You will lead a field underwriting organization focused on driving profitable new business growth through direct agency engagement and market-facing underwriting execution. You will provide leadership and technical expertise through management of people, processes, and agency relationships. You will partner closely with sales, underwriting, product, and distribution teams to align underwriting strategy with market opportunities, ensuring a balance of growth, profitability, and underwriting discipline. You are responsible for developing underwriting talent, optimizing field engagement models, and ensuring consistent execution of underwriting standards while enhancing speed, responsiveness, and agent experience. You will report to a senior manager, production underwriting.
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Position Compensation Range:
$99,000.00 - $167,000.00
Pay Rate Type:
Salary
Compensation may vary based on the job level and your geographic work location. Relocation support is offered for eligible candidates.
Primary Accountabilities
- Ensure commercial field underwriters effectively balance speed, responsiveness, and underwriting discipline to deliver strong agent and customer outcomes.
- Drive new business production and pipeline management by setting expectations for quote activity, agency engagement, and conversion performance; monitors quote volume, bind ratio, written premium, retention, and loss ratio, and execute strategies to improve results.
- Coach field underwriters to build strong, consultative agency relationships—identifying growth opportunities, aligning underwriting appetite to agency needs, and improving underwriting clarity to elevate the agent experience.
- Create a collaborative, performance-driven work environment by facilitating and fostering trust, transparency, and inclusion. Work with team members to set clear goals, provide feedback, perform performance assessments, and support on-going development.
- Lead with influence and expertise. Actively contribute to division or department leadership team. Communicate and support organization mission, vision, values, policies, and practices.
- Facilitate and promote a team culture of continuous improvement that focuses on delivering customer value and eliminating inefficiencies. Empower employees to identify problems, determine root causes, and design and implement countermeasures to permanently eliminate problems.
- Prepare and analyzes team and state plans and performance reports. Work with staff, leadership, and others to develop action plans based on trends to achieve desired results.
- Provide risk analysis, accurate risk selection, appropriate selection of coverages and pricing. Conduct or direct work product audits to assure consistent processes, compliance, and identification of training needs.
- Ensure compliance of underwriting operations with state and federal regulations. Research and respond to insurance department complaints or inquiries.
- Provide technical expertise and support for the underwriting of unique, complex or large premium accounts. This includes placement of property and excess/umbrella liability reinsurance for individual risks.
- Resolve escalated or sensitive issues arising from internal and external customers including the field force.
- Direct claims problem resolution including contract interpretation, reformations, claims committees, ab initio considerations.
- Manage appropriate authority levels for underwriters based on knowledge and skill level.
Specialized Knowledge & Skills Requirements
- Demonstrated experience providing customer-driven solutions, support or service
- Demonstrated effective leadership or management experience.
- Solid knowledge and understanding of customer service techniques and tools.
- Solid knowledge and understanding of products, performance, policies, and underwriting philosophy. (Will vary by product line.)
- Extensive knowledge and understanding of profitability, growth, and risk concepts.
- Solid knowledge and understanding of product policies, underwriting philosophy, and procedures gained through progressive underwriting, product management, premium audit, or claim experience.
- Completion of CPCU or Associate in Underwriting (AU) designation may be required within a timeframe specified by management.
Licenses
•Not applicable.
Travel Requirements
•Up to 25%.
Physical Requirements
•Work that primarily involves sitting/standing.
Working Conditions
•Not applicable.
Additional Information
Offer to selected candidate will be made contingent on the results of applicable background checks
Offer to selected candidate is contingent on signing a non-disclosure agreement for proprietary information, trade secrets, and inventions
Sponsorship will not be considered for this position unless specified in the posting
In this flex office/home role, you will be expected to work a minimum of 10 days per month from one of the following office locations: Madison, WI; Boston, MA; Keene, NH or St Joseph, MO.
Internal candidates are encouraged to apply regardless of location and will be considered based upon the needs of the role.
We provide benefits that support your physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing. You will have access to comprehensive medical, dental, vision and wellbeing benefits that enable you to take care of your health. We also offer a competitive 401(k) contribution, a pension plan, an annual incentive, 9 paid holidays and a paid time off program (23 days accrued annually for full-time employees). In addition, our student loan repayment program and paid-family leave are available to support our employees and their families. Interns and contingent workers are not eligible for American Family Insurance Group benefits.
We are an equal opportunity employer. It is our policy to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws pertaining to non-discrimination, non-harassment and equal opportunity. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.
American Family Insurance is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please email AskHR@AmFam.com to request a reasonable accommodation.
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