Insurance… slow, outdated, and a frustrating experience for businesses. But it doesn’t have to be. For businesses and fast-moving startups / scaleups, the customer experience has fallen far behind, leaving them underserved and at risk. At upcover, we’re flipping the script by providing innovative, tech-driven insurance solutions that businesses love—tailored, fast, and built for the pace of today’s world.

About upcover

upcover is building an AI-native commercial insurance broking and underwriting group for small, mid-market and technology businesses across Australia and New Zealand.

We combine licensed insurance broking, delegated underwriting authority, embedded distribution, premium funding, and technology-led insurance operations to help partners offer faster, simpler and more relevant insurance solutions to their customers.

We already work with leading platforms and partner channels across SME services, finance, fleet, asset finance and embedded distribution. As we expand our motor, fleet and commercial insurance proposition, we are looking for a partnerships leader who deeply understands the finance, mortgage broking and asset finance ecosystem.

The opportunity

The world of commercial insurance and underwriting is complex and analog. And its gigantic. Nearly $25B in business insurance is transacted across ANZ every year, and only 5% of this is online. upcover is at the forefront of digitising the industry and we are aided in our effort by the world's top insurers, underwriters and VCs.

Finance brokers, mortgage brokers and asset finance networks sit at a powerful point in the SME customer journey. When a business is buying a vehicle, funding equipment or arranging commercial finance, insurance is nearly always needed and today the experience is fragmented, manual and poorly embedded. Upcover makes it simple, fast and compliant. This role builds the partner channel that brings that to finance and asset finance networks across Australia and New Zealand.

The role

You will own and grow Upcover's distribution through the finance and asset finance broker channel. The product is built and there is a distribution framework and early pipeline to work with, so the core of the job is to get it up and running: sign partners up, activate finance brokers and drive real volume through commercial motor, fleet and SME insurance referrals.

From there, the upside is yours. If you can build strategic partnerships, open new networks and grow the funnel, there is genuine room to grow into a broader remit as the channel and the company scale.

You will work across the whole finance and asset finance industry - from large aggregators and lender partnerships down to small broker firms - so you need to pitch and build relationships at every level, not just the top.

What you will do

• Own the finance broker channel. Take the existing framework and pipeline and turn it into live, revenue-producing partnerships. Get partners signed and referrals flowing.
• Originate and close partnerships. Source, nurture and close referral and affinity programs with finance brokers, mortgage brokers, asset finance aggregators, lenders, fleet managers and finance CRMs. Work top-down with networks and bottoms-up with individual brokers.
• Run the pitch across the industry. Diagnose partner needs, understand network economics and build the commercial case for why Upcover is the insurance partner. Pitch to everyone from aggregator executives to three-person finance broker firms.
• Activate and enable brokers. Design simple referral journeys where finance brokers can send SME customers for commercial motor, fleet, equipment, liability, cyber or property cover without taking on compliance or fulfilment burden. Keep them close to the client relationship and getting paid.
• Launch and grow pilots. Take partnerships from first conversation to live pilot, stay close to the first referrals, fix friction fast and turn what works into a repeatable playbook.
• Grow the strategic side. As the channel matures, help shape the partner strategy, the commercial models and the multi-carrier story for aggregator channels.

What you'll bring

• 3-5+ years in partnerships, business development or channel development, ideally in or around mortgage broking, asset finance, SME lending, insurance or broker aggregation.
• A hunter's instinct. You are happy to open the doors, run the meetings, write the follow-ups and get into the weeds when a broker or a policy needs sorting.
• A network across finance brokers, mortgage aggregators, asset finance groups or lender channels, or the ability to build one fast.
• Commercial understanding of how brokers make money - upfront commission, trail, renewal revenue, referral fees, customer ownership and settlement timing.
• Broker empathy. You understand finance brokers do not want complexity. They want to keep the client, get the deal settled, avoid compliance friction and earn a fair recurring income without becoming insurance operators.
• The judgment to know a real partnership from a theoretical one, and comfort in a fast-moving, founder-led environment.

Nice to have

Experience with commercial motor, fleet, asset or equipment finance; general insurance distribution; AFSL, authorised representative, referrer or introducer models; aggregator relationships; SME lenders; premium funding or monthly payment models; embedding products into finance CRMs or portals; existing relationships across finance broker groups and lender partnership teams.

Compensation

Competitive salary, performance incentives and equity participation for the right person, with genuine upside as the channel and the company scale.

Location

Australia preferred. Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane ideal, open to exceptional candidates elsewhere.

Reporting

Works closely with the founders and senior leadership team across broking, underwriting, product, compliance and operations

Our hiring ethics

upcover is committed to employment equity and welcomes applications regardless of race, ethnicity, age, nationality, religion, disability, sexual orientation or philosophy of life.

Join us in redefining insurance!