Small Business Senior/Lead Underwriter

Westfield•Westfield Center, OH

1h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Small Business Senior/Lead Underwriter owns an assigned territory and partners with the Territory Manager to execute strategic priorities, drive profitable growth, and support retention. The role applies the company’s underwriting philosophy by balancing individual risk characteristics, agency performance, and portfolio health to make informed underwriting decisions. As a trusted advisor to agency partners, the underwriter provides guidance and solutions that strengthen relationships, support mutual success, and deliver value to customers and the business. The position uses underwriting expertise, critical thinking, problem-solving, portfolio management, data and analytics, and creativity to make risk decisions, optimize territory performance, and improve business outcomes. The Senior/Lead Underwriter manages workload, builds agency partnerships, supports continuous improvement, and serves as a resource and mentor to peers. The role makes decisions about risk acceptability and pricing, escalates issues when needed, and provides leadership with insights on market trends, agency opportunities, and operational improvements. It also embraces change and champions new processes, technologies, and ways of working to meet the evolving needs of the organization and agency partners. The role is hybrid for employees living within 50 miles of Westfield Center, Ohio, requiring three or more days per week in the office; employees living more than 50 miles away work remotely.

Requirements

At least 5 years of commercial underwriting experience.
Bachelor’s degree in a related field and/or commensurate work experience.
Skills in commercial lines underwriting, underwriting strategy, risk management, portfolio and territory management, data analysis and business insights, and critical thinking and problem-solving.
Behavioral competencies include collaboration, effective communication, customer focus, nimble learning, ability to influence, building effective relationships, and adaptability.

Nice To Haves

Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) designation (preferred).
Property and Casualty Insurance License (PCIL) (preferred).

Responsibilities

Manage an assigned portfolio in line with underwriting strategies, profitability objectives, growth targets, retention goals, and customer experience expectations.
Prioritize and manage a high-volume workload across multiple agencies while balancing production, agency experience, underwriting integrity, responsiveness, and business objectives.
Collect, analyze, and evaluate underwriting information to make risk selection, pricing, and coverage decisions consistent with company appetite and strategy.
Develop strong relationships with agencies, producers, and other distribution partners; understand their business objectives, identify opportunities, and drive profitable outcomes.
Use portfolio underwriting principles, analytics, business intelligence, and market insights to identify trends and actions that optimize territory performance.
Own the territory by collaborating with Sales, Product, Operations, and key business partners to align strategies, address challenges, and achieve territory objectives.
Use underwriting expertise, business acumen, and creative problem-solving to deliver solutions that balance agency needs with company objectives.
Partner and negotiate with agents to achieve profitable outcomes, strengthen agency relationships, and contribute to agency business planning and growth strategies.
Provide leadership with feedback and recommendations on market conditions, competitor activity, agency performance, product opportunities, pricing trends, and emerging business needs.
Identify and implement opportunities to improve operational efficiency, streamline underwriting processes, and enhance agency and customer experiences.
Leverage technology, digital capabilities, automation tools, and innovation initiatives to improve underwriting effectiveness and business results.
Maintain effective internal and external communication regarding underwriting practices, agency strategies, growth objectives, and service expectations.
Collaborate with corporate and shared service partners to execute business strategies and deliver a seamless customer and agency experience.
Adopt new processes, technologies, and ways of working, and help agency partners and teammates navigate organizational change.
Share knowledge, promote best practices, support onboarding, and contribute to the development of underwriting excellence across the team.