PEO Benefits Underwriting Trainee

Niural • New York City, NY

36d • Onsite

About The Position

The PEO Benefits Underwriter Trainee is a structured, mentorship-driven entry point into group health underwriting within a PEO/master policy structure. You'll start by learning to review, validate, and prepare incoming group benefits submissions — census data, prior carrier documentation, plan designs, eligibility rules — and progress toward supporting risk assessment and pricing decisions under the guidance of senior underwriters. This role sits at the front line of Niural's in-house underwriting engine, the same engine powering our newly launched AI-powered Benefits Selection and Enrollment Platform, which brought medical benefits underwriting in-house to eliminate third-party quoting delays and deliver more competitive pricing for our PEO clients. You'll work closely with our NYC-based sales, underwriting, and BenOps teams, gaining hands-on exposure to every step of the underwriting workflow — from first submission to final rating.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field
• 0-2 years of professional experience — this role is well-suited to recent graduates as well as early-career candidates
• Strong attention to detail with a focus on data accuracy and quality
• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with numbers, spreadsheets, and large datasets such as employee census files
• Genuine interest in health insurance, employee benefits, or insurance risk — prior coursework, internship, or licensing (health & life) is a plus but not required
• Clear written and verbal communication skills — you'll be translating technical underwriting concepts for brokers and internal stakeholders
• Proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets; comfort learning new software platforms quickly
• Ability to manage multiple cases and deadlines simultaneously while maintaining high accuracy standards
• Self-starter who thrives with structured mentorship but can also work independently as skills develop
• Based in or willing to work on-site in New York, NY

Nice To Haves

• Exposure to PEO, ASO, or group health insurance concepts
• Familiarity with ACA compliance, COBRA, or benefits administration
• Experience with HRIS, benefits admin, or payroll platforms
• Progress toward or interest in pursuing underwriting/actuarial certifications (e.g., AHIP, LOMA)

Responsibilities

• Collect and log incoming underwriting requests across new business, renewals, off-cycle changes, and census updates
• Review submissions for completeness, including census files, prior carrier invoices, renewal packets, plan designs, eligibility rules, SIC codes, and participation details
• Learn to triage submissions based on effective dates, complexity, and underwriting service level agreements (SLAs)
• Audit census data to identify missing fields, formatting inconsistencies, dependent mismatches, ZIP code anomalies, and eligibility flags
• Assist in validating prior carrier documentation such as rates, contribution structures, enrollment counts, and renewal methodologies
• Support risk assessment and pricing for new and renewing PEO groups under senior underwriter supervision
• Learn and apply core underwriting principles: rating factors, loss ratios, credibility, and risk pooling in a PEO/multiple-employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) context
• Help clarify missing or unclear submission information with brokers or internal teams to prevent underwriting delays
• Support ACA compliance checks, affordability testing, and eligibility determinations in partnership with the compliance team
• Collaborate with BenOps and Implementation teams to ensure downstream processes receive clean, accurate, and complete data
• Maintain organized underwriting files and documentation in line with internal and carrier standards
• Participate in structured training on group health insurance fundamentals, PEO co-employment models, and state-specific regulatory requirements
• Shadow senior underwriters on renewal reviews, plan design conversations, and carrier negotiations.
• Ensure PHI and sensitive data are handled securely in alignment with HIPAA and internal compliance protocols

Benefits

• competitive salary
• comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits
• 401(k) with match
• unlimited PTO
• access to an unparalleled network of founders, investors, and industry events in NYC

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level