Specialty General Liability - Senior Underwriting Specialist

The Hanover’s Specialty General Liability team is seeking a Senior Underwriting Specialist with high hazard product liability experience to join its dynamic high performing team. This is a market facing role with frequent interaction with retail agents or wholesale trading partners. This position requires strong communication, negotiation, relationship development and analytical skills to transact business within the fast-paced SGL environment. We are seeking an experienced SGL professional with a high technical acumen and a strong underwriting skill set.

The Hanover is a diverse and inclusive organization focused on hiring the best talent and we encourage all qualified professionals to apply. We believe that an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplace make us a better organization and creates a stronger community.

This position may be hybrid or remote and based anywhere in the United States, with ability for regular business travel to key specialty locations as needed. Location of position is flexible. Our teams have presence across the country.

POSITION OVERVIEW:

This role operates as the most experienced underwriter position and depending upon the business function may focus on production goals or supporting territories in driving underwriting excellence. Typically holds highest level of underwriting authority and works closely with leadership to drive underwriting and portfolio quality, sales and operations excellence, talent development, strategy development and execution. Provides technical insight and guidance to local team and leaders on accounts and execution of the strategy within the territory. This role may also lead a specific class of business.

THIS IS A FULL-TIME, EXEMPT ROLE.

IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL:

• Underwrite new business, renewal business, and endorsement referrals.
• Achieve financial targets for overall growth and profitability. Drives execution of plans to achieve results.
• Collaborates with and provides oversight to the junior underwriting staff on portfolio management and strategic underwriting decisions to ensure production, financial and underwriting objectives with respect to profitability are achieved.
• Assures compliance with corporate and regulatory requirements and ensures the integrity of underwriting discipline by identifying underwriting issues.
• Develop new business opportunities with new and existing agents. Build strong partnerships and promote the Hanover franchise.
• Provides input and may assist in broader strategy formulation with primary focus on execution of strategies.

Business Development:

• Identify and drive enhanced business opportunities and create growth within other lines of business and customer segments.
• Utilize our value proposition to enhance agency economics, partner conversion and product specialization in partnership with local management.
• Prioritizes and drives effective relationship management and producer activities to build trust, facilitate negotiation, and secure commitment in order to improve yield and retention ratios.
• Engage at the customer level for the most complex and prominent accounts within their territory.
• Independently implements territory business plans, monitors performance, adjusts plan to ensure a substantial pipeline for future profitable growth.
• Actively engages with distribution and field leadership to develop business opportunities. Regularly liaise with BDM function.
• Coaches field underwriters on top selling techniques specific to the industry space.
• Collect market intelligence (price, product, services); advocate for change as needed.
• Assist in the development of new product capabilities, emerging market opportunities, and identifying growth opportunities.

Portfolio Management:

• Manages portfolio for assigned territory with guidance from Leader. Provides input to and feedback on Portfolio, Distribution, and Infrastructure strategy.
• Analyzes industry financial performance and proactively manages the performance of portfolio, recommending corrective action as needed.
• Gathers critical local intelligence that will aid in the development product, service, and appetite improvements.
• Proactively responds to regulatory and legal environment.
• Maintains keen understanding of industry competitors, Identifies trends and emerging issues.
• Closely monitors underwriting results for assigned regions and recommends actions to improve profitability.

Underwriting Development and Support:

• Assist managers and underwriters with the most challenging technical underwriting situations.
• Provide additional support to managers in the areas of portfolio management, underwriting quality, reinsurance referrals and business planning.
• Periodically involved in complex underwriting referrals that fall outside of other UW team members • Assist in development and delivery of training.
• Develops and maintains relationships with Operations, Loss Control, and Claims to operationalize underwriting decisions.

WHAT YOU NEED TO APPLY:

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience.
• 5-7+ years Underwriting experience.
• 5-7+ years’ experience driving agency relationships resulting in profitable new and renewal business.
• Experience working with Wholesale Trading Partners and existing relationships with key wholesale firms/brokers is highly desirable, but not required.
• Consistently demonstrates high level of proficiency across LOB UW core competencies. May specialize/certify in 1-2 specialty areas.
• Proficient in ability to identify, analyze and solve problems and manage and prioritize multiple concurrent projects. Is used as a resource by others to collaborate on more complex risks, pricing, trends, industry segments coverages and product knowledge. May conduct peer-to-peer self-audits under the direction of management.
• Demonstrates ability to adapt quickly to change, exercise influence, and act as a change advocate being open to new and different ways of thinking.
• Viewed as an informal leader amongst the team/branch/region/LOB. Open to and proactively shares knowledge and expertise with peers, management, and leadership. Acts as a mentor for less experienced underwriters or newly hired underwriters, may assist with training other team members.
• Communication - Interacts and communicates with confidence with all levels of external and/or internal business partners within scope of responsibility, team and/or matrix environment. Can judge appropriate means and method to communicate based on the nature of the communication. Able to influence desired outcomes to drive actions and results. Adept at influencing even when holding a position contrary to the majority opinion.
• Judgement and Decision Making - Ability to exercise judgment, negotiate and make sound business decisions based on level of authority. Applies judgment and expertise to determine when escalation is needed. Demonstrates confidence in one’s ability to apply decision making to UW assessment.
• Teamwork and Collaboration – Consistently fosters collaboration and respect among team members. Easily adapts to the diverse interests, styles, and perspective of key players. Is able to engage multiple members of a group to share information and to consider other points of view to reach objectives, consensus and/or deadlines. Experienced in working with a wide range of teams and readily shares lessons learned.