Senior Surety Underwriter

About the role

Zurich is seeking an experienced Senior Surety Underwriter to join its Commercial Insurance business in London. You will be a key member of the Surety Underwriting team, responsible for underwriting complex contract and commercial surety risks and driving portfolio growth.

Key responsibilities

• Underwrite facilities and bonds within individual authority and provide recommendations for credit committee approval for larger exposures.
• Participate in credit committees alongside other members to approve significant facilities and bonds.
• Negotiate bond wordings, indemnities and recourse documents with external solicitors and clients.
• Act as the referral point for bond enquiries, indemnity and recourse documentation.
• Develop a pipeline of enquiries through client, internal Zurich relationships, cross‑selling and broker contacts.
• Identify and develop new surety products and target market segments.
• Implement operational improvements to enhance underwriting efficiency.

Required profile

• Proven experience underwriting UK contract and commercial surety business.
• Strong financial analysis ability to assess creditworthiness from financial statements.
• Solid understanding of indemnity structures and their practical application.
• Collaborative, team‑oriented approach.
• In‑depth knowledge of surety bond wordings and related documentation.
• Preferably a well‑established network of contacts within the UK surety market.

Required skills

• Financial analysis of corporate statements.
• Surety bond wording expertise.
• Indemnity structure knowledge.
• Underwriting of contract and commercial surety risks.

What we offer

• Competitive salary with a performance bonus.
• 12% non‑contributory pension scheme.
• Private medical insurance.
• Flexible holiday purchase or sale options.
• Hybrid working model with at least three days in the Mark Lane office.