Director, Technical Underwriting - Small Commercial Lines

If you’re passionate about helping people protect what matters most to them, as well as innovating and simplifying processes and operations to provide the best customer value, then Nationwide’s Property and Casualty team could be the place for you! At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

In our new operating model for Small Commercial at Nationwide, this role will focus on creating world-class underwriting capabilities within the small commercial organization at a national level. The shift away from regional technical support means that the role will now concentrate on national underwriting strategy for the CL Auto and Workers Compensation lines.

Responsibilities include defining line strategy and monitoring the mix at the line, geography, and class levels nationally. Additionally, the role involves upskilling underwriting associates based on feedback loops from our quality organization and consultations with associates. While building strategy for today, this role also keeps an eye on the future needs of these two lines to navigate the changing industry landscape.

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Job Description Summary

While data and technical acumen are important, we focus equally on helping others learn and succeed when writing and retaining business. If you are both strategic and can dig into the details, love being involved in high-profile, impactful projects where teamwork is key, and can bring excellent decision-making skills to underwriting, we want to know more about you!

As a Regional Technical Underwriting Director, we will count on you for developing and providing the strategic direction of commercial underwriting at the regional level. You'll be responsible for development and maturity of underwriting competency inside of regional underwriting operations, including the support of automation capabilities, while enhancing underwriting skill sets in the region. You will ensure the integrity of the underwriting mechanism across Small Commercial while supporting Small Commercial strategies and objectives. You will be key in supporting collaboration on local strategies, and leadership and training support for national strategies, modeling, business information, analysis and evaluation/communication of commercial lines trends and results. You will interface with regional underwriting leaders and team members, peers across the country, and serves as the lead underwriter at the local/regional level.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:  

• Responsible for enabling the small CL underwriting capability, ensuring profitable outcomes at the state, line, and segment level across at a local level. Uses data, profitability studies, trending analysis, models, and market insights to identify risks to a profitable portfolio. 

• Provide support and appropriate tools to local leadership for risk consulting to identify key loss drivers, deliver actionable recommendations to reduce loss cost, develop and drive training to Small Commercial underwriters to enhance product or segment profitability and recommend potential pricing actions. 

• Partners with Automation team to enable enhancements regarding Nationwide’s processes to more efficiently serve our distribution partners while minimizing underwriting cost. Ensures regional buy in for evolution of automation solutions and provides feedback to Automation leadership around proposed enhancements to no touch processes. Drives general approach that automated solutions increasingly are the standard method for underwriting small commercial, enabling underwriters to increasingly focus on larger, more complex risks in their day to day activities. 

• Collaborates with Middle Market underwriting leadership to enable continuity across the Standard Commercial book of business in local geographies, enabling the ability of team members to explore career pathing and ensuring an external lens of appetite and process continuity between Small and Middle Market. 

• Supports geographic analysis and assists with implementation of our national book strategy. Partners with leadership to assist with local strategies which optimize financial outcomes. Leverages underwriting, product, staff and other key partners to determine appetite, strategically align book to appropriate risk, growth and profitability and CAT experience/exposure to ensure effective execution of strategies. 

• Develops and evolves underwriting best practices, standards, and appetite for Small Commercial. Oversees the execution of underwriting functions and ensure transactional practices follow Nationwide underwriting standards. 

• Participates in and support local audit and quality efforts aimed at better identifying opportunities for local training and focus in support of industry leading underwriting acumen. 

May perform other responsibilities as assigned. 

Reporting Relationships: Reports to AVP, National Underwriting – Small CL. May be responsible for direct and indirect reports.  

Typical Skills and Experiences:  

Education: Undergraduate studies in Business, Risk Management or other related discipline preferred. 

License/Certification/Designation: CPCU or other industry designation preferred or equivalent. 

Experience: 10-15 years in commercial lines underwriting. 3+ years with exposure to commercial insurance technology automation. 

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: Strong leadership skills capable of nurturing underwriters while providing candid feedback. Proven track record of effectively leading underwriting skill improvement, favorable portfolio outcomes, and hands on experience with complex commercial underwriting projects. Proven ability to nurture talent. Strong business and collaboration skills, innovative thought leadership, and creative thinking to develop innovative solutions uniting human and technological capabilities across the Small Commercial underwriting organization. Ability to build trusting relationships while creating a strong culture. Vision of how the future of Small Commercial will evolve across the industry and how to drive Nationwide forward in that environment. Excellent communication skills with the ability to handle nuanced communication and present complex concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. Customer focus. Results oriented. 

Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence. 

Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and HR Business Partner. 

Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates the Nationwide Values.

Job Conditions:  

Overtime Eligibility: Exempt (Not Eligible) 

Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Monthly travel is required. 

ADA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties 

We currently anticipate accepting applications until 10/03/2024. However, we encourage early submissions, as the posting may close sooner if a strong candidate slate is identified before the deadline.

Benefits

We have an array of benefits to fit your needs, including: medical/dental/vision, life insurance, short and long term disability coverage, paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date, nine paid holidays, 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off, 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off, 401(k) with company match, company-paid pension plan, business casual attire, and more. To learn more about the benefits we offer, click here.

Nationwide is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels challenged, appreciated, respected and engaged. Nationwide prohibits discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any characteristic (or classification) protected by applicable law.

This position could be filled within any of the lower 48 U.S. states.

Smoke-Free Iowa Statement: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, its affiliates and subsidiaries comply with the Iowa Smokefree Air Act. Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed areas on or around company premises as well as company issued vehicles. The company offers designated smoking areas in which smoking is permitted at each individual location. The Act prohibits retaliation for reporting complaints or violations. For more information on the Iowa Smokefree Air Act, individuals may contact the Smokefree Air Act Helpline at 888-944-2247.

For NY residents please review the following state law information: Notice of Employee Rights, Protections, and Obligations LS740 (ny.gov) https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/02/ls740_1.pdf

Nationwide pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement within the actual starting salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity and location of the role as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. If a Sales job, Sales Incentives, based on performance goals are possible in addition to this range.

The national salary range for Director, Regional Technical Underwriting - Small Commercial Lines : $107,000.00-$207,000.00

The expected starting salary range for Director, Regional Technical Underwriting - Small Commercial Lines : $116,000.00 - $176,000.00

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