Financial Lines Chief Underwriting Officer

Zurich North America is currently looking for a Financial Lines Chief Underwriting Officer. This position reports to the Head of Financial Lines and is responsible for providing technical underwriting support to ensure profitability and growth across our Financial Lines Business unit.

Responsibilities include establishing underwriting priorities; working with businesses to ensure execution on business unit-wide strategic business and service plans; providing transactional support on new and existing portfolios; leading and contributing to profitability reviews; identifying opportunities and risks associated with changes in direction of external environment; Looking forward 5+ years and determining which emerging issues (internal and external) are relevant to the current and future needs and ensure these are incorporated into strategies, programs and processes. 

Our preference is for the position to be based in our New York Office, but we will consider other locations with travel required.

Key Accountabilities:

• Collaborate with Financial Lines Market Basket leaders to ensure profitable growth strategies are executable
• Ensures strategies and metrics to support profitable growth are in place.
• Support and advocate for established underwriting priorities.
• Manage team of product officers and product specialists.
• Timely delivery of market leading risk insights.  Support SBU Leader and Market Basket leaders in establishing underwriting strategy.
• Identify, prioritize, and escalate portfolio management, technical training and product innovation needs on behalf of the Head of Financial Lines and Market Basket Heads. 

• Orchestrate portfolio reviews and deep divers with input from Financial Lines Market Basket Heads, product officers and claims.  Give direction to technical pricing actuaries regarding prioritization and scope of portfolio deep divers, CUP studies etc.  Oversee completion of portfolio reviews by actuaries on a timely basis. 
• Synthesize LOB portfolio management insights and portfolio quality metrics and provide multi-line view to the SBU leader and Head of Technical UW NATIONAL ACCOUNTS.
• Manage the development of the Country Underwriting Plan for the SBU, which requires:
  • Collaboration across Line of Business.
  • Effective prioritization of and engagement and participation in ongoing portfolio management activities (i.e. deep dives, AvE, VC).

• Direct Technical Actuaries in portfolio analysis
  • Clear plan and impact assessment, requirements for success, measurements and monitoring tools of UW actions identified through monthly engagement with SBU leaders, using tools such as AvE, Rate Monitor, etc.
  • Monitor and support execution of UW actions identified through monthly engagement with SBU leaders, using tools such as AvE, Rate Monitor, etc.

• Ensure transactional services are provided to the SBU: Actuarial referrals, new program pricing analysis, and consultations are provided and disposed of in an effective and timely manner.
• Ensure effective implementation and adoption of:
  • Underwriting and pricing tools
  • Portfolio strategy
  • Underwriting and pricing guidelines
• Work with Market Basket Heads and Product officers and other interested parties as appropriate to ensure underwriting guidelines reflect current underwriting strategies and appetite.  Ensure underwriting guidelines, playbooks and letters of authority are fit for purpose.
• Leads and drives Tiering strategy where applicable (identifying appropriate signals for the SBU) and has a granular view of tiering results. 
• Establish proper frameworks to drive effective outcomes for key underwriting activities:
  • UW Empowerment
  • UW Quality, including driving improvement actions arising from quality insights
• Understands, prioritizes, and escalates pricing model change /update needs to Head of TUW National Accounts.

Basic Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s Degree and 12 or more years of experience in the Underwriting or Broker or Carrier or Market Facing or Risk Management experience within the Commercial Insurance industry
• AND
  2 years of management experience
• Financial Lines experience

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Advanced and in-depth experience underwriting multiple financial lines products

• Strong portfolio management skills
• Experience working with actuaries, interpreting actuarial results including loss triangles and actual vs expected loss reserving information, etc.
• Strong Underwriting or Product Underwriting experience
• Experience building and implementing our key strategies
• Excellent team building, influencing and organizational skills
• Strong presentation skills
• Strong executive presence and the ability to interact with the C-Suite 
• Ability to manage vision and purpose, lead the organization through innovative and creative thinking

The salary range for this role is $248,600-$341,800. This is the range Zurich NA in good faith believes is the range of possible compensation for this role at the time of the posting.  This range is only applicable for jobs to be performed in New York City. Base pay offered may vary depending on, but not limited to education, experience, skills, geographic location, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, and business needs. This range may be modified in the future.  This job is also bonus eligible. No amount is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable.

As a condition of employment at Zurich, employees must adhere to any COVID-related health and safety protocols in place at that time (https://www.zurichna.com/careers/faq).

A future with Zurich. What can go right when you apply at Zurich?

Now is the time to move forward and make a difference. At Zurich, we want you to share your unique perspectives, experiences and ideas so we can grow and drive sustainable change together. As part of a leading global organization, Zurich North America has over 150 years of experience managing risk and supporting resilience. Today, Zurich North America is a leading provider of commercial property-casualty insurance solutions and a wide range of risk management products and services for businesses and individuals. We serve more than 25 industries, from agriculture to technology, and we insure 90% of the Fortune 500®. Our growth strategy is not limited to our business. As an employer, we strive to provide ongoing career development opportunities, and we foster an environment where voices are diverse, behaviors are inclusive, actions drive equity, and our people feel a sense of belonging. Be a part of the next evolution of the insurance industry. Join us in building a brighter future for our colleagues, our customers and the communities we serve. Zurich maintains a comprehensive employee benefits package for employees as well as eligible dependents and competitive compensation. Please click here to learn more.

As a global company, Zurich recognizes the diversity of our workforce as an asset. We recruit talented people from a variety of backgrounds with unique perspectives that are truly welcome here. Taken together, diversity and inclusion bring us closer to our common goal: exceeding our customers’ expectations. Zurich does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other legally protected status. EOE disability/vet 

Zurich does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firms or employment agencies. Any unsolicited resume will become the property of Zurich American Insurance. If you are a preferred vendor, please use our Recruiting Agency Portal for resume submission. 

Location(s): AM - New York
Remote Working: Hybrid
Schedule: Full Time
 
Linkedin Recruiter Tag: #LI-BK1