Manager, Underwriting - Commercial Lines

Nationwide•Des Moines, IA

6d•$97,000 - $145,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Small Commercial Underwriting Manager is responsible for leading, coaching, and developing a team of underwriting professionals to achieve profitable growth, delivering exceptional customer and agency experiences, and execute underwriting strategies aligned with business objectives. This role balances talent development, portfolio management, operational excellence, and risk management while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Success on our team requires a blend of customer service skill and analytical prowess. There’s no shying away from challenges here. Each account we work on is complex and interesting. Satisfaction comes from finding solutions that provide the best coverage and give our partner agents a way to differentiate themselves from the competition. If you are adaptable, responsive, love customers and really want to make a difference, we want to hear from you! As a Manager, you'll lead commercial lines underwriting functions and staff to drive profitable underwriting results and growth through leadership, development, and engagement. We’ll depend on you to develop leadership within the team and help to identify and prepare future Small Commercial Underwriting leaders within the department. In addition, you'll build and grow agency relationships to ensure objectives are met. We’ll count on you to exhibit extraordinary care to set expectations for the team to meet customer needs and to collaborate with key partners in National Underwriting Organization (NUO), Automation, Business Development (BD), Product, and other leaders across the organization as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience preferred.
Completion of INS and/or AU or similar designations.
Typically, eight to 10 years of commercial lines underwriting experience preferred.
Supervisory or management experience desired.
Knowledge of commercial property and casualty underwriting practices, field underwriting operations and day-to-day underwriting operational needs.
The ability to exercise independent judgement and effectively make sound business decisions.
Solid understanding of sales, claims, service center, property and casualty field operations, loss control principles and legal issues involving knowledge of commercial contracts.
Strong verbal and written communication skills used to interact with all levels of internal and external contacts.
Ability to influence, negotiate and engage and develop a team of direct reports.
Ability to lead and train associates in all aspects of commercial underwriting activity.
Ability to be flexible and adaptable to changing situations.
Ability to set work priorities that conform to established standards.
Ability to analyze insurance risks, apply logical judgment and use procedures effectively.
Ability to operate personal computer and applicable business software.
Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

Nice To Haves

Completion of CIC or CPCU is preferred.

Responsibilities

Responsible for coaching and developing associates by providing guidance, performance feedback, technical expertise, and mentorship to enhance underwriting quality, decision-making, and overall team/territory effectiveness.
Encourages continuous learning, adaptability, and innovation.
Ensuring decisions align with approved appetite, authority, pricing, coverage, and documentation standards on all lines of business.
Prioritizing workload, assigning territories, reviewing quality components, and managing service level expectations.
Using portfolio and territory data to drive profitable growth, retention, risk selection, and corrective action along with completing read-outs on underwriting and territory results.
Serving as an escalation point for agency partners and internal partners.
Leading adoption of approved process, automation, reporting, and workflow improvements.
Establishes best practices and methodology guidelines and ensures implementation guidance in partnership with key partners.
Identifies needs and potential issues and consults with all business partners in Small Commercial Lines.
Drives operational changes and ensures implementation of practice standards and procedures. Actively participates, supports, and contributes to continuous improvement and problem-solving efforts across Small Commercial Lines. Establishes workflow standards and processes. Manages performance measurements on the effectiveness of the unit's delivery process, service capabilities and customer satisfaction.
Interprets underwriting guidelines and standards. Resolves advanced issues, applies underwriting appetite in local market and provides technical oversight to complex issues.
Provides territory management for agency partners in collaboration with Sales and BD Organizations. Coaches team to deliver a timely and consultative underwriting experience. Reviews referrals for acceptability and handles those within authority.
Manages associates, including performance, salary planning and administration, training and development, workflow and organization, planning, day-to-day management, hiring and placement and disciplinary actions for direct, and possibly indirect, reports.
Provides technical advice on complex underwriting and service issues to unit ensuring compliance to state laws and company requirements. Consults with partners on policy and practice, customer service issues, sales, claims and underwriting. Promotes and monitors agency performance.
Communicates vision, operational plans, direction, and underwriting results to associates and external partners.
Strengthens relationships through regular contact on underwriting matters, promoting profit and new business growth, renewal retention and service capabilities. May participate and partner in the review and analysis of agency performance based on production results. Provides guidance for resolution of relationship issues.
Leads delivery of appropriate customer service levels. Follows up and ensures proper handling of advanced customer service requests.
May perform other responsibilities as assigned.