Underwriting Director

Overview

Be among the first 25 applicants. At EMC, we’re all about working together to make an impact. As part of our team, you’ll have the opportunity to grow, contribute, and gain experience that matters. We strive to be caring leaders, close partners, and responsive experts—always supporting each other to do our best work. Join us, and let’s improve lives together.

• Position is eligible for candidates who reside in or around the greater Lansing area

• Leads and directs the branch underwriting process.
• Enforces guidelines and procedures established by Corporate Office Underwriting.
• Develops and enforces underwriting guidelines and procedures specific to their branch territory.
• Models smart and effective underwriting practices for individual accounts, all lines of business, and different classes.
• Sets and implements strategies to address challenges to profit and communicates strategies throughout the underwriting department.
• Answers questions, shares recommendations for complex situations, such as difficult accounts, communication strategies or problematic agency relationships and explains the rationale for recommendations.
• Monitors business results to ensure that underwriters operate within authority limits, guidelines, and branch service directives while matching price to quality across the book of business and meeting rate goals.
• Serves as the subject matter expert for the branch and makes final decisions on complex or high-risk accounts.
• Reviews updates received from Corporate Office Underwriting and communicates changes to team.
• Oversees and directs the underwriting department team, focusing on both long-term and short-term success.
• Collaborates with team members to establish performance goals and monitors status, conducts reviews, and provides coaching.
• Interviews, hires, and recommends salary adjustments for team members.
• Resolves disciplinary issues, reviews results, action plans, and progress.
• Organizes and plans educational opportunities for the underwriting team, including presenting results of trainings.
• Develops team expertise and completes succession planning, including identifying talent and implementing development plans for critical positions.
• Supports diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Fosters an innovative culture, including supporting new ideas and providing guidance on potential changes.
• Partners closely with the Branch Human Resources Business Partner and Manager to identify training needs for the department and individuals and ensure that it is delivered.
• Partners with Underwriting Supervisors to oversee workloads and workflow processes to ensure that branch objectives can be met.
• Directs existing and develops and fosters new agency relationships to grow profitable relationships and rehabilitate unprofitable and low growth relationships.
• Meets with and educates agents to develop their understanding of EMC products, underwriting appetite, systems and services to help generate a flow of quality new business opportunities.
• Delivers effective presentations to existing and potential new agents as well as agent associations to develop and strengthen EMC’s brand in the marketplace and agents’ impression of EMC.
• Monitors progress of underwriters’ assigned agents and guides underwriters and agents in achieving annual goals.
• Seeks feedback from agents and takes action to improve their experience and underwriting responsiveness and grow profitable books of business.
• Collaborates with Branch Vice President to determine underwriting strategy and practices and establishes short-term and long-term underwriting goals. Participates in the branch’s 3-year plan, including leading the discussion on underwriting trends and implications on profitability.
• Analyzes insurance trends in the operating area and industry with respect to general coverages, rates and market conditions in order to help find profitable segments to grow in.
• Coordinates with other branch teams, including claims, marketing, premium audit and risk improvement, to identify and address opportunities for improvement and to drive profitable growth, and offset threats to profit.
• Performs audits on new business and renewals for…