions.
Technical Underwriting Leadership
- Act as the senior technical authority for complex and high-value cases.
- Provide guidance on jumbo cases, trusts, offshore structures, premium financing, and international clients.
- Drive consistency, competitiveness, and best-practice underwriting across markets.
Risk & Claims Oversight
- Lead underwriting quality assurance and governance initiatives.
- Oversee technical reviews, referral frameworks, and underwriting risk management.
- Provide specialist expertise on complex claims assessment and adjudication.
Business Transformation & Client Experience
- Enhance underwriting processes, service standards, and turnaround times.
- Drive digital transformation, automation, and operational efficiencies.
- Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver an exceptional client and adviser experience.
Leadership & Stakeholder Management
- Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of specialist underwriters.
- Collaborate with Distribution, Product, Operations, Risk, Compliance, Legal, and external partners.
- Influence senior stakeholders and drive alignment across multiple regions and jurisdictions.
What We're Looking For
- 18+ years of life insurance underwriting experience.
- Significant expertise in High Net Worth (HNW) and complex life insurance underwriting.
- Proven track record leading specialist underwriting teams across multiple markets or jurisdictions.
- Strong technical knowledge of financial underwriting, trusts, offshore ownership structures, and wealth-related insurance solutions.
- Experience partnering with reinsurers on facultative underwriting and underwriting strategy.
- Demonstrated success driving underwriting transformation, governance, and process improvement.
- Strong commercial acumen with the ability to balance growth, client experience, and risk management.
- Exceptional stakeholder management, communication, and leadership skills.
Highly Desirable
- Experience leading or establishing an HNW Underwriting Centre of Excellence.
- Exposure to international wealth, private banking, or cross-border insurance markets.
- Experience operating within fast-growth or transformation environments.
Interested?
This is a career-defining opportunity for an accomplished underwriting leader to shape the future of a global HNW insurance platform, work with some of the industry's most sophisticated clients and partners, and leave a lasting impact on a growing international business.
