Financial services is a specialist game, and marine and aviation insurance sits right at the top of that pyramid. These are lines of business where a single policy can cover a fleet of ships or a wing of aircraft, so the people writing and placing that risk need real depth. The demand is for seniority and judgement, not volume.
The hiring data backs this up. In the financial services sector, recruitment was generally for Regulatory Qualification Framework (RQF) 6+ roles, rather than RQF 3 to 5, according to the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 report. In plain terms, that means degree-level and above: employers are competing for experienced professionals, not graduates fresh to the market.
For marine and aviation books specifically, that tilt toward seniority is even sharper. Growing a book means winning and keeping complex accounts, and that rests on named individuals clients trust.
Think of a book as a collection of policies owned by one underwriter or broker. Growing it means three things: writing new risk, retaining existing clients, and pricing accurately enough to stay profitable. A handful of roles do the heavy lifting.
These roles map onto the seniority the market is hiring for. The emphasis on RQF 6+ roles across financial services, as set out in the GOV.UK Temporary Shortage List Stage 2 report, reflects exactly this: marine and aviation books are built by qualified, experienced people who can carry client relationships and technical judgement at once.
When the roles are senior and the pool is narrow, your approach has to match. A few things make the difference.
First, be precise about the book. A marine hull underwriter and an aviation broker are not interchangeable, so write the brief around the specific line and the client relationships you want to grow. Second, test for judgement, not just qualifications. Ask candidates to talk through how they would price a tricky risk or retain an account at renewal. Third, move quickly. Senior specialists rarely sit on the market long, so a slow process loses the best people before you reach an offer.
Finally, look beyond the obvious shortlist. The strongest hire is sometimes someone who is not actively searching, but open to the right move. Reaching those people takes reach and speed together.
That is where we come in. We search a database of 15 million candidates to find the specialist underwriters, brokers, and claims professionals who can grow your marine and aviation books, and we manage the process end to end: sourcing, shortlisting, and booking interviews. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost. Tell us about the role today and we'll start the search.
