AVP, Casualty Underwriting Performance - E&S/Specialty and Commercial Lines

Nationwide•Columbus, OH

8d•$154,000 - $290,000

About The Position

The AVP, Casualty Underwriting Performance supports the VP in leading strategic initiatives across multiple casualty business lines. This enterprise-wide role sets underwriting philosophy and strategic direction for the casualty portfolio, guides Technical Directors and field underwriting leaders, and drives performance in alignment with risk appetite and profitability goals. The role requires deep casualty underwriting expertise, knowledge of complex coverage and limits/attachment structures, and the ability to represent Nationwide with reinsurance and distribution partners. The AVP partners across Pricing, Reserving, Corporate Reinsurance, Claims, Product, Legal, Actuarial, Distribution, and other functions to align underwriting strategy with the enterprise’s risk appetite, reinsurance structure, and profitability objectives. The role also leads, coaches, and develops Technical Directors and broader underwriting talent, and may directly or indirectly lead a team in a hybrid work environment. The position reports to the VP, Casualty Underwriting Performance. It is exempt and operates in a normal office environment; remote work may be considered. The position could be filled within any of the lower 48 U.S. states.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business or a related field.
Typically 10–25 years of commercial or E&S casualty underwriting experience, including at least five years of leadership experience managing underwriting leaders such as Technical Directors or underwriting managers.
Comprehensive knowledge of admitted and non-admitted casualty markets, domestic and international business, and automated and manually underwritten portfolios.
Experience across small commercial, middle market, large accounts, umbrella/excess, and alternative markets within casualty lines.
Proficiency with primary, umbrella/excess, quota-shared, reinsured, and layered casualty programs, including attachment-point and limits-profile management.
Strong understanding of emerging and long-tail liability exposures, litigation trends, and social inflation impacts on casualty portfolios.
Demonstrated leadership in casualty products, insurance operations, field and staff functions, and industry trends, with the ability to operate and represent the enterprise at a strategic, cross-portfolio level.
Ability to set strategic direction and hold technical leaders accountable for execution.
Strong decision-making, influence, communication, relationship-building, and organizational leadership skills; ability to navigate ambiguity and represent the organization in external market-facing initiatives.
Ability to develop underwriting leaders or technical experts and lead projects across multiple casualty product lines, with a focus on results, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Regularly and consistently demonstrate Nationwide Values.

Nice To Haves

Post-graduate business-related studies.
Professional designations such as CPCU or ARM.
Exposure to both field and staff office operations.
Other leadership skills, competencies, and experiences may take precedence.

Responsibilities

Set enterprise underwriting philosophy and strategic direction for the casualty portfolio, aligned with profitability and risk appetite targets.
Drive thought leadership on casualty pricing, coverage, limits, attachment points, and underwriting appetite.
Develop and maintain a strategic roadmap addressing market disruptors, including litigation trends, social inflation, and emerging liability exposures, and translate them into operational underwriting capabilities and guidance.
Engage with reinsurance brokers, reinsurers, and external markets to benchmark performance and strengthen Nationwide’s market position.
Partner with Corporate Reinsurance on casualty reinsurance strategy, including treaty design, ceded structure, and capacity management where applicable.
Collaborate with Pricing on modeling, rate adequacy, limits profiles, and exposure accumulation across the casualty book.
Monitor enterprise casualty portfolio performance and guide risk selection philosophy, capacity deployment, and complex coverage and program design.
Establish and maintain enterprise best practices across CLESS casualty underwriting, including underwriting guidelines and letters of authority.
Lead portfolio-level business reviews and drive corrective action plans when performance goals are at risk; escalate and resolve issues spanning multiple product lines.
Ensure compliance with corporate underwriting standards and drive continuous improvement in production, retention, and expense management across the Casualty COE.
Partner across Claims, Legal, Actuarial, Product, Distribution, and other enterprise functions to resolve complex cross-functional issues and improve underwriting outcomes.
Coach, mentor, and develop Technical Directors and broader underwriting talent, building technical leadership pipelines and closing capability gaps.
Influence enterprise decisions on training investment, audit scope, vendor and data partnerships, and underwriting systems.
Partner with other Underwriting Performance teams to deliver actionable insights, key performance indicators, audit scopes, and third-party data that support profitable underwriting outcomes and capabilities.
Directly or indirectly lead a high-performing team in a hybrid work environment, depending on the organization structure.
Perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Benefits

Medical, dental, and vision coverage
Life insurance
Short- and long-term disability coverage
Paid time off, with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days per full calendar year, prorated quarterly based on hire date
Nine paid holidays
Eight hours of Lifetime paid time off
Eight hours of Unity Day paid time off
401(k) with company match
Company-paid pension plan
Business casual attire