Underwriting Innovation Lead

Underwriting Innovation Lead

• Lead the development of innovative underwriting capabilities that improve decision making and customer outcomes


• Work at the forefront of underwriting, data and emerging technology across NFU Mutual


• Hybrid 80% homeworking and 20% from Stratford-Upon-Avon

About the role

As an Underwriting Innovation Lead at NFU Mutual, you will lead the identification, development and progression of innovative capabilities that enhance underwriting decision making, operational efficiency and customer outcomes. This is a new role that sits at the centre of underwriting and innovation, giving you the opportunity to shape how new ideas are explored and applied across the business.

Working across underwriting, pricing, data, IT, architecture and change, you will translate strategy, business challenges and market insight into practical and scalable solutions. You will focus on modernising underwriting through the application of data, automation, AI and new ways of working.

You will lead structured experimentation, including pilots and proof of concept activity, defining success measures and evaluating outcomes to inform recommendations on progression or scaling. Alongside this, you will ensure that innovation activity aligns with governance frameworks, regulatory requirements and NFU Mutual’s risk appetite.

This role is based in Stratford-Upon-Avon and operates on a hybrid basis.

This role is based in our Tiddington Head Office, just outside Stratford-Upon-Avon. However, we understand how important a positive work life balance is, so to help you give your best, we offer great facilities when you want to be in an office environment and support to work up to 80% of your hours from home.

About you

You bring a strong combination of underwriting or financial services experience and an innovation mindset, with the ability to think differently and challenge established approaches. You are highly analytical and a strong problem solver, using critical thinking to assess value, risk and feasibility. You communicate clearly and confidently, with strong storytelling and presentation skills that enable you to influence stakeholders at all levels. You build effective relationships through collaboration and stakeholder engagement, take accountability for outcomes and demonstrate a learning mindset with curiosity and continuous improvement at your core.

To join NFU Mutual, you’ll also bring (essentials)

• Proven experience withing an underwriting department delivering change or transformation initiatives is highly desirable OR Experience working within financial services and delivering change, transformation or innovation initiatives will also be considered.


• Experience identifying and shaping innovative solutions involving data, workflow, automation or decision support


• Experience working in data driven decision making environments and targeted performance environments


• Experience collaborating across cross functional teams including underwriting, pricing, IT, architecture and change

At NFU Mutual, we support an inclusive workplace and value all the differences that make us unique. We celebrate the creativity and innovation that comes from diverse perspectives and experiences and share a common vision of doing the right thing for our customers and employees.

We recognise that some candidates may experience barriers during the recruitment process. So, we encourage candidates to discuss any adjustments or accommodations they need to be the best they can be throughout our recruitment process.

We're proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, a Race at Work and Women in Finance Charter signatory and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, regardless of age, ethnicity, disability, neurodiversity, gender, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.

Benefits and Rewards

When you join our team, you can expect a supportive culture and an attractive range of rewards and benefits including:

• Salary up to £67,000 depending on experience


• Annual bonus (up to 17.5% of salary)


• Contributory pension scheme, up to 20%, including your 8% contribution


• 25 days annual leave + bank holidays + buy/sell/save holiday trading scheme


• A Family Friendly policy that helps you balance your work and family responsibilities


• Access to savings at High Street brands, travel and supermarkets


• £20 contribution to a monthly gym membership – subject to T&Cs


• Health and wellbeing plan - cashback for dentist, opticians, physio and more


• Access to voluntary benefits, including health assessments, private medical insurance and dental insurance


• Employee Volunteering - volunteer in the community for one day each year


• Unlimited access to Refer a Friend £500 bonus scheme


• Life Assurance cover of 4 x salary


• Employee discounts of 15% on a range of NFU Mutual insurance policies.


• Salary sacrifice employee car scheme - subject to eligibility

Working at NFU Mutual

We’re one of the UK’s leading general insurance and financial services organisations, and for over 110 years we’ve put our customers at the heart of everything we do. Our people are just as important to us, so we’re proud to be recognised as “a great place to work”.

Our Gallup Exceptional Workplace 2026 award was not only awarded with Distinction, but it also marked us as the first UK based company to earn a Gallup Exceptional Workplace award for eleven consecutive years. We’ve also been consistently recognised by Glassdoor. We appeared in the Glassdoor Best Places to Work UK list in 2023, 2024 and 2026 — and in 2026, we were the highest ranked insurance business in the UK, highlighting our strong employee experience and the positive feedback our people share on the platform.

Additionally, we were named in the LinkedIn Top Companies 2026 list of “Best midsize employers to grow your career in the UK”, and we’ve been certified as a UK Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute in 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
We offer a supportive and empowering culture where people are inspired to perform, given opportunities to grow, and recognised and rewarded for their contribution. Our people are proud to work for a company that respects them and their communities, and they trust us to be financially sustainable—so we’re successful now and in the future.