Senior Account Director

About Mission

We empower world-class talent to build standout MGAs. From concept to market, Mission provides a 360-degree service that helps MGAs deliver consistent, reliable results for brokers and clients. We customise our approach to each MGA’s specific needs, while maintaining operational independence and financial autonomy.

In a nutshell, our MGAs do the underwriting and distribution, and we do everything else.

What We Offer:

• Private Medical Insurance via Bupa and access to JAAQ at Work a video platform designed to support your overall wellbeing
• Group Life Insurance 4 x annual salary
• Pension Scheme - salary sacrifice employer 5% contribution
• Global Travel Insurance
• 28 days annual leave and an additional day off for your birthday
• Company paid parental leave
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Employee referral scheme
• Remote first

About the role

As Account Director, you will be the day-to-day partner for the MGAs in your portfolio, accountable for delivering the initiatives that help them grow. You will work closely with MGA CEOs, Founders and their underwriters. You will help shape the MGA strategy, business plan and, most importantly, you will be the person who helps them make it happen. Delivering initiatives aligned with the business plan is how you will support growth, profitability and partner confidence. You will support each MGA from onboarding through to scale. You will work hand in hand with Mission’s specialists in finance, digital, marketing, compliance and distribution to achieve shared goals on behalf of the MGA.

Mission works as a matrix: specialists in capacity, distribution, eTrading, data/MI, finance, compliance and marketing, but you remain the MGA’s main point of contact. You will partner with the wider team and MGA Delivery Managers to launch new MGAs well and take them into BAU once stable.

You will inherit a portfolio of MGAs that are well governed, commercially disciplined and growing, applying industry standards and best practice and challenging where performance or controls fall short. You will build strong relationships with MGAs, Mission’s digital team, vendors, carriers and other partners, advocating for both Mission and the MGA as necessary, and escalating risks and decisions to Mission leadership early.

Your portfolio will sit within one of Mission’s MGA pathways (Partners Club, Core MGA or Specialty), with portfolio size and intensity varying by complexity. You are focused, driven and committed to helping your MGAs grow. You will have experience in insurance underwriting, broking, operations or related fields, along with the ability to build strong relationships at CEO and board level. Credibility with senior stakeholders, commercial judgement and clear communication are essential, along with the analytical rigour to challenge performance and inform decisions.

What you'll do

Commercial Delivery and business planning

• Deliver the initiatives that support commercial outcomes for each MGA, including GWP against budget, profitability (EBITDA and net retained income), fee income and Mission’s fee/value case.
• Work with the MGA CEO to develop a medium- and long-term roadmap of growth and monitor performance over time, agreeing the business plan with Sales, Finance and the MGA and owning delivery of the initiatives that support it.
• Spot underperformance early and agree the right response with the MGA, from performance reviews to strategic resets.

Relationships and governance

• Lead the relationship between the MGA and Mission. Provide a key point of contact for the MGA to raise and resolve escalations and ad hoc queries, escalating to Mission leadership where needed.
• Maintain a clear understanding of the MGA’s needs and Mission’s agreed service offering. Keep the MGA and Mission’s strategic objectives aligned.
• Set and chair the governance rhythm with each MGA (performance meetings, monthly reporting and MI), holding both the MGA and Mission to account against the plan and tracking partner satisfaction and retention.
• Act as the main contact between the MGA and all Mission functions (including Digital, IT, Marketing, Finance & Platform teams) and vendors for all operational matters, setting priorities and holding teams to account. You will coordinate these functions but do not own operational delivery, underwriting authority, technical architecture or finance control.

Onboarding and lifecycle

• Partner with the wider Mission functions to onboard and embed new MGAs into the Mission framework. Work with the MGA and across Mission functions to drive best practice and ensure processes are clearly defined, understood and operate effectively. Lead your workstreams in the onboarding plan through readiness, go-live and the first 90 days.
• Support each MGA in BAU once stabilisation criteria are met, capturing lessons learned.

Capacity, carriers and eTrading

• Build and maintain relationships with carriers and capacity providers, agreeing ways of working, monitoring performance and representing Mission and the MGA in governance meetings where required.
• Manage binder renewals and capacity discussions, working with the Capacity and Specialty specialists on third-party capacity, market engagement and complex binders (including Lloyd’s and international considerations where relevant).
• Lead delivery of eTrading initiatives for your MGAs (Acturis, Quote & Buy and other platforms), setting priorities, managing the supplier relationship and broker experience and aligning configuration to the MGA’s strategy, while our Digital Team retains technical authority. Track quote volume, conversion, broker usage and GWP through digital channels.

Service delivery, team and strategy

• Monitor and report on Mission service delivery and work across Mission to ensure that agreed service level targets are met. Communicate issues to the MGA as appropriate, with transparency and ownership.
• Share knowledge across Mission functions to improve the service MGAs receive and help set consistent standards across the Account Director team.
• Contribute to Mission’s strategy and operating model, and to strategic initiatives such as tenders and new MGA opportunities.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of insurance industry experience, including senior roles in delegated authority (MGA, binder and capacity arrangements)
• 5+ years of senior commercial account management, project/programme delivery or equivalent experience
• A solid understanding of insurance platforms (e.g. Acturis) and digital/eTrading solutions
• A proven record of delivering growth initiatives and commercial outcomes, with experience of working to a business plan, P&L or performance targets (e.g. GWP, profitability, retention)
• Proven ability to facilitate and deliver projects, using the right tools and techniques.
• Strong stakeholder management, with proven credibility with senior leaders.
• Working knowledge of delegated authority governance, including TOBAs, binders, bordereaux and capacity agreements

Preferred Qualifications

• Able to get things done and deliver outcomes through influence across teams you do not manage
• Sound judgement under pressure
• Excellent communication skills, with the confidence to challenge constructively at senior levels
• Authentic and accountable
• A self-starter with plenty of initiative
• Superb collaboration skills, working effectively in a matrix of specialists
• Negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
• A problem owner as well as a resolver, who sees things through.
• Data-literate, comfortable using MI and dashboards to spot trends and drive decisions

Nice to Have:

• MGA or TPA experience
• Lloyd’s, Specialty or international market experience
• Good contacts in the industry
• Strategy and business planning experience
• Italian-speaking, with one other language (ideally French or German)

Additional Information
This is a remote position. Planned, in-office activities will be required.

You must live in the UK and be authorized to work in the UK without requirement of employment sponsorship/visa.

Mission is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.