Vice President of Marketing, Distribution and Field Underwriting

at  Universal Fire Casualty Insurance Company

ABOUT THE JOB

As a vital member of the executive team at Universal Shield Insurance Group, this position is responsible for working with the C suite to:

• Develop and communicate our underwriting appetite to our agents.
• Train agents on the use of our systems.
• Drive production through communications, including on-site meetings with our agents.
• Gather feedback and make recommendations to continuously improve our operations.

The title carries senior underwriting authority to allow the successful individual the ability to provide immediate service to our agents by making underwriting decisions immediately while in the agent’s office, according to our underwriting guidelines. The successful candidate will hold the experience and knowledge to be a meaningful participant in the development, design, underwriting, and distribution of our products and the overall development of our company.
On average, two nights per week will be spent on the road visiting our agents and representing the company at industry meetings.

EDUCATION/CERTIFICATION:

• CPCU, CIC, and AU designations are preferred but not required.

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED:

• 10 years of commercial lines experience in underwriting and production underwriting.
• Thorough knowledge of the workings of the specialty/E&S commercial lines industry, including the wholesale distribution system.
• In-depth knowledge of commercial property, casualty, inland marine, and garage coverage forms.
• Knowledge of competitors in the specialty/E&S commercial lines industry that distribute through wholesalers.

SKILLS/ABILITIES:

• Strong interpersonal and public relations skills.
• Good communication skills.
• Solid analytical skills.
• Ability to identify and understand underwriting, pricing, and coverage issues.
• Good organizational, problem-solving, and prioritizing skills.
  Salary Range: $100,000 to $175,000. This is an exempt position, and the salary is negotiable based on experience.
  Universal Shield Insurance Group offers an industry competitive benefits package including health insurance with a company contributed HSA, dental insurance, vision coverage, short term disability insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and other lifestyle and family friendly and work/life balance benefits. We also offer a company-matched 401K, unlimited PTO for exempt employees, and other ancillary workforce benefits. Applicants will receive more information on our full company benefit program.
  Universal Shield Insurance Group (and its member companies – Universal Fire & Casualty Insurance Company and Shield Indemnity Inc.) is an equal opportunity employer. Discrimination of any kind, including race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, age, disability, veteran’s status, pregnancy, or on any basis prohibited by federal, state, or local law, is not tolerated at Universal Shield Insurance Group.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND BASIC DUTIES:

• Assumes responsibility for communicating our appetite to our agents.
• Providing intelligence on competitors
• Advise of improvements to our systems and tools provided to our agents
• Providing feedback on our products from agents
• Help identify new opportunities for the expansion of our product.
• Assess agency performance and new agent acceptability.
• The expertise and talent to fully deploy underwriting authority within company guidelines.
• Collaborate with all C-suite executives to continue the development of our company.
• Exercises independent decision-making with minimal to moderate supervision and direction.
• Representing the company at industry meetings and in the field.
• Manage our relationships and meetings for WSIA.
• Help develop new products according to market needs.
  QUALIFICATIONS: Ten years of experience underwriting and marketing specialty commercial lines products through the wholesale distribution system. Must have a deep understanding of coverage forms and underwriting issues surrounding specialty commercial, property, casualty, inland marine, and garage insurance products.

As a vital member of the executive team at Universal Shield Insurance Group, this position is responsible for working with the C suite to:

• Develop and communicate our underwriting appetite to our agents.
• Train agents on the use of our systems.
• Drive production through communications, including on-site meetings with our agents.
• Gather feedback and make recommendations to continuously improve our operations