Head of HNW Underwriting, Wealth

Job description

Prudential’s purpose is to be partners for every life and protectors for every future. Our purpose encourages everything we do by creating a culture in which diversity is celebrated and inclusion assured, for our people, customers, and partners. We provide a platform for our people to do their best work and make an impact to the business, and we support our people’s career ambitions. We pledge to make Prudential a place where you can Connect, Grow, and Succeed. We are seeking an experienced and tenured Head of High-Net-Worth Underwriting ("Head of HNWU"), who will be responsible for establishing and leading Prudential Wealth’s underwriting strategy, governance and technical underwriting capabilities across the Wealth platform. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, Group Wealth (“COO”), the Head of HNWU will establish a globally consistent High Net Worth ("HNW") underwriting framework spanning Bermuda and future Wealth Hubs, ensuring Prudential delivers market-leading underwriting outcomes, service standards and customer experience. The role will oversee the development of underwriting philosophy, governance, technical standards, underwriting guidelines and operating model across the Wealth business, while leading a team of specialist HNW underwriters and working closely with Bermuda underwriting team to ensure consistency across jurisdictions. Job Responsibilities: Underwriting Strategy and Governance Develop and own Wealth underwriting strategy, philosophy and governance framework across all Wealth Hubs (including Bermuda). Establish globally consistent underwriting standards, guidelines and authority limits for HNW business. Define the long-term underwriting operating model supporting Bermuda and future Wealth platforms alongside the COO. Ensure underwriting practices remain aligned with Prudential's risk appetite and regulatory expectations across jurisdictions. Technical Underwriting Leadership Provide technical leadership for complex HNW cases, including jumbo cases, trusts, premium financing, offshore structures and international clients. Serve as final technical referral point for exceptional underwriting cases where required. Drive consistency of underwriting decisions across Bermuda, PACS and PHKL for Wealth products. Continuously review underwriting outcomes and implement improvements to enhance consistency and competitiveness. Provide technical guidance on complex claims adjudication where specialist underwriting expertise is required. Risk Management and Claims Governance Establish and maintain Wealth underwriting risk framework, ensuring alignment with Prudential's risk appetite and governance standards. Oversee underwriting quality assurance, referral governance, authority limits and technical case reviews across Wealth Hubs. Define and maintain Wealth claims philosophy and adjudication principles to ensure fair, consistent and timely outcomes for HNW clients. Establish claims governance and decision frameworks for complex HNW claims. Monitor underwriting and claims experience, identify emerging trends and recommend enhancements to underwriting guidelines, claims practices and operational controls. Process Innovation and Customer Experience Partner with Operations leadership to deliver Wealth differentiated underwriting and servicing proposition. Define target service levels, underwriting turnaround times and customer experience standards. Lead initiatives to streamline underwriting processes while maintaining strong risk discipline. Drive automation and digital enablement opportunities across underwriting workflows. Stakeholder Management Partner closely with Distribution teams, Case Management, Policy Admin, Product, Pricing, and Legal, Risk & Compliance functions. Build trusted relationships with International Brokers, Private Banks and strategic partners where underwriting support is required. Work closely with PACS and PHKL underwriting leadership to harmonize underwriting approaches while respecting local regulatory requirements. Support LBU underwriting teams through technical guidance, governance and capability building. Team Leadership Lead Wealth specialist HNW underwriting function (incl. Bermuda team). Build and develop a high-performing team of Wealth underwriters across multiple markets (e.g., Bermuda, Singapore, etc.). Coach and mentor underwriting leaders and establish a strong technical underwriting culture. Foster collaboration across Bermuda, PACS and PHKL underwriting teams. Job Requirements & Qualifications: University degree in Business, Insurance, Risk Management or a related discipline. Professional Life Insurance qualification (e.g., FLMI, ACS or equivalent) preferred. 18+ years of life insurance underwriting experience, with at least 10 years focused on High Net Worth or complex life insurance underwriting. Demonstrated leadership experience managing specialist underwriting teams across multiple jurisdictions or markets. Strong technical expertise across HNW underwriting, complex claims adjudication, wealth accumulation and offshore insurance propositions. Extensive experience working with reinsurers on facultative underwriting, underwriting philosophy and product development. Strong understanding of HNW underwriting topics including trusts, premium financing, offshore ownership structures and complex financial underwriting. Proven experience driving underwriting transformation, governance and process improvement initiatives. Excellent stakeholder management skills, with experience engaging Distribution, Product, Operations, Risk, Compliance and executive leadership. Strong written and verbal communication skills in English. Preferred Attributes Experience establishing or leading an HNW underwriting Centre of Excellence. Regional or international leadership experience across multiple insurance markets. Deep understanding of private banking, International Broker and cross-border Wealth business models. Strong commercial mindset with the ability to balance customer experience, growth and risk management. Passion for innovation and continuous improvement in underwriting and customer servicing. Ability to influence across a matrix organization and drive alignment without direct reporting authority. Proven ability to build high-performing technical teams and develop specialist underwriting talent. Comfortably operating in a fast-paced transformation environment, building new capabilities from the ground up. Prudential is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equality of opportunity of benefits for all who apply and who perform work for our organisation irrespective of sex, race, age, ethnic origin, educational, social and cultural background, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, disability or part-time / fixed-term work, or any other status protected by applicable law. We encourage the same standards from our recruitment and third-party suppliers taking into account the context of grade, job and location. We also allow for reasonable adjustments to support people with individual physical or mental health requirements.