Head of Insurance and Underwriting Risk - London, United Kingdom

Description · The Role  · Canopius is seeking a dynamic risk leader to join our Group Risk team. This pivotal role will provide second-line oversight and challenge across underwriting risk, model governance, validation, ORSA, and risk appetite development. You'll shape risk frame ...

Job description

Description

The Role 

Canopius is seeking a dynamic risk leader to join our Group Risk team. This pivotal role will provide second-line oversight and challenge across underwriting risk, model governance, validation, ORSA, and risk appetite development. You'll shape risk frameworks, influence strategic decisions, and ensure robust governance in a fast-paced, global insurance environment.

Responsibilities will include:

Risk Framework & Oversight

• Provide 2nd-line challenge of underwriting, reserving, pricing, capital modelling, reinsurance, and exposure 
• Oversee development, validation, and governance of internal models (ICM, stochastic, catastrophe) 
• Articulate and monitor risk appetite and key metrics across the portfolio 
• Conduct capital, stress & scenario testing, economic capital analysis 

ORSA Leadership

• Lead Own Risk & Solvency Assessment (ORSA) process, driving insurer-wide engagement and board-ready output 
• Build and publish ORSA risk opinions, deep dives, trend analysis for senior committees

Reporting & Stakeholder Engagement

• Report key metrics, capital outcomes, model limitations, and exposures to Group, Board, and Risk Committees
• Provide risk expertise & challenge across divisions: underwriting, actuarial, finance, exposure, reinsurance 
• Collaborate with Finance/Actuarial to ensure alignment on assumptions and capital modelling 

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead a cross-functional team covering model risk, validation, underwriting risk, ORSA, and model governance 
• Coach direct reports and build 2nd-line skills in model challenge, validation, and strategic risk thinking 
• Shape risk culture, ensuring consistent application of risk appetite and governance standards 

Regulatory & Governance Compliance

• Ensure compliance with Solvency II/ORSA, CBEs, IST, and internal model standards 
• Prepare for internal and external audits of assumptions, model validations, risk framework, committees 

Strategic Input & Change Leadership

• Influence strategic decisions inside Risk Committees and Group Leadership 
• Analyse emerging risks, industry trends, competitor performance to refine risk appetite 
• Support transformation initiatives related to pricing, reserving, model enhancements, or MGA delegations

Skills: 

• Bachelor's degree in Numerical / Analytical discipline
• Advanced degrees or professional qualifications (FIAA, FIA, CERA, ACII, MBA) preferred 
• Relevant certification/experience in model governance or validation programmes
• Proven experience in 2nd-line risk, model governance, or validation in property/casualty, life or reinsurance
• Own Risk & Solvency Assessment leadership with stakeholder management capability 
• Solid financial/actuarial background including capital modelling (internal and regulatory) 
• Extensive risk experience, with developed management capabilities
• Experience in PRA-regulated organizations with knowledge of SMF, SOLVENCY II, COBS, CBEs 
• Experience working with Lloyd's, MGAs, reinsurers is advantageous 
• Advanced knowledge of capital models (e.g. Moses, RiskAgility) and statistical tools (R, Python, SQL) 
• Strong financial analysis and data interpretation capability 
• Skilled in presenting and challenging complex financial and risk topics to senior stakeholders
• Track record of managing and developing teams in multi-disciplinary environments 
• Strong leadership presence with ability to influence Board-level executives 
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
• Detail-oriented, proactive, and collaborative working style

Competencies:

Leading Change

Plans, implements and embeds organisational changes across the region and guides stakeholders through changes to processes, technologies, systems, or strategies, ensuring changes are successful and well received.

Leading Teams

Motivates, guides and empowers others to collectively meet current and future business needs. Sets clear performance expectations and utilises team members' capacity, skills and potential effectively.

Stakeholder engagement 

Cultivates and maintains positive relationships with relevant internal or external stakeholders, effectively involving and communicating with them to drive collaboration, support, and alignment towards shared goals.

Collaboration and teamwork: 

Works effectively with team, project or other work groups or those outside formal line of authority to accomplish goals. Actively participates as a member of a team; develops and builds cohesive team relations to produce required outputs; possesses knowledge and understanding of colleagues work.

Adapting to change: 

Adjusts thoughts, feelings, and behaviours to handle new, challenging, or complex situations; embracing change as a growth opportunity when working within new work structures, processes, regulations, or requirements.

Continuous Improvement 

Analyses current and future state business requirements and identify strategies to continuously improve products, services or processes.  Guide and inspire others to achieve results to enhance efficiency, quality and consistency.

Innovation

Creates, develops and implements new ideas to enhance new or improved processes, systems, solutions, products or services; tries different and novel ways to deal with problems and opportunities.

Resilience

The ability to cope with and recover from setbacks, challenges or difficulty. Persevering even under pressure or crisis situations and uses ways that foster strength and growth, often emerging stronger than before.

Future Focused

Anticipates changes in regulations, technology and client needs, proactively responding to key trends happening in the industry.  Thinks about the future through identifying opportunities and obstacles whilst planning effectively.