[Hiring] Manager, Underwriting - Commercial Lines @Nationwide

Role Description

If you’re passionate about helping people protect what matters most to them at a Fortune 100 company with nearly $70 billion in annual sales, as well as innovating and simplifying processes and operations to provide the best customer value, then Nationwide’s Property and Casualty team could be the place for you! At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers and partners are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

The Small Commercial Underwriting Manager is responsible for leading, coaching, and developing a team of underwriting professionals to achieve profitable growth, delivering exceptional customer and agency experiences, and executing underwriting strategies aligned with business objectives. This role balances talent development, portfolio management, operational excellence, and risk management while fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

This leadership position is charged with:

• Coaching and developing associates by providing guidance, performance feedback, technical expertise, and mentorship to enhance underwriting quality, decision-making, and overall team/territory effectiveness.
• Encouraging continuous learning, adaptability, and innovation.
• Ensuring decisions align with approved appetite, authority, pricing, coverage, and documentation standards on all lines of business.
• Prioritizing workload, assigning territories, reviewing quality components, and managing service level expectations.
• Using portfolio and territory data to drive profitable growth, retention, risk selection, and corrective action along with completing read-outs on underwriting and territory results.
• Serving as an escalation point for agency partners and internal partners.
• Leading adoption of approved process, automation, reporting, and workflow improvements.

This leader should demonstrate:

• Strategic thinking and out of the box thinking.
• Manage competing priorities.
• Champion organizational goals and changes.

This leader will need experience in Small CL lines of business, appetite, and products. This role may be performed in a work-from-home environment and supports associates in a like environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience preferred.
• Completion of INS and/or AU or similar designations. Completion of CIC or CPCU is preferred.
• Typically, eight to 10 years of commercial lines underwriting experience preferred.
• Supervisory or management experience desired.

Requirements

• Knowledge of commercial property and casualty underwriting practices, field underwriting operations, and day-to-day underwriting operational needs.
• The ability to exercise independent judgement and effectively make sound business decisions.
• Solid understanding of sales, claims, service center, property and casualty field operations, loss control principles, and legal issues involving knowledge of commercial contracts.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills used to interact with all levels of internal and external contacts.
• Ability to influence, negotiate and engage and develop a team of direct reports.
• Ability to lead and train associates in all aspects of commercial underwriting activity.
• Ability to be flexible and adaptable to changing situations.
• Ability to set work priorities that conform to established standards.
• Ability to analyze insurance risks, apply logical judgment and use procedures effectively.
• Ability to operate personal computer and applicable business software.

Benefits

• Medical/dental/vision.
• Life insurance, short and long term disability coverage.
• Paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date.
• Nine paid holidays.
• 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off.
• 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Company-paid pension plan.
• Business casual attire.
• And more.