Underwriting Director
Position Summary
The Small Business Underwriting Director is responsible for directing an underwriting group and is accountable for the business results, growth and profitability of an assigned book of business. The open position is located in Lake Mary, Florida reporting to the VP of Underwriting and is responsible for leading the Northeast Small Business Underwriting team.
This role provides leadership to a team of Underwriters in multiple locations and is responsible for business results through profitability, business development, analysis and monitoring of an assigned book of business, as well as attracting and developing underwriting talent. Operating with a high degree of technical complexity and coordination, this role may have regional, industry segment, or company-wide scope of responsibility. The role will have significant input to business strategies and the responsibility for the execution of those strategies.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties may be assigned.
1. Sales and Distribution Management
- Drives full deployment of sales disciplines, processes, and tools to manage the sales process and audit results
- Partners with the Branch Manager, Small Business Sales Director and Small Business Strategy Director partners to establish business sales objectives and is responsible for achieving sales targets
- Drives prospecting discipline, including a cross-sell focus, with underwriting staff along with consistent and effective sales coaching
- Acts as a relationship manager with key producers in the territory; establishes goals, provides timely communication, conducts cross marketing efforts and assists with agency education/training
2. Leadership
- Responsible for driving talent management, including but not limited not: attracting, managing, developing and retaining talent
- Creates a high performance culture through effective communication and quality goal setting, differentiation of compensation and performance, proactive management of low performers and retention of top performers
- Ensures development opportunities for high potential employees by ensuring development plans include special projects, assignments rotations, etc.
- Ability to interact, influence, and develop relationships within all levels and areas of the organization
- Promotes diversity by managing and including team members of all backgrounds
3. Portfolio Management
- Ensures achievement of gross written premium, retention, and new business plans
- Improves producer plant by revitalizing select producers, addressing underperforming producers, and establishing prospecting process
- Manages CAT aggregations, manage AAL to premium ratios, and implements CAT pricing discipline
- Drives and achieves rate goals (by line) with rigorous emphasis in profit improvement businesses
- Ensures achievement of gross written premium, retention, new business plans, and portfolio management goals
4. Underwriting Expertise
- Effectively drives quality by achieving acceptable audit results
- Manages staff account referrals to meet productivity targets / effectively allocate for greatest return
- Assesses underwriting skills of underwriters, delegating underwriting authority based on demonstrated skills, and creates a plan to increase underwriting technical capabilities
- Applies deep knowledge of market and industry to advise others and provide guidance in regards to complex risks, exposures, and decisions
- Uses all appropriate underwriting tools, discipline and knowledge of strategies to achieve successful results
- Collaborates with other Business Unit leaders to stay current with emerging exposures/trends and ensure underwriting consistency
Driven by our commitment to our customers, CNA's winning behaviors (externally focused, accountable, collaborative, innovative, inclusive and continuously learning) distinguish us from our competitors. CNA employees exemplify these behaviors in all responsibilities and interactions.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
- Ability to effectively lead, coach and develop underwriting staff
- Advanced technical expertise, underwriting skill and knowledge of insurance and underwriting principles, practices and procedures
- Strong communication, negotiation and presentation skills; ability to effectively interact with all levels of CNA's internal and external business partners
- Advanced analytical and problem solving skills, with the ability to manage and prioritize multiple projects
- Ability to deal with ambiguous situations and issues
- Ability to practice, teach and coach effective sales disciplines
- Creativity in resolving unique and challenging business problems
- Ability to achieve business goals and objectives
- Knowledge of Property, Casualty and Professional Liability lines of business preferred
Education & Experience
1. Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience. Professional designations preferred.
2. Typically a minimum eight years underwriting experience.