Sr Underwriting Manager

Senior Manager, Underwriting About the Role The Senior Underwriting Manager is responsible for leading underwriting operations, driving profitable growth, and supporting the execution of business plans across an assigned territory. This role combines strategic leadership, technical underwriting expertise, team development, agency management, and sales execution. The ideal candidate will bring strong commercial underwriting experience, proven leadership ability, and the ability to partner with senior leadership to achieve profitability, production, and operational goals. This is a hands‑on management role for someone who can lead a high‑performing underwriting team, make sound decisions on complex risks, strengthen agency relationships, and support long‑term business success. Key Responsibilities Partner with leadership to prepare, execute, and adjust annual business plans. Establish underwriting, sales, profitability, and operational objectives that support business goals. Monitor business results and recommend changes as needed to meet sales and profit targets. Assist with staffing plans for underwriting positions, ensuring the team has the appropriate skills, abilities, and experience to perform effectively. Support budget planning related to staffing, production, and sales goals. Assist with personnel administration, including job classifications, performance expectations, evaluations, and staff development. Direct and supervise underwriting staff, including quality, quantity, accuracy, and timeliness of work. Maintain underwriting procedures, department standards, and company guidelines. Assign work, provide training and feedback, and conduct timely performance evaluations. Coach, mentor, and develop underwriting team members to improve technical capability, productivity, judgment, and professional growth. Underwrite or assist with large, complex, or unusual risks requiring advanced technical knowledge of products, coverage, and industry exposures. Conduct underwriting file reviews to ensure quality, consistency, compliance, and sound decision‑making. Support leadership with special projects, operational initiatives, reporting, and business needs. Underwriting and Risk Management Evaluate new and renewal business and determine whether to accept, decline, modify, price, or negotiate coverage. Recognize and evaluate exposure changes during the policy period and take appropriate underwriting action. Apply knowledge of statutory requirements, ISO forms, NCCI forms and endorsements, commercial lines manuals, and underwriting reference materials. Demonstrate strong technical judgment in identifying key underwriting issues and taking appropriate action. Make decisions within stated authority levels and underwriting guidelines. Seek exceptions to guidelines when supported by appropriate data, analysis, and underwriting rationale. Identify and respond appropriately to changes in customer operations, exposures, or financial conditions. Participate in complex underwriting research, analysis, or development projects as assigned. Agency and Territory Management Manage and develop agency relationships within an assigned territory. Prospect for new agency partners and evaluate potential agency appointments. Support agency growth, development, profitability, credit management, and production opportunities. Evaluate agency performance, including agency personnel, line diversification, loss ratio, book of business, volume, profit potential, and overall fit. Recommend agency appointments, changes, or terminations when appropriate. Solicit new business and retain renewal business through effective presentations to agencies and customers. Maintain and grow profitable business from current and prospective customer accounts. Conduct regular agency visits, agency reviews, and relationship‑building activities. Develop and execute territory plans, sales budgets, premium goals, loss ratio goals, agency call plans, prospecting activity, and business forecasts. Maintain profitable business relationships through effective marketing, sales, service, and communication. Coordinate and promote claims, risk control, and premium audit services to current and prospective customers. Travel as needed for agency meetings, customer visits, sales and marketing activities, internal meetings, territory management, and other business needs. Leadership and Technical Expertise Serve as a senior technical underwriting resource and source of knowledge within the organization. Maintain current knowledge of regulatory, industry, and competitive changes affecting assigned lines of business. Provide leadership and communication that supports business goals, underwriting discipline, service standards, and a strong performance culture. Represent management professionally and consistently act in the best interest of the organization. Promote the organization’s mission, values, and long‑term business objectives. Perform other duties as assigned. Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Insurance, Risk Management, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience will also be considered. Prior supervisory, management, or underwriting leadership experience required. Minimum of 5–7 years of commercial underwriting experience. Experience underwriting complex commercial risks in industries such as construction, forest products, manufacturing, oil & gas, or similar specialty classes. Strong experience underwriting new and renewal business, determining pricing, and evaluating commercial lines policy forms, coverages, and endorsements. Ability to analyze and manage exposures, identify risk changes, and develop action plans during the policy period. Strong agency management experience, including agency development, prospecting, appointments, performance management, and maximizing agency opportunities. Strong external sales skills with the ability to cultivate new business and retain existing customers through agency and customer presentations. Strong technical underwriting, analytical, communication, leadership, coaching, and relationship‑building skills. Ability to manage a territory, lead a team, drive profitable growth, and support business objectives. Work Environment and Requirements Must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Hybrid work environment, as directed by management. Must be able to perform job duties effectively both in person and virtually. Overnight travel is required. Must have a valid driver’s license. Must be able to sit at a desk or workstation for extended periods of time. Must be able to occasionally lift and carry equipment or materials weighing up to 15 pounds. Must be able to bend, kneel, reach, walk, and remain mobile as needed. #J-18808-Ljbffr