Director of Strategic Underwriting Relationships

Are you passionate about being part of a team that delivers extraordinary care to help individuals and businesses prepare for and protect their retirement? If so, then Nationwide Financial could be the place for you! At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

This role does not qualify for employer-sponsored work authorization. Nationwide does not participate in the Stem OPT Extension program.

Internal Compensation Grade: H4

Location: This position can be filled as Hybrid or Remote

We are seeking a highly experienced and professional Director of Strategic Underwriting Relationships. This role serves as a critical field resource for underwriting within the BGA (Brokerage General Agency) distribution channel.

The ideal candidate will have a thorough understanding of the BGA distribution, at least 10 years of life underwriting experience, and a $10M sign-off limit.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as a field resource for underwriting in the BGA distribution.

• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the BGA distribution channel.

• Utilize at least 10 years of life underwriting experience to make informed decisions.

• Maintain a $10M sign-off limit for underwriting approvals.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders.

• Effectively communicate and sell the underwriting story to various audiences.

• Possess deep knowledge of the competitive market and industry trends.

• Exhibit strong presentation skills and executive presence.

• Partner with marketing to develop and build underwriting-related materials.

• Demonstrate command skills and professional demeanor.

• Foster a competitive spirit and drive positive underwriting change within the organization.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of 10 years of life underwriting experience.

• Proven track record of relationship building and effective communication.

• Strong knowledge of the competitive market and industry trends.

• Excellent presentation skills and executive presence.

• Ability to partner effectively with marketing and other departments.

• Demonstrated command skills and professional demeanor.

• Competitive mindset with a drive for positive change.

Job Description Summary

Our underwriters work hard to provide the exceptional customer experience for which Nationwide is known. Actively engaging with our firms and financial professionals to get to know their clients and their needs builds our understanding of the market, what is needed to win business and put our best offer out first.

If you thrive working autonomously, making decisions on a variety of impactful issues and continuing to learn and adapt to grow, we want to know more about you!

As a Director, you'll lead the day-to-day operations for the Life Underwriting team within Nationwide Financials’ Life New Business organization. The team is responsible for mortality risk assessment and protecting Nationwide against sooner than expected mortality expenses, as well as morbidity risk management for long term care insurance. The Underwriter approves, modifies, or declines applications through an underwriting assessment including evaluation of medical history, occupational hazards, financial background, insurable interest and other relevant information. The business mix consists mostly of universal life, term, long term care and variable universal life. The team handles the largest mortality risks within underwriting.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Leads and provides oversight to team roles and responsibilities while creating a highly engaged culture. Forward facing; handles performance of customer satisfaction, interaction quality and relationships. Focuses on managing relationships, both internally and externally. Establishes practices for quality, production standards, relationship management, delivering on customer requests and schedule to adhere to compliance guidelines.

• Participates in, sponsors or owns major projects, leads the activities and staff providing guidance to supporting departments on team - assists in identifying and establishing relationship management guidelines and operational improvements that advance delivery of services to customers aligned with industry and regulatory requirements. Projects often include industry wide committees and involvement of key internal and external partners.

• Hires qualified and highly engaged underwriters. Drives a culture of coaching and feedback for personal and professional guidance. Develops talent in the organization for succession planning and handles all performance management tasks and related functions for team. Ensures associates are current and knowledgeable about the industry, competition and regulatory environment. Promotes industry training and involvement in related organizations.

• Owns the service relationships requiring a high level of technical expertise and high-touch, highly satisfied relationships are crucial for client and asset retention. Helps build and strengthen relationships through presentations, intermediaries and/or direct contact. Partners closely with Sales to ensure overall satisfaction with Nationwide. Develops staff to find ways to deepen Nationwide relationships and create additional sales opportunities for Sales partners.

• Supervises activities to ensure clients are promptly served and meets/exceeds quality standards. Responds to service issues and calls from Sales, firms, producers and customers. Works closely internal/external partners to ensure resolution. Works with various back office and internal departments to advocate for their relationships.

• Leads the implementation of all enacted state and federal regulations for products and procedures; ensuring Operations is prepared and informed of audits/regulatory/legislative changes in a timely manner. Partners with appropriate teams or individuals for the coordination of responses to regulatory matters, including system partners for data requests. Leads staff responsible for drafting regulatory agency reports and findings and works closely with the office of Corporate Compliance to resolve any issues.

• Uses outside-in approach and services as the "voice of the customer" in driving improvement opportunities. Leads the staff that takes audit recommendations and calibration sessions through the continuous improvement model. Identify key opportunities for processes and procedures to be enhanced and aligned to ensure consistency and adherence to regulatory requirements including improvements outside of their own teams. Identify key process and/or technology needs within the Operation Center.

• Manages expenses to the established budget and finds opportunities and implements solutions to streamline process and reduce operating expenses. Participates in annual budget process to ensure adequate staffing and funding for providing outstanding levels of service. Makes decisions that support those budget goals through proper staffing, requirements management, utilization of third-party services and contractors, fosters the accelerated underwriting process, and holds associates accountable to production and quality standards.

• Receives issues from field and sales partners to renegotiate the underwriting decision and is responsible for mentoring and developing the Underwriter.

• Handling up to $15,000,000 for life, up to $1,000,000 sign off for morbidity underwriting, and sign off authority for exceptions on Intelligent Underwriting.

May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Reporting Relationships: Reports to Life Underwriting Executive. Leads 10 to 12 Underwriters.

Typical Skills and Experiences:

Education: Undergraduate studies in Business Administration or related field.

License/Certification/Designation:EKG Certified preferred. Professional/technical studies or designation such as the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Fellow of Life Management Institute, (FLMI), or Fellow of the Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU) preferred. FALU (all AALU reqs, ALU 301, Three fellowship electives) preferred with CLU or advance sales concept training.

Experience: More than 10 years Life Underwriting experience. More than five years of formal leadership experience.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: Validated technical Underwriting ability to receive, evaluate and underwrite on a medical or non-medical basis. Extensive knowledge of life underwriting risk selection, brokerage experience, and older age underwriting. Knowledge of sophisticated life underwriting policies, practices, and procedures, and life insurance underwriting techniques. Knowledge of alternative rating methods and plans and pricing theory. Knowledge of regulatory issues, life insurance market conditions, and company operations. Superior communication, teamwork and presentation skills. Superior negotiation skills and ability to partner with reinsurers and outside sales agencies/firms. Agile and adaptable. Advanced ability to take care of ambiguity in a flexible and responsive manner. Able to work with a highly technical team. Ability to coach, train and mentor underwriting personnel. Strong mentoring, coaching experience to a team with diverse levels of expertise. Ability to make decisions on highly complex issues and work with minimal direction. Excellent judgment and creative problem solving skills including conflict resolution skills. Ability to work with the brokerage distribution system. Ability to analyze highly sophisticated insurance risks to resolve acceptability including policy language, alternative rating plans, methodologies, and reinsurance. Demonstrates strong resilience and leads others through change. Cultivates an outside-in perspective; student of the industry who continuously shares findings and ideas with leadership and the team.

Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence.

Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and Human Resources Business Partner.

Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates the Nationwide Values.

Job Conditions:

Overtime Eligibility: Exempt (Not Eligible)

Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Some travel required.

ADA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.

Benefits

We have an array of benefits to fit your needs, including: 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. To learn more about the benefits we offer,click here.

Nationwide is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels challenged, appreciated, respected and engaged. Nationwide prohibits discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any characteristic (or classification) protected by applicable law.