Underwriting Operations Manager

The Mutual Group • Iowa, IL

5d • $105,000 - $160,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

As the Operations Manager, Underwriting you will be responsible for the operational performance of the underwriting function, with two primary areas of accountability: (1) leadership and development of the Underwriting Assistant (UA) team, and (2) management and optimization of workflow, service delivery, and operational productivity across the underwriting operation. This role ensures efficient and consistent workflow management across the underwriting lifecycle and maintains capacity planning and service delivery metrics for underwriting leadership. The Operations Manager partners closely with the Underwriting Manager as a peer to align operational execution with portfolio priorities and production goals while maintaining process discipline, service excellence, and continuous improvement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Insurance, Operations Management, Finance, or related field preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in insurance operations, underwriting support, or related functional area.
• 2+ years leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing production workflows and service standards.
• Experience with commercial P&C underwriting operations preferred.
• Strong understanding of underwriting life cycle and policy processing workflows.
• Proficiency in underwriting systems and reporting tools.
• Experience analyzing production metrics and operational KPIs.
• Process improvement or Lean/Six Sigma exposure preferred.
• Strong operational and organizational leadership capability.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a high-volume environment.
• Analytical mindset with focus on efficiency and performance metrics.
• Effective communication and cross-functional collaboration skills and interpersonal skills.
• Strong coaching and talent development ability.

Responsibilities

• Attract, select, retain, lead, and develop a team of Underwriting Assistants while building a strong pipeline into underwriting roles.
• Establish clear performance expectations aligned with service and quality standards.
• Provide performance coaching and technical mentorship to Underwriting Assistants through routine coaching and audit feedback.
• Conduct performance evaluations and provide coaching focused on operational execution, workflow effectiveness, decision-making, documentation quality, and productivity while partnering with Underwriting leadership on technical underwriting development.
• Partner with the Underwriting Manager to develop clear pathways, including training, shadowing, and onboarding - for Underwriting Assistants, Underwriting Technicians and other operational functions - to progress into underwriting roles.
• Develop workforce capacity plans based on volume trends and business needs.
• Own underwriting operational performance end‑to‑end by driving consistent workflows, coaching staff on execution and documentation, and improving productivity and capacity utilization across the underwriting lifecycle.
• Ensure service level agreements (SLAs) for new business, renewals, and endorsements are consistently met.
• Monitor submission, renewal and endorsement volumes and manage workload distribution across the team, including collaboration with Enterprise Operations.
• Identify and resolve workflow bottlenecks to improve throughput and responsiveness.
• Maintain production dashboards and operational reporting to support underwriting leadership.
• Establish feedback loops with Distribution and agency partners to identify service improvement opportunities and implement operational changes that enhance agent experience and turnaround times.
• Standardize underwriting support processes and documentation practices.
• Identify automation opportunities and partner with systems teams and Product to improve efficiency.
• Implement workflow enhancements that reduce expense and improve turnaround times.
• Drive consistency in file documentation and system usage.
• Support change management initiatives impacting underwriting operations.
• Ensure UA documentation in underwriting files meets audit standards.
• Maintain adherence to regulatory requirements and internal governance standards.
• Monitor quality control metrics and implement corrective action as needed.
• Partner with Underwriting leadership to maintain audit readiness.
• Partner with Underwriting Managers as a peer leader to align operational capacity, workflow execution, and service performance with portfolio and production priorities.
• Coordinate with Underwriting, Sales, Enterprise Operations, Underwriting Technicians and Customer Service, Product, Claims, Finance, and IT to support underwriting workflow needs.
• Serve as operational liaison for agency service concerns related to submission, renewal, and endorsement processing.
• Track operational improvements resulting from agent feedback including turnaround time, documentation quality, and service performance.
• Actively seek, analyze, and act on agent feedback (in partnership with Distribution and Underwriting leadership) to improve operational service delivery and responsiveness.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary plus incentive plans for eligible team members
• 401(K) retirement plan that includes a company match of up to 6% of your eligible salary
• Free basic life and AD&D, long-term disability and short-term disability insurance
• Medical, dental and vision plans to meet your unique healthcare needs
• Wellness incentives
• Generous time off program that includes personal, holiday and volunteer paid time off
• Flexible work schedules and hybrid/remote options for eligible positions
• Educational assistance

What This Job Offers

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