Strategic Account Director

We are looking for a Strategic Account Director to join our growing Distribution team in London. This is an exciting opportunity to use your previous experience in a similar role to optimise our business partnerships with strategically significant accounts across our whole business including SME, Financial Lines, Middle Market and Lloyd's. Using your knowledge as well as market data, you will develop and set strategies and bring together the relevant stakeholders to help facilitate new opportunities for Travelers. In this varied role, you will also support the expansion of our digital trading, Schemes, MGAs and algorithmic capacity.

Travelers Europe currently offers flexibility to employees who wish to work on a hybrid basis in accordance with our Hybrid Work Arrangements Policy. This entails full time employees working three days a week in the office and two days at home (or pro rata for part-time employees). This policy may be changed at the Company’s discretion.

Account Management:

• Manage commercial relationships with large, complex and strategically important Accounts, working to build mutually advantageous, sustainable business partnerships that meet agreed revenue, business mix and growth targets.
• Communicate and promote the Travelers' Proposition to Account(s), building wide networks and strong personal relationships at senior levels (eg MD, FD) so as to influence business strategies and ensure continuing commercial alignment.
• Develop, gain agreement to and implement comprehensive Account Plans that will maximise the business opportunity and 'share of wallet' across multiple lines of business.
• Develop, negotiate and implement new or enhanced business arrangements, joint marketing activities, service agreements, etc. that will increase revenue, overall 'share of wallet' and expand the business mix, on a profitable basis, in line with the agreed Account Plan.
• Monitor Account performance and pipeline activities against Plan and expectations, investigating and taking timely action to ensure targets are met and/or performance issues are effectively addressed.
• Lead the management of relations with assigned Accounts, monitoring the operation of the contact network and taking action as necessary to ensure consistency of message and the prompt and effective resolution of issues arising.
• Monitor and direct Account-related activities and interactions within Travelers, ensuring the timely involvement of others eg Executive team members, Underwriting, Marketing, etc as may be necessary to grow or win business and maintain or enhance Account relations.
• Build, maintain and ensure the recording of detailed knowledge and understanding of individual Accounts in order to inform Account planning, communication and management processes.
• Manage complaints within own licence level in an appropriate fashion to maintain quality and continuity of relationships.

New Account Development:

• Contribute to the wider development of effective business strategies, priorities and market propositions, drawing on own knowledge, understanding and interpretation of local markets, competitors and Accounts.
• Lead and/or contribute to the identification, prioritisation and winning of significant new Account relationships, as required, ensuring that the Travelers Proposition is profitable, strategically aligned and commercially attractive to both parties.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Extensive experience in the commercial insurance industry and in a business development role.
• Understanding of both Lloyd's and UK market place.
• In-depth knowledge of assigned Accounts: organisation, strategy, internal networks and influencers.
• In-depth knowledge of local market, financial services, competitors and Travelers propositions and products.
• Relevant licences or professional accreditation required to meet internal, local industry/regulatory codes.

Knows how to:

• Develop commercial relationships in order build sustainable long-term, profitable business partnerships.
• Identify and manage key Influencers, including Executives, within major businesses.
• Build and implement complex, multi-level Account Plans.
• Build and execute commercial negotiating strategies and processes.
• Appropriately apply a wide range of marketing and selling skills and techniques to retain and generate new business.
• Make timely and balanced commercial judgements that are based on accurate cost-benefit analysis and reflect long, medium and short-term considerations.
• Identify, understand and use data and information to inform good planning and decision-making.
• Identify commercial and market drivers, trends etc. and capitalise on them to develop business.
• Create effective collaboration across disciplines and functional boundaries.
• Manage and prioritise activities appropriately.
• External Business Partnership/ Relationship management.
• Selling (sophisticated range of technical skills and product related tools/techniques).
• Business and Account planning.
• Prospecting.
• Commercial (business to business) negotiation.
• Communication (oral, written and presentational).

• Must have good knowledge and experience with broker distribution.
• Leading compliance and agency knowledge required.