Head of Strategic Relationship Management

It’s an exciting time to join AXA Retail, with significant investment planned to transform, deliver new digital services to our customers and streamline and automate our business processes. As a result, we’re looking for a talented person to join the growing team.

As Head of Strategic Relationship Management, you’ll lead the Sales & Relationship team for the Retail Intermediary business, overseeing the strategic management of our relationships with broker partners and delivering the distribution strategy, market-leading customer service and profitable trading performance. At AXA we’re adopting a Hybrid way of working, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team and our customers. You’ll spend 2 – 3 days per week in either our Ipswich or London offices, with UK wide travel to see Partners.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead, motivate and develop the Sales and Relationship Management team
• Define and execute the relationship management strategy for all areas of AXA Retail Intermediary including regional brokers, panel partners, partnerships, solus partners and specialist partners
• You’ll be accountable for the development of broker relationships, including customer management, delivery of profitable volume and premium, deals negotiation and delivery and use of data & sales tools. Working within agreed processes and in accordance with FCA, AXA UK and other regulatory relationship management standards
• Oversee deal management, with particular focus on new deal development and pipeline
• Develop, deliver, and report on effective sales and broker relationship campaigns
• Manage the overall approach of the Sales and Relationship team to partner management, including strategic reviews, quarterly business reviews and day-to-day interaction
• Contribute to the ongoing development and execution of the Intermediary Distribution strategy, which supports the wider AXA strategy and business plans
• Oversight and management of governance & compliance across the broker population

Due to the number of applications we expect to receive for this role, we reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the listed closing date to ensure we’re able to effectively manage interest. Therefore, if you’re interested in joining us at AXA, please don’t hesitate to apply.

Qualifications

• Previous experience of working at a senior level within an insurance environment, preferably Retail (Personal Lines); sound understanding of insurance market principles and processes is essential
• Proven experience and ability to drive, support and motivate teams
• Excellent relationship management skills and experience of building successful, trusting long-term relationships
• Proven successful track record of profitable business development
• Strong long & short-term planning & analytical skills with proven experience of both operational & strategic planning in previous roles
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with strong presentation capability
• Pragmatic decision-maker with good numerical reasoning skills
• Understanding and implementation of FCA and Compliance requirements
• ACII qualification desirable

As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorized to work in the United Kingdom.

This position has been defined as an Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) role under the IDD regime which means that in addition to pre-employment screening checks, the successful candidate will be subject to background screening every 4 years with an annual declaration in interim years.

What we offer

One of the best things about joining AXA is our rewards package. At AXA UK, we’re appreciative of the people who work for us and our rewards package is reviewed regularly to reflect that. You can expect to receive:

• Competitive annual salary dependent on experience
• Annual company & performance-based bonus
• Contributory pension scheme (up to 12% employer contributions)
• Cash car allowance £5,200
• Life Assurance (up to 10 x annual salary)
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Opportunity to buy up to 5 extra days leave or sell up to 3 days leave
• AXA employee discounts
• Gym benefits

Our ambition is to become one of the most inspiring companies to work for, as such we’re committed to supporting employee needs, providing meaningful career development and celebrating differences. We understand that everyone has individual work and home life responsibilities, therefore we’re happy to discuss flexible working arrangements for this role, should this be a requirement for you.

We look for candidates with the right skills and values to join us and selection is based on a fair and equal process. As a regulated financial services company, all successful candidates will be subject to preemployment checks. We’re committed to providing equal opportunities for all, therefore we welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. As a disability confident employer, we’re pleased to offer our support and access to the AXA Accessibility Concierge should you require an alternative method of applying or any reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process.

To apply, click ‘Apply Now’ and you’ll be able to upload your profile/CV from there. If you’d like to discuss this role further or would like to engage with our Accessibility Concierge, please send an email to jennifer.manuel@axa-uk.co.uk

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About AXA

With a presence in over 60 countries, and 165,000 employees serving the needs of 107 million customers, AXA is big.

But never too big to care for every single person who works here. So when you join us, we promise to put our collective might behind you and your career.

You’ll work in an open and supportive environment where you’ll be developed, challenged and encouraged to move around to achieve even bigger and better things – nationally and internationally. You’ll learn directly from senior leaders, from the best in our business. And you’ll enjoy real responsibility, really early on.

Every large company today talks about supporting diversity and inclusion. But at AXA UK, these values form an integral part of everything we do. For us, it’s about bringing together the best talent, helping people to realise their full potential by being 100% themselves at work and delivering outstanding service to everyone – regardless of difference.

Proud to be part of the AXA Group, a global insurance brand and a worldwide leader in financial services, AXA Insurance businesses employ over 5,500 in a network of offices across the UK. Our expert teams care for a huge range of customers, helping them protect their cars, homes and businesses against life’s uncertainties. Whether bought directly, through brokers or through a number of corporate partners, our market-leading products are trusted by millions.