Senior Underwriter – Construction Liability
Manchester, Leeds or Birmingham | Hybrid Working | High-Impact Role

Shape complex risks. Build powerful broker relationships. Drive growth that matters.

At Markel, we don’t just insure risk we enable progress. From specialist construction projects to complex contractual challenges, our underwriters give businesses the confidence to build, grow, and move forward.

We’re now looking for a commercially driven Senior Underwriter – Construction Liability to play a key role in growing our UK construction portfolio. This is a high-visibility, high-autonomy role within a lean, ambitious team, ideal for someone who thrives in a broker-facing, trading-led environment.

Why this role stands out:

• Own and grow a £25M+ portfolio with a strong focus on open market trading

•  team

• Real autonomy to make decisions and shape outcomes

• A genuine opportunity to influence strategy, broker engagement, and growth

• Join a business in growth mode with momentum and ambition

The role:

Reporting to the Head of Construction Sector Sales, you’ll combine technical underwriting expertise with strong trading instincts to win and develop new business.

You’ll spend your time in the market, close to brokers, and at the centre of deal-making, not behind a desk processing cases.

What you’ll be doing:

Underwriting & Trading

• Underwrite and negotiate complex construction liability risks within delegated authority

• Assess, price and structure deals with strong commercial judgement

• Manage a steady pipeline of opportunities through CRM and broker engagement

Broker Relationship Management

• Build and deepen trusted relationships across your broker panel

• Actively engage brokers through meetings, calls and market presence

• Clearly position Markel’s appetite and strengths to win business

Business Development

• Proactively build and manage your own pipeline of new business

• Identify and convert opportunities across open market and facilities

• Contribute to portfolio growth and underwriting strategy

Leadership & Influence

• Act as a technical referral point for complex risks

• Mentor and support junior underwriters

• Collaborate across teams to maximise cross-line opportunities

What you’ll bring:

• Strong experience in construction underwriting, with a focus on liability

• Proven ability to trade, negotiate and win broker-led business

• Experience handling complex or mid-to-large risks

• Confidence managing broker relationships both remotely and face-to-face

• A commercial mindset with the drive to grow a portfolio

Bonus points for:

• Multi-line experience (e.g. Contract Works, PI, Property)

• Existing relationships within key brokers or regional markets

What success looks like:

• Delivery of ~£1M annual new business GWP

• Building a strong, sustainable broker pipeline

• Contributing to team performance, strategy and growth

• Becoming a trusted market presence in construction underwriting

What’s in it for you:

• Competitive salary + great quarterly bonus scheme

• Flexible hybrid working (2–3 days in-office)

• Private medical, dental, pension, life assurance & income protection

• 25 days holiday + buy/sell options

• A culture that is collaborative, down-to-earth and genuinely people-first

Why Markel:

We’re a Fortune 500 business with a human approach. Our underwriters are trusted to think differently, act decisively, and build meaningful relationships.

Our values shape how we work:

• We’re all about people

• We win together

• We strive for better

• We enjoy the everyday

• We think further

Ready to build something bigger?

If you’re a construction underwriter who wants more autonomy, more visibility, and a real opportunity to shape growth, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now and help us build something special at Markel.

If you’re an experienced construction underwriter looking to step into a role with visibility, autonomy and momentum in the Manchester, Leeds or Birmingham market, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply now and discover how you can build something special with Markel.

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 rec@markel.com 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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