Commercial Lines Executive Underwriter

Overview:

Mutual of Enumclaw was founded in 1898 by local farmers who wanted to look out for each other. That spirit continues to define our company culture. We are committed to cultivating and preserving a culture of inclusion and connectedness. Our employees are proud of our thoughtful approach to insurance, and it shows. In January 2024, we were recognized as Washington's Best Company to Work For (our twelfth year in a row as one of the top 100) by Seattle Business magazine, based on a survey of our employees.

Mutual of Enumclaw works exclusively with local independent agents to offer insurance products for individuals, families, farms, and businesses. We currently operate in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Montana and Wyoming.

The Commercial Lines Executive Underwriter reports to an Underwriting Manager and is considered an insurance industry expert, responsible for underwriting and marketing of new and/or renewal business and endorsements within designated authority level, aligned with achieving our corporate objectives.  This position will apply technical, sales, and analytical skills to provide insurance solutions that help MOE’s agency partners and customers mitigate risk. As an associate of Mutual of Enumclaw, you will partner with our Sales and Marketing team to and develop relationships with agents to write and retain profitable business.  Partner with sales and marketing, claims, and products to devise and implement key marketing strategies. Independently manage assigned book of business with the highest level of underwriting authority to bind accounts consistent with our appetite.

Location: The successful candidate will work remotely, but must be located in one of our 7 states of business (WA, WY, UT, MT, OR, ID, or AZ), be available to work during our core Pacific Standard Time (PST) business hours, and must have high-speed internet (internet speed test required).

Commercial Lines Underwiting Specialist

Hiring Range: $109,631 - $128,383*

Salary Range: $109,631 - $150,971

*The hiring range represents Mutual of Enumclaw’s current hiring pay scale for this role. Mutual of Enumclaw reserves the right to modify or update this range any time. Exact compensation may vary based on skills and experience. Compensation is only one part of our entire total rewards package. To see some of the benefits and perks we offer, please click here.

• Review and assess medium to large size risks of higher complexity.
• Anticipate and identify moderately complex underwriting and marketing problems, thoroughly analyze available information, and make timely, practical decisions.
• When presented with limited information on an account, instinctively know the key questions to ask to understand the complete scope of operations and needed controls
• Manage underwriting and submission flow for the assigned agency.
• Document underwriting file as required to verify account complies with our underwriting guidelines and meets regulatory and underwriting quality standards.
• Proactively collaborate with sales and marketing to generate submissions in line with our appetite.
• Partner with regional sales manager to develop, implement and execute agency business plans.
• Communicate with Agents and/or policyholders as appropriate to gather information missing from documents and/or reports, convey the status of applications for new business or endorsements, and strive to preserve the integrity of business relationships. 
• Lead agency meetings and training sessions.
• Use consultative sales skills to successfully negotiate price, terms, and conditions for new and/or renewal business with our agency partners.
• Consistently seek market insight and use internal and external knowledge to inform business decisions.
• Actively participates in agency functions and industry events.
• Evaluate natural catastrophe exposures utilizing available modeling tools to confirm compliance with our underwriting standards.
• Determine if facultative reinsurance is required, and secure placement within your authority.
• Collaborate with Underwriting and IT staff to participate in strategic initiatives, data conversion, acceptance testing and to provide quality assurance support for the systems development. 
• Identify, innovate, and suggest new procedures, and/or opportunities to streamline Department processing and record-keeping systems and practices.
• Contribute to developing and executing underwriting strategies for the department.
• Assists with training and mentoring of less experienced associates when appropriate, often sought out as an industry expert.
• Review and approve underwriting referrals within the authority.

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of the local marketplace and insurance industry trends.
• Thoroughly understand organizational, and regulatory rules, policies, and procedures and effectively employ that knowledge in day-to-day work.
• Exhibit curiosity by asking questions, being investigative, and probing.
• Demonstrate a sense of urgency and reliability.
• Exhibit teamwork and collaborates well with others.
• Communicate clearly and professionally, both verbally and in writing
• Utilizes the necessary tools and resources to appropriately analyze and price each risk.
• Provide excellent service to internal or external clients.
• Challenge the status quo and make recommendations for enhancements.
• Ability to function well in a high-paced environment.
• Utilize data to make informed decisions and clearly communicate the reason for the decision.
• Highly experienced with Microsoft Office Suite and related software.
• Knowledge of reinsurance treaties and their impact on our business.
• Take ownership and responsibility for actions and outcomes by analyzing performance to plan and implement actions to address gaps.

Education and Experience:

• 10+ years of underwriting or related business experience required.
• Bachelor's or an Associate's degree, or a High School diploma with relevant business experience
• Fully proficient in task, assignment, problem-solving, and project coordination, execution, collaboration, and leadership skills.
• Insurance industry designation(s) and certification(s) preferred.
• Ability to be held accountable for customer-focused, accurate and timely results.
• Demonstrated ability to establish, maintain and grow relationships with agency partners.
• Specialized underwriting expertise in a given line(s) of business and/or market segment(s).
• In-depth knowledge of underwriting practices, highly proficient analytical and business management skills, and a track record of successful results.
• In-depth familiarity with contracts, legal requirements, and insurance regulations pertaining to Company lines of business and products.
• Familiarity with business process improvement, navigation, troubleshooting, and problem-solving.

Physical Requirements:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer, including video conferencing.
• Some travel may be required.