AVP, Staff Underwriting – Personal Lines

If you’re passionate about helping people protect what matters most to them, 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 are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

Please Note: This role is open to working remotely in the United States. If located in Columbus, OH or Des Moines, IA the position will be Hybrid.

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Job Description Summary

If you have deep underwriting technical knowledge, strategic ability and are passionate about results, we have a tremendous opportunity for you to add value and deliver profitability for Nationwide. As the AVP, you'll be responsible for driving strategic direction for the Personal Lines underwriting organization, evolving underwriting capabilities, and supporting strong financial performance throughout market cycles. We'll count on you to achieve this through advancing underwriting tools, analytics, and technology, and ensuring execution in alignment with business strategy across personal lines. If you've demonstrated strategic leadership and deep technical expertise in Personal Lines underwriting, we would love to hear from you.
Reporting Relationships: Reports to VP, "Business Line" Leader - Personal Lines. Direct and Indirect reports - Multiple Band F - H People Leaders and Individual Contributors.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities: 

• Develops and implements the Personal Lines underwriting strategic plan across assigned personal lines products within multiple customer segments.  Ensures alignment with performance objectives and financial targets.  Provides leadership and direction on key decisions that impact key outcomes and financial performance.

• Analyzes underwriting data and trends to identify areas for improvement in risk selection and pricing.  Adjusts underwriting guidelines, new and ongoing maintenance and changes in response to market conditions and regulatory requirements

• Partners with Product, Business Insights and Risk Management to determine underwriting appetite and strategically align underwriting tools and processes to appropriately balance profit and growth, mix, and geographic footprint. Identifies strategic issues and leads nimble underwriting response to emerging issues including profitability challenges, economic conditions, and competitor actions.

• Leads a staff underwriting team that supports underwriters in risk assessment by evolving underwriting capabilities, process improvements, rules, models and automation.  Ensures advancement of analytics and capabilities to efficiently serve our distribution partners and support profitable growth, while optimizing underwriting expense and Underwriting portfolio analytics.

• Identifies and develops strategic technological enhancements to improve personal lines underwriting.  Manages the portfolio of maintenance and new build work and identifies and implements new tools and vendors to advance capabilities, including fraud prevention. Responsible for overall Survey & Underwriting budget and oversight of new and existing contracts including terms, conditions and pricing.

• Maintains relationships between home office and field underwriting units.  Ensures awareness of and adherence to underwriting guidelines and standards.

​May perform other responsibilities as assigned

Typical Skills and Experiences: 

Education:  Undergraduate degree or post graduate studies in Business, Economics, Mathematics or equivalent experience preferred.

License/Certification/Designation: Product related technical insurance course work (CPCU, CPU, FCAS) preferred.  

Experience:  10+ years of Product Management or Underwriting Personal Lines experience.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: Extensive knowledge of underwriting practices, field underwriting operations and day-to-day underwriting operational needs.  Ability to demonstrate strategic agility and vision management.  Capable of demonstrating an executive presence, communication, and command.  Ability to exercise independent judgement and effectively make sound business decisions in day-to-day operations where there may be unclear or competing priorities, including evaluating and recommending solutions to customer service issues, work processing issues, underwriting selection and rating problems, and compliance. Strong analytical skills and drive for results. Ability to creatively resolve unique and challenging business problems. Strong written and verbal communication, negotiation, influence, people leadership, engagement, and development skills. 

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 HR Business Partner.

Values:  Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

Job Conditions: 

Overtime Eligibility: Not Eligible (Exempt)

Working Conditions: Normal office environment.

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. 

We currently anticipate accepting applications until 08/15/2025. However, we encourage early submissions, as the posting may close sooner if a strong candidate slate is identified before the deadline.

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.

This position could be filled within any of the lower 48 U.S. states.

Smoke-Free Iowa Statement: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, its affiliates and subsidiaries comply with the Iowa Smokefree Air Act. Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed areas on or around company premises as well as company issued vehicles. The company offers designated smoking areas in which smoking is permitted at each individual location. The Act prohibits retaliation for reporting complaints or violations. For more information on the Iowa Smokefree Air Act, individuals may contact the Smokefree Air Act Helpline at 888-944-2247.

For NY residents please review the following state law information: Notice of Employee Rights, Protections, and Obligations LS740 (ny.gov) https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/02/ls740_1.pdf

NOTE TO EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES:

We value the partnerships we have built with our preferred vendors. Nationwide does not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. All resumes submitted by employment agencies directly to any Nationwide employee or hiring manager in any form without a signed Nationwide Client Services Agreement on file and search engagement for that position will be deemed unsolicited in nature. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is subsequently hired as a result of the referral or through other means.

Nationwide pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement within the actual starting salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity and location of the role as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. If a Sales job, Sales Incentives, based on performance goals are possible in addition to this range.

The national salary range for AVP, Staff Underwriting - Personal Lines : $143,000.00-$283,000.00

The expected starting salary range for AVP, Staff Underwriting - Personal Lines : $151,000.00 - $253,000.00