About Allianz
We are proud to be one of the world’s most trusted insurance companies, and Ireland’s #1 Property Casualty Insurer serving over 900,000 customers across Ireland, for over 100 years. Our success is driven by the incredible people we employ, with over 800 people in Allianz Ireland, we are committed to supporting our employees' individual needs and aspirations.
This role is officially based in Elm Park, Dublin 4, but we embrace a hybrid working model that offers you the flexibility and support you need to excel in your role.
We are incredibly proud to be recognised as a Great Place to Work having won the Super Large Category in 2025 2026, as well as being named one of Ireland’s Best Workplaces for Women and Best Workplaces for Health Wellbeing. If you're ready to take the next step in your career, apply now and become part of the team!
The Opportunity
As a member of the Executive Management Team, the Head of Retail Underwriting plays a critical role in shaping and delivering Allianz Ireland’s retail underwriting, pricing and portfolio strategy. The role is accountable for driving profitable growth, effective risk management, strong governance and fair customer outcomes across our retail portfolio.
Reporting to the Chief Underwriting Officer, this key control function provides strategic and technical leadership across underwriting activity, price setting, product design, portfolio steering and the ongoing monitoring of the underwriting risk profile, including recommendations to the Underwriting Policy Committee.
The successful candidate will combine strong commercial judgement, analytical capability, regulatory awareness and market insight to support sustainable business performance and the delivery of Allianz Ireland’s customer centricity strategy.
The role will also build future capability across the retail underwriting function by developing talent, embedding data-led decision making, strengthening succession planning and fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration and accountability.
Key Responsibilities:
- Strategy Development: Develop and implement underwriting and pricing strategies to support the company's retail business goals and objectives, aligned with our overall customer centricity strategy. This includes analyzing market trends, competitor offerings, and customer needs to identify opportunities for new products, in addition to product and pricing enhancements. Key member of Retail Steering, developing and implementing the overall Retail Game Plan and leading retail business performance and steering.
- Underwriting and Pricing Management: Oversee the retail underwriting and pricing processes. Ensure appropriate underwriting governance, quality assurance, product development, portfolio steering and underwriting fraud prevention. Continuously monitor and improve pricing models to ensure competitiveness, profitability, compliance with regulatory requirements and delivery of fair and transparent customer outcomes. Ensure that the customer is always at the centre of our decision making.
- Risk Management: Implement robust risk management practices to identify, assess and mitigate underwriting and pricing risks. Monitor key risk indicators, such as predicted loss ratios and claims experience, and take appropriate actions to mitigate adverse trends. Ensure compliance with Allianz Group standards, Allianz Ireland standards, and Local EU regulatory requirements and codes.
- Sustainability: Embed ESG considerations into retail underwriting strategy, processes and decision-making to manage sustainability-related risks and opportunities. Support the Head of Sustainability in implementing the AZI Sustainability strategy and ensuring that we meet targets.
- Leadership: Lead, develop and empower high-performing teams by setting clear direction, building technical expertise and fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement and accountability. Champion analytics, technology and data-led decision making to improve business and customer outcomes.
- Stakeholder Engagement: Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including Customer, Market Management, Claims, Compliance, underwriting teams, brokers, regulators and Allianz Group colleagues, to ensure strategic alignment, market insight and the application of best practice.
- Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to establish the effectiveness of underwriting and pricing activities. Prepare regular reports and presentations for senior management, highlighting business performance, emerging trends, and recommended actions for improvement. Deliver against agreed financial performance metrics including growth, profitability, expense ratio and combined operating ratio.
- Customer Driven Transformation: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, such as Product, Customer, Marketing, Data Insights and Transformation Managers, to align underwriting and pricing strategies with market positioning and customer value propositions which differentiate Allianz and ensure the customer is at the centre of our all our decisions. Design and deliver customer centered products and propositions that differentiate Allianz, strengthen customer attraction and support delivery of the customer centricity strategy.
- Growth: Work closely with the Head of Retail Sales Distribution to deliver our growth ambition, identify opportunities to expand our risk appetite and customer reach. Support the development of new and existing distribution opportunities.
Key Requirements / Skills Experience
Essential:
- Minimum of 10 years’ experience in general insurance with demonstrated experience and understanding of PC underwriting, pricing and portfolio management.
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., finance, economics, mathematics, business).
- Proven experience in underwriting and pricing within the retail insurance industry, with a strong understanding of market dynamics, product development, and risk management.
- Excellent analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to interpret and apply complex data to make sound business decisions.
- Strong leadership abilities, with a track record of building and motivating high-performing teams.
- In-depth knowledge of underwriting principles, pricing methodologies, and regulatory requirements.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels, both internally and externally; and the ability to explain and articulate technical concepts to a non-technical audience.
- Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues and develop innovative solutions.
- Knowledge of the local regulatory environment and requirements
Desirable:
- Advanced degree or professional certifications.
- Experience in a function outside underwriting or pricing, such as claims, sales, product, finance, transformation or operations.
- Demonstrated experience leading change, transformation or cross-functional initiatives.
At Allianz Ireland, we are committed to embracing innovation and the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to drive innovation and business success. We are seeking candidates who demonstrate curiosity, adaptability and have a proactive approach to learning and development. An awareness of AI-powered tools, data-driven decision making and data analysis will be highly valued.
Our Benefits:
We offer a competitive remuneration package, generous pension scheme contributions, health insurance, working from home allowance, numerous wellbeing and family benefits, an onsite gym, and a well-connected, accessible location with onsite staff parking and free lunches.
Allianz plc. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
Regulatory Notice:
Appointment to this role will be subject to the requirements provided for by the Central Bank of Ireland. Please refer to the Central Bank of Ireland’s Guidance on Minimum Competency Code: Minimum Competency | Central Bank of Ireland as well as FP Standards and the Corporate Governance Requirements: Fitness Probity | Central Bank of Ireland. This includes the requirements provided for by the Central Bank Individual Accountability Framework Act 2023. The successful candidate will be provided with the relevant Conduct Standards (including Additional Conduct Standards) training, where required. Full details are available via the Central Bank website: Individual Accountability Framework | Central Bank of Ireland.
103015 | Underwriting | Management | Allianz Executive | Allianz Ireland | Full-Time | Permanent
Allianz Group is one of the most trusted insurance and asset management companies in the world. Caring for our employees, their ambitions, dreams and challenges is what makes us a unique employer.
We are united by a shared commitment: to put our customers first and at the centre of everything we do. Their needs inspire our thinking and guide our actions.
Together, we can build an environment where everyone feels empowered and confident to explore, grow and shape a better future – for our customers and for the world around us. At Allianz, we stand for unity: we believe that a united world is a more prosperous world, and we are dedicated to consistently advocating for equal opportunities for all. The foundation for this is our inclusive workplace, where people and performance both matter, and where integrity, fairness, inclusion and trust are at the heart of our culture.
We therefore welcome applications regardless of race, ethnicity or cultural background, age, gender, nationality, religion, social class, disability or sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected under applicable local laws and regulations.
Having different strengths, experiences, perspectives and approaches is an integral part of Allianz‘ company culture. One means to achieve this is a regular rotation of Allianz employees across functions, Allianz entities and geographies. Therefore, Allianz expects from its employees a general openness and a high motivation to regularly change positions and collect experiences across Allianz Group.
Join us. Let’s care for tomorrow.
