Head of Real Estate

Join AXA Commercial and be part of an award-winning team! As the 2024 Insurance Award's Commercial Lines Insurer of the Year, we're proud to be industry recognised for our ongoing commitment to supporting our broker partners and customers. Are you a forward-thinking leader with a passion for driving and executing strategic initiatives? We are looking for a dynamic Head of Real Estate to join our AXA Commercial team and play a crucial role in shaping the future of our esteemed Real Estate Specialty function. In this senior leadership role, you will have the chance to influence key decisions and guide the Underwriting, Operational, and Distribution strategies to help us achieve our ambitious goals. If you're ready to elevate your career and make a meaningful impact within our thriving organisation, we encourage you to apply and contribute to our mission. Join us in fostering a collaborative and innovative environment where your expertise can flourish, continuing AXA's Real Estate success story and positioning us as one of the largest Real Estate portfolios in the UK. What you'll be doing:

• Own the Real Estate results, with responsibility to deliver profitable growth traded in the London Real Estate market.
• Oversee broker and client engagement, underwriting, and distribution strategies to optimise trading decisions and enhance the broker experience across various programs, including UK, multinational, and non-conventional initiatives.
• Lead, inspire, and develop both the Leadership Team and the broader Branch Team to deliver exceptional underwriting, distribution, and operational services.
• Establish a clear five-year strategy and vision for Real Estate, outlining key objectives for the branch and defining individual roles and contributions aligned with the AXA Commercial Grow28 strategy.
• Sponsor the continuous improvement of the Real Estate team, through investment in people capability, leading a change agenda for operational efficiency and utilising data and digital capability.
• Foster a culture of openness, transparency, and honesty within the Real Estate team, driving engagement and development while supporting the Branch and AXA Commercial strategies to achieve all KPIs.
• Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with key senior stakeholders, including clients, brokers, and Axa Executive Committee members, to execute the strategy and enhance business opportunities for Real Estate and the broader Commercial division.
• Ensure compliance with all regulatory and legislative standards within the Real Estate function, including adherence to internal governance and controls.
At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them. In this role you will be expected to be meeting brokers and clients in the London market regularly spending over 60% of your working week away from home. Away from home means either attendance at one of our office locations, visiting brokers or clients and attending industry events., We acknowledge and appreciate the exceptional efforts of our people in protecting what matters most to our customers. In exchange we offer a series of core and supporting benefits designed to empower our people to thrive both professionally and personally., We believe in hiring people who possess the appropriate skills and values that align with our vision. Our selection process is fair and equitable, ensuring that all candidates have an equal opportunity to join us. We are dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion, and we actively encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds. As an Equal Opportunities Employer, we take pride in treating our employees and potential hires with respect and without discrimination based on any Protected Characteristics., AXA UK are recognised as a Disability Confident Leader. We actively encourage applications from people who face barriers in the workplace due to a disability or long-term health condition. We participate in the Disability Confident 'Offer of Interview' scheme. This means a fair and proportionate number of candidates with long-term health conditions or disabilities who meet the essential criteria of a job, will be offered an interview.
• You'll need to show you meet the essential criteria as detailed in the job advert or job description
• You don't need to share the details of your long term health condition or disability for your application to be considered under this scheme
As part of your application, you'll be asked if you would like to 'opt in'. To ensure ease of access, every job advert lists a responsible Talent Acquisition contact, who'll be able to connect you with our Accessibility Concierge if you require any support. Screening & Conduct As a regulated financial services company, all successful candidates will be subject to pre-employment checks. Additionally, adherence to the Prudential Regulation Authority's (PRA) Insurance Conduct Standards and the Financial Conduct Authority's (FCA) Conduct Rules will be required., This depends on the location of the role, and what works best for you and the interviewer. We'll give you all the information you need to prepare for whichever format's used for your interview.I'm struggling to connect to my online interview, what should I do? Don't worry, we know these things happen. Get in touch with the person who arranged your interview, or the Talent Acquisition contact. One of the team will be able to help get the interview started or re-arrange it for a different time.How do I get feedback on my interview? Whenever possible, we'll call and provide feedback by phone. Sometimes, we'll need to provide feedback by email.How can I prepare for my interview? We'll send a candidate preparation pack before the interview to help you prepare.


• ACII qualification is preferred.
• A degree or equivalent qualification is desirable.
• Strong presentation skills, including the ability to effectively engage large groups of senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and motivating high-performing teams; exceptional people leadership skills are essential.
• Prior experience managing large teams in a branch environment, with a proven track record of achieving results across various KPIs.
• In-depth understanding of the London Real Estate and Multinational markets and their associated processes and broker partnerships is crucial.
• Excellent relationship management skills, with the ability to build and maintain successful long-term relationships with both internal and external stakeholders, including clients.
• Strong people and resource management capabilities, with a proven ability to lead and inspire teams.
• Pragmatic decision-maker with strong analytical and numerical reasoning abilities.
• Proven experience in long- and short-term planning, as well as distribution, operational, and strategic planning in previous roles.
As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom.

AXA Commercial protects businesses, from multinationals to micro start-ups, giving them the confidence to thrive. We're currently making our biggest ever investment to develop the expertise and skills we need to be the best. We're a vibrant community where everyone is supported to learn, develop, and take ownership of their work., At AXA we have a culture of trust, respect and care, where everyone belongs. We have an ambition 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 all have a role to play in ensuring a working environment in which everyone, regardless of who they are, can reach their true potential., At AXA we're committed to offering a fair and inclusive experience to all candidates. You're encouraged to report, in good faith, any concerns of behaviour or processes believed to be inappropriate, unethical, or illegal. Should you wish to report any concerns, you can do this through by sending an email to speak-up@axa.com, AXA's dedicated hotline. This service is managed by an independent investigation team. Please note that this email address is not for dealing with job or application related queries. Read more

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: 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)
• Life Assurance (up to 10 x annual salary)
• Private medical cover
• Company cash car allowance
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Opportunity to buy up to 5 extra days leave or sell up to 5 days leave
• AXA employee discounts, When will I hear back from you after my interview?
We aim to provide feedback as soon as the interview process allows. The time period will vary depending on the role.How do I discuss the package I've been offered for a role? You can discuss the package with your Talent Acquisition contact at offer stage.Yay! I've got the role, what's next? We'll carry out a number of background checks before you start. This is known as 'screening'.Do you do any background checks? Yes. All financial services companies, including AXA, are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Being part of a regulated industry means we must check the background of all applicants before we confirm a job offer. Pre-employment screening is not just regulatory, it also gives us the confidence that our people are the right fit to protect what matters to customers, colleagues, and our business.
• Who is screened? Everyone, from first-jobbers to senior directors! Often, the higher up the career ladder you are, the more stringent the screening becomes.
• What is screened? Identity and address; qualifications; employment history; credit check; criminal record; directorships.
If you think anything may affect these checks, please tell us.What benefits or perks do you offer? At AXA, we appreciate the people who work for us and regularly review our rewards package to reflect that. The advert for the role you're interested in will detail what you can expect to receive, but you can see an overview of our benefits and perks on our Why Join Us page.Does AXA offer car allowance or a company car? This depends on the grade, role, and eligibility of the employee. Check the benefits listed on the ad for the role you're interested in or confirm with your recruitment contact.