Specialist, Contract Underwriting - E&S/ Specialty (Contract+)

Nationwide•Scottsdale, AZ

2d•Remote

About The Position

This role is within Nationwide's Property and Casualty team, specifically in the Contract+ unit. The company is a Fortune 100 organization with significant annual sales, focused on protecting customers and innovating processes. The position requires a critical thinker who can analyze complex risks, find insurance solutions, make sound decisions, and solve challenges. The Excess & Surplus/Specialty (E&S/S) lines allow for offering insurance that other carriers may not. This is a fast-paced, collaborative, team-oriented environment in a growing industry. The Underwriting Specialist determines risk acceptability, pricing, coverage, terms, and conditions by developing, analyzing, and evaluating information and exposures on complex technical risks. They will also achieve production and loss ratio goals by reviewing and analyzing claims and loss history, and taking appropriate action on accounts. Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with general agents is crucial for generating premium dollars and profitability. The role involves working independently with a high level of authority and judgment, determining appropriate reinsurance placement, and fostering positive business relationships with co-workers, general agents, and reinsurers. Opportunities exist to assist with research, development, and presentation of new products, forms, and manuals, as well as training and mentoring Underwriters and Underwriting Assistants.

Requirements

Six years related experience or five years as an underwriter, excess & surplus lines preferred.
Knowledge of lines underwriting policies, practices and procedures, insurance law and underwriting marketing principles and techniques, rating plans and plan concepts, Treaty & Facultative reinsurance concepts, general agency system and company operations, regulatory issues, the general agency system, market conditions and company operations.
Ability to communicate effectively, orally, and in writing, interpersonally with individuals and groups via telephone, fax, e-mail and in person.
Demonstrates advanced negotiation skills.
Ability to manage the assigned line or lines of business, which may include monitoring of aggregates.
Ability to work with the wholesale/general agency distribution system.
Ability to analyze insurance risks to determine acceptability including policy language, various commercial rating plans and methodologies, reinsurance.
Ability to use/learn job related computer software.
Ability to devise business solutions to problems, implement the most appropriate, and monitor its effectiveness.
Ability to make decisions with minimal supervision.
Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

Nice To Haves

Undergraduate degree preferred.
Completion of general insurance courses such as CPCU, CIC, AU, ARM, CPIW, CWIS, or ASLI is preferred.

Responsibilities

Reviews individual risks with assigned agents or programs within assigned territory and either declines or accepts business based upon information necessary to make the decision.
Analyzes, with a high level of technical expertise, exposures to loss, develops an adequate premium charge for the exposure and determines appropriate endorsements and exclusions to address loss exposures for the insurance contract.
Places reinsurance, if any, for the account within department guidelines.
Achieves individual production and loss ratio goals within assigned territory through sound territory management and marketing.
Achieves production, profitability, and service objectives.
Quotes, prices, and underwrites new and renewal policies and endorsements, primarily for complex or service sensitive accounts.
Monitors risk selection and pricing decisions for entire agency plant, both on a book of business and individual account level basis.
Works with more complex issues concerning coverage, programs, agents, and program managers.
Continually analyzes premium and loss results in their territory or assigned agents by agency, state, major class of business, and by program.
Continually assesses quality of submissions and makes corrective action recommendations.
Development and implementation of specific action plans may be required.
Handles policy maintenance items and other mid-term requests.
Reviews endorsement requests and processes necessary changes to the policy.
Reviews loss control reports and makes recommendations to the agent and/or changes to the policy.
Follows up on outstanding information as required.
Reviews claim activity and takes appropriate action.
May review agency books of business as well as profit/growth results and trends to recommend and implement action plans.
Fosters positive business relationships with general agents through daily contact with assigned agents by developing and maintaining good rapport and resolving agency conflicts.
Travels to agency offices as required for audits, training, or marketing visits.
Entertains agents visiting the Company as required.
Assists with development of marketing ideas and strategies for underwriting seminars and other marketing campaigns.
Places reinsurance per department guidelines based upon the appropriate use of all reinsurance facilities used by the department, including various treaty semiautomatic and facultative reinsurance.
Maintains good working relationship with reinsurers.
Markets Nationwide products and services to help drive agency and company results, including all enterprise products that may enhance offerings.
Assists agency with strategies for pipeline management, producer development, and to develop new business in targeted industries and preferred markets.
Responds effectively to assess accounts and develop business propositions that win the business.
Other responsibilities as assigned may include program research and development, form development, rate development, technical assistance to Agents, Underwriting Assistants, and other Underwriters.
Proactively develops technical and business knowledge through internal and external venues.
May perform other responsibilities as assigned.