[Hiring] Specialist, Underwriting - Life (Team Lead) @Nationwide

Role Description

Join a high-impact underwriting team where you’ll be a go-to resource for partners, help shape smarter decisions on complex cases, and play a key role in training and process improvement. In this role, you’ll balance technical underwriting responsibility with collaboration, coaching, and project work—offering plenty of visibility to leadership and opportunities to grow your influence and expertise.

• Associate responsiveness & communication
  • Serve as a daily resource for questions from team members, sales partners, and case managers.
  • Keep leaders informed of capacity, constraints, and opportunities, and proactively meet all required deadlines.
  • Actively participate in underwriting continuing education and team meetings (with video on).
• Technical underwriting & case management
  • Handle co-signs and referrals, including same-day reviews for underwriters and leaders.
  • Support production and pass-out on high-volume or heavy PTO days, ensuring fair case distribution.
  • Apply sound risk assessment, follow retention and reinsurance protocols, and consistently extend the best possible initial offer.
  • Leverage underwriting tools, programs, and competitive intelligence to improve speed, quality, and placement rates.
  • Maintain key tracking tools (referral points/limits, late phone schedule, PTO calendar) and report on SLA and pass-out metrics.
• Training, onboarding & team leadership
  • Design and lead day-to-day onboarding for new underwriters and support ongoing training/continuing education.
  • Review audits to identify top development opportunities and track co-signs/referrals to provide feedback to leaders.
  • Collaborate with peers on meeting topics, sales/underwriting trainings, and content updates to WFG SharePoint/Teams.
• Projects & continuous improvement
  • Partner with Case Management, Life Delivery, LBI, and Sales to drive workflow efficiencies and share updates in team huddles.
  • Participate in due diligence meetings and road shows to build industry knowledge and producer relationships.
  • Own updates to the WFG Spark page and support additional projects and improvement initiatives identified by leadership.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate studies in medical related discipline, marketing, insurance, risk management, economics, finance or business management preferred.
• LOMA Level 1 Certificate (LOMA 280, LOMA 290) preferred.
• Participation in, or attainment of, professional/technical studies or designation such as ALMI (ALU Level 1 Cert, ALU 201, 202, LOMA 320, 335).

Requirements

• Five years of life underwriting experience.
• Proven foundation for basic financial underwriting.
• Ability to evaluate the life financial supplement, understand more sophisticated beneficiary situations.
• In-depth knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathology and non-medical risks.
• Advanced ability to effectively communicate verbally and in writing.
• Ability to analyze performance and financial operating reports to assess cause and effect relationships.

Benefits

• Medical/dental/vision insurance.
• 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.