Sr Underwriting Consultant

We’re motivated by the fact that educators take care of our children’s future, and we believe they deserve someone to look after theirs. We help educators identify their financial goals and develop plans to achieve them. This includes insurance to protect what they have today and financial products to help them prepare for their future.

Horace Mann is seeking an experienced and highly skilled Senior Life Underwriting Consultant to join our Life Insurance team. This role is responsible for reviewing, evaluating, and classifying complex medical, non-medical, and financial risks to determine appropriate underwriting offers while balancing sound risk assessment with competitive positioning.

The Senior Life Underwriting Consultant plays a critical role in protecting company profitability from a mortality and morbidity standpoint while ensuring fair and equitable decisions for applicants and agents. This position also serves as a technical expert, mentor, and key resource within the underwriting team.
Position is hybrid and must be able to commute to the Springfield, IL or Madison, WI office on occasion.

• Review, evaluate, and classify medical, non-medical, and financial risks to determine underwriting offers on new life insurance policies.
• Underwrite life insurance risks with approval authority up to $5,000,000 face amount cases.
• Ensure underwriting decisions are fair, consistent, and aligned with company profitability objectives.
• Maintain strict adherence to internal underwriting guidelines, SOPs, regulatory statutes, and legal/compliance directives.

• Manage and process caseload in a timely and productive manner, meeting or exceeding established service standards.
• Demonstrate superior competency in utilizing underwriting and new business systems, including Resonant, online reference manuals, and vendor websites.
• Complete audits of underwriting decisions and processing to ensure proper mortality assessments and identify training opportunities.
• Provide back-up support to the Chief Life Underwriter as needed.
• Complete cosigns for Underwriter-level cases as assigned.

• Develop and maintain strong working relationships with agents, sales teams, and internal and external customers.
• Provide accurate and timely communication to agents via email and telephone.
• Support a collaborative underwriting environment that promotes transparency and partnership.

• Participate in projects, committees, and presentations as required.
• Identify and recommend opportunities to improve underwriting processes and procedures.
• Train and mentor team members in underwriting best practices and system utilization.
• Complete five (5) or more professional development actions annually, including industry courses, seminars, or continuing education activities.

• 10+ years of experience as a Life Insurance Underwriter preferred.
• Demonstrated experience handling large face amount cases and complex underwriting scenarios.
• Strong understanding of mortality and morbidity risk evaluation.
• Proven ability to interpret medical and financial documentation accurately.
• Experience working within established underwriting authority levels.
• Strong communication, analytical, and decision‑making skills.
• Demonstrated commitment to compliance, accuracy, and professional development.

• Normal office environment with remote work-from-home options based on management discretion and business needs.
• Core business hours required; additional time may be necessary to meet service standards.
• Periodic travel may be required.