Life Underwriting Manager

$103,000 - $155,000/Yr

Nationwide

Full-time - Manager

Remote

Insurance Carriers and Related Activities

About the position

As a Life Underwriting Manager at Nationwide Financial, you will play a pivotal role in leading the Life Underwriting team within the Life New Business organization. This position is designed for individuals who are passionate about delivering exceptional customer service and who thrive in a dynamic, autonomous work environment. Your primary responsibility will be to oversee the day-to-day operations of the underwriting team, which is tasked with assessing mortality risk and managing morbidity risk for long-term care insurance. You will be responsible for approving, modifying, or declining applications based on a comprehensive underwriting assessment that includes evaluating medical history, occupational hazards, financial background, and other relevant factors. The team primarily handles sophisticated cases involving universal life, term, long-term care, and variable universal life insurance products. In this managerial role, you will foster a highly engaged culture within your team, focusing on performance management, customer satisfaction, and relationship building both internally and externally. You will lead major projects, establish operational improvements, and ensure compliance with industry regulations. Your leadership will be crucial in developing talent within the organization, driving a culture of coaching and feedback, and ensuring that your team remains knowledgeable about industry trends and regulatory changes. You will also be responsible for managing service relationships that require a high level of technical expertise, ensuring timely service delivery, and resolving any service issues that arise. Your role will involve collaborating closely with sales teams to enhance customer satisfaction and identify additional sales opportunities. Furthermore, you will oversee the implementation of state and federal regulations, manage departmental budgets, and make strategic decisions to streamline processes and reduce operating expenses. This position requires a proactive approach to identifying improvement opportunities and ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements, all while maintaining a focus on delivering outstanding service to clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the Life Underwriting team.
• Oversee team roles and responsibilities while fostering a highly engaged culture.
• Handle performance management, customer satisfaction, and relationship quality.
• Participate in and sponsor major projects, providing guidance to supporting departments.
• Hire and develop qualified underwriters, driving a culture of coaching and feedback.
• Manage service relationships requiring high technical expertise and client satisfaction.
• Supervise activities to ensure timely service delivery and quality standards are met.
• Respond to and resolve service issues from sales, firms, producers, and customers.
• Implement state and federal regulations for products and procedures.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives based on audit recommendations.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience preferred.
• Ten years of life underwriting experience.
• Five years of leadership experience in a formal or informal capacity.
• Validated technical underwriting ability to evaluate and underwrite medical and non-medical risks.
• Extensive knowledge of life underwriting principles and practices, including basic contract law.
• In-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathology, and medical risks related to life insurance.
• Strong communication skills and ability to present externally.
• Effective team leadership and management skills.

Nice-to-haves

• EKG Certification preferred.
• FLMI and FALU certifications preferred.
• Participation in professional/technical studies or designations such as CLU and AALU.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
• Life insurance and short/long term disability coverage.
• Paid time off, including a minimum of 18 days per year and nine paid holidays.
• 401(k) with company match and company-paid pension plan.
• Business casual attire.
• Additional paid time off for Lifetime and Unity Day.