Head of Underwriting

ABOUT TIDE

At Tide, we are building a business management platform designed to save small businesses time and money. We provide our members with business accounts and related banking services, but also a comprehensive set of connected administrative solutions from invoicing to accounting.

Launched in 2017, Tide is now used by over 1 million small businesses across the world and is available to UK, Indian and German SMEs. Headquartered in central London, with offices in Sofia, Hyderabad, Delhi, Berlin and Belgrade, Tide employs over 2,000 employees.

Tide is rapidly growing, expanding into new products and markets and always looking for passionate and driven people. Join us in our mission to empower small businesses and help them save time and money.

ABOUT THE TEAM:

Insurance is a core SME product and Tide is excited to broaden our proposition to accommodate this essential need for our members. The Insurance team is new at Tide and we are rapidly hiring to fill essential roles to build a world-class offering for our members.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

This is a new role at Tide reporting directly to the CEO of Tide Insurance Services. You will be a key member of Tide’s Insurance Services Leadership team, scaling our presence in the UK, India and our new EU markets.

As Head of Underwriting you will:

• Build and lead the underwriting workstream across all our SME insurance products, developing best-in-class practices from the ground up.
• Operate in a hands-on capacity, setting underwriting frameworks, assessing risk appetite and defining the product pricing strategies; working closely with the second line of defence and our insurance partners.
• Drive productivity, effectiveness, and top-tier service delivery in a competitive and fast-evolving market.
• Establish and lead initiatives that create a customer-centric underwriting and claims experience with a very high degree of automation and leverage of technology, aligned with company values and commercial objectives.
• Play an important role in engaging, maintaining, developing and growing relationships with new and existing insurer partners and capacity providers.
• Ensure regulatory compliance, internal controls, and risk governance are embedded in all underwriting practices and processes.
• Proactively identify and implement process improvements and transformation initiatives to elevate service quality and operational efficiency.
• Define and manage the delivery of underwriting-related projects, including stakeholder management, resource planning, and risk mitigation.
• Act as a key point of accountability for reporting progress and risk performance.
• Build strong cross-functional partnerships with Product, Sales, Claims, and Risk teams to ensure underwriting strategy supports overall business goals.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

• 10+ years of experience in the insurance industry, with strong exposure to SME commercial lines underwriting.
• Proven success in building or scaling underwriting and delivering against strategic priorities in high-growth or transforming environments.
• Strong hands-on underwriting expertise, with a deep understanding of risk frameworks, pricing, claims considerations, and compliance standards.
• Solid understanding of insurance services, operations, and regulatory frameworks, ideally with experience navigating compliance within the UK's regulatory environment.
• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to distill complex issues into actionable insights and make sound decisions quickly.
• Proven ability to work cross-functionally and influence a wide range of internal and external stakeholders, including regulators and senior leadership.
• Highly organized and capable of managing competing priorities and teams under pressure, with a track record of delivering results on tight timelines.
• Strong motivation and resilience, with a leadership style that inspires teams and drives accountability in dynamic and challenging settings.

WHAT YOU’LL GET IN RETURN:

Our location-specific employee benefits are designed to cater to the unique needs of Tideans:

• A competitive salary
• Share options
• Flexible working options
• 25 days holiday with the option buy extra days
• 3 days paid volunteering or L&D time off per year
• Sabbatical leave
• We invest in your development with Personal L&D budget
• Group Life Insurance, Vitality Health and Dental Insurance
• Access to a global mental wellbeing platform
• Enhanced family-friendly leave
• Salary Sacrifice benefits like nursery scheme
• Work from home budget
• Team socials - virtual and physical events
• Spacious brand-new office by Old Street station with an all-day snacks bar

TIDE IS A PLACE FOR EVERYONE

At Tide, we believe that we can only succeed if we let our differences enrich our culture. Our Tideans come from a variety of backgrounds and experience levels. We consider everyone irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, family or parental status, national origin, veteran, neurodiversity or differently-abled status. We celebrate diversity in our workforce as a cornerstone of our success. Our commitment to a broad spectrum of ideas and backgrounds is what enables us to build products that resonate with our members’ diverse needs and lives.

We are One Team and foster a transparent and inclusive environment, where everyone’s voice is heard.

At Tide, we thrive on diversity, embracing various backgrounds and experiences. We welcome all individuals regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability. Our inclusive culture is key to our success, helping us build products that meet our members' diverse needs. We are One Team, committed to transparency and ensuring everyone’s voice is heard.