Small Business Underwriting Assistant Manager

EMC Insurance Companies

4d • $97,889 - $148,758 • Remote

About The Position

At EMC, we’re all about working together to make an impact. As part of our team, you’ll have the opportunity to grow, contribute, and gain experience that matters. We strive to be caring leaders, close partners, and responsive experts—always supporting each other to do our best work. Join us, and let’s improve lives together. This position is eligible to work from home anywhere in the United States The Small Business Assistant Manager leads and supports an assigned Small Business underwriting team within EMC’s Small Business Unit (SBU). This role is responsible for operational execution, talent development, quality assurance, and agency engagement for a defined territory or portfolio. The Assistant Manager ensures underwriters adhere to underwriting guidelines, authority levels, pricing standards, and service expectations while driving profitable growth across all Small Business lines. The role acts as a key connector between Small Business leadership, regional partners, Product Management, Operations, and Platform/Technology teams. This position plays an instrumental role in implementing SBU strategies, improving processes, coaching underwriters, strengthening agency relationships, and ensuring consistent, high-quality underwriting outcomes.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in an insurance or business related field,, or equivalent experience
• Eight years of commercial lines underwriting experience, including prior underwriting experience in small business
• Excellent knowledge of underwriting, risk analytics, portfolio management, and pricing best practices
• Strong industry knowledge of small business products
• Strong leadership skills, including the ability to coach, motivate, and influence
• High degree of business acumen with strong problem-solving and decision-making ability
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including group presentations
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, projects, and deadlines
• High comfort working in evolving environments and navigating change
• Strong collaboration skills with the ability to build partnerships internally and externally
• Exceptional customer service skills
• Proven ability to build and maintain agency relationships
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office
• Occasional travel; a valid driver’s license with an acceptable motor vehicle report per company standards will be required if driving

Nice To Haves

• CPCU designation or other underwriting-related designation(s) preferred
• Previous supervisory/leadership experience preferred
• Prior experience with automated underwriting platforms or digital underwriting tools preferred

Responsibilities

• Supervises assigned Small Business underwriting (SBU) team, ensuring alignment with SBU and Corporate Underwriting guidelines, service standards, and workflows.
• Provides hands-on guidance on account strategy, risk selection, pricing adequacy, and appetite, supporting escalation and approval processes within authority.
• Partners with Small Business leadership to operationalize strategies that improve profitability, strengthen risk selection, and reinforce underwriting discipline.
• Engages with regional offices and collaborates with assigned underwriters to maintain, grow, and optimize existing agency relationships, identifying opportunities to expand high-value partnerships.
• Conducts agency visits, virtual or in person, to enhance agent understanding of EMC capabilities, underwriting criteria, and digital solutions.
• Partners with sales to identify and address challenges within underperforming or low growth agencies
• Partners with Underwriting Operations and Leadership to identify workflow gaps, recommend process improvements, and streamline the quoting and binding experience across new and renewal business.
• Collaborates with Small Business leadership to validate and implement updates to system rules, product changes, appetite adjustments, and workflow enhancements.
• Reviews referral patterns, escalation types, and exceptions to identify training opportunities and recommended system rule refinements.
• Ensures compliance with underwriting authority, regulatory requirements, and internal policy standards; assists with internal and external audit reviews as needed.
• Oversees and monitors the workload and performance of assigned Small Business underwriting team and performs all duties expected of a people leader at EMC.

Benefits

• Outstanding benefits with life, medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage
• Competitive paid time off plan and a full day of volunteer time off annually
• Financial incentives, including a 401(k) plan match, pension plan, OneEMC bonus plan and recognition and anniversary awards
• Professional development and growth opportunities, including tuition reimbursement
• Wellness initiatives to improve team member well-being and reduce health insurance costs
• Flexibility to dress for your day and opportunities for alternative work arrangements

What This Job Offers

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