Small Business Underwriting Zone Leader

Job Title: Small Business Underwriting Zone Leader    
Employee Status: Regular
Schedule: Full-time 
Location: Hybrid - defined as three days in office if residence is within 50 miles of Westfield Center, OH or Remote - if residence is over 50 miles from Westfield Center, OH

About Us:
You’re ready to make your mark where people care about each other. Where your work is meaningful. And where your unique perspectives are welcome. Think about joining Westfield, a company focused on what’s most important – the people behind our policies.  

Westfield was founded in 1848 by a small group of hard-working farmers who believed in the promise of the future and the power of the individual. Today, as one of the nation’s leading property and casualty (P&C) companies, we remain true to their vision and are dedicated to making a positive difference in our customers’ lives.

Responsibilities :

• Responsible for managing the SB underwriting function for a geographic zone for SB new business and renewal policies that require low and medium touch underwriting expertise in alignment with the SB appetite Driving profitable growth to achieve target financial outcomes and the annual plan is the primary responsibility for this role.
• Responsible for ensuring productivity, sound underwriting decisions, and strong collaboration between SB Underwriters & SB Underwriting Team Leaders, Managing Underwriters, Underwriting Practices Team, Underwriting Operations Team and Territory Managers/Leaders.
• Partners with Territory Leaders in creating the zone strategy, alignment, shared accountability and “team” environment for underwriting, underwriting support, and territory partners.
• Works collaboratively and seamlessly across Small Business, including with SB Operations, to optimize the end-to-end underwriting process, create consistency, provide outstanding service and ensure an overall positive agent/agency experience.
• Responsible for building strong underwriting acumen in the team, ensuring underwriting acumen is aligned to the SB appetite and documented underwriting philosophy and practices. Identifies and prioritizes learning opportunities to grow the team’s underwriting acumen and professional skills development, focused on profitable business development and sales practices.
• Creates a culture of collaboration between home office and field employees.  Models the behavior through collaboration and teamwork with Territory Leaders and Territory Managers.
• Provides effective leadership along with the following: analytical insight, problem solving, prioritizing and balancing workloads and ensures strong underwriting decision making resulting in profitable growth of the SB book.
• In cooperation with Underwriting Practices, ensures proper assignment of authority grants by building and utilizing a well-calibrated, objective, data-driven process for determining individual authority grants.  Ensures learning opportunities for the team are designed to increase underwriting expertise in the team.  
• Responsible for leading leaders and effectively supporting their specific initiatives, objectives, and goals.
• Creates a culture where proactive, consistent coaching is valued and expected to drive continuous improvement and a high performing team, and to ensure underwriting acumen is evaluated and grows to enable the team to handle policy premiums up to $75,000.
• Performs human capital management responsibilities including employee selection, performance management, coaching, and development, employee-related issues, employee morale and work environment. Manages priorities and workload distribution, and removes barriers that impede progress.  Completes all personnel, salary administration, and reporting duties. Performs operational responsibilities that drive the zone team’s performance including planning, execution, process improvement and best-practice sharing.
• Ensures the zone underwriting team adheres to underwriting rules, policies and procedures, and regulatory compliance requirements. This includes implementing and ensuring compliance with Underwriting QA recommendations.
• Serves as a Leadership liaison from Underwriting on various SB, Commercial Services, IT and/or Underwriting Department initiatives.
• Represents Small Business on various corporate and departmental projects and committees taking first a global view for what is best across the entire Westfield enterprise and second for what is best for Small Business.
• Remains current on industry topics, trends, methods (e.g. processes), best practices, etc. through research, industry events, networking, etc. Shares knowledge gained with others across the organization.
• Works collaboratively across the entire Westfield enterprise including support functions and other underwriting segments to achieve business results.
• Travels as needed in order to perform other essential functions.

Qualifications: 

• Minimum of 10 years of Commercial and/or Small Business P&C insurance underwriting experience.  
• Minimum of 5  years of leadership experience.
• Experience contributing to strategy development and understanding the impact and implications of decisions on other areas of the organization through previous projects and work experiences.   
• Experience influencing and working collaboratively with others.
• Experience tactfully and persuasively handling conflict.
• Experience developing and executing strategic plans.
• Experience building effective working relationships gained via previous work experiences/assignments.  
• Experience building and retaining strong teams, driving for results in a shared accountability, highly collaborative work environment.
• Experience effectively training, coaching, and mentoring direct reports.
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills, resulting in the ability to interact with all levels within the organization and with customers.
• Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college/university OR commensurate experience.
• Valid driver’s license and an acceptable driving record that conforms to company standards.
•  Physical  essential functions: ability to work 40 hours in an office environment (sitting, standing, on a computer, etc.), operate office related technology (computer, phone, etc.), travel as required.

Westfield offers a Total Rewards program that focuses on compensation, benefits and wellness, and includes perks like 401(k), pension plan, annual incentive, education reimbursement, onsite fitness center or gym reimbursement and casual dress. Work/life balance, recognition, and learning and career development are all part of a rewarding career with Westfield. 

Learn more about current opportunities at www.westfieldinsurance.com/careers.

We are an equal opportunity employer/minority/female/disability/protected veteran.

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