Underwriting Trainee Program Manager

Draft

POSITION TITLE: Underwriting Trainee Program Manager

DEPARTMENT: Corporate Underwriting

REPORTS TO: Chief Underwriting Officer

EEO/FLSA CATEGORY: Professional, Exempt

DIRECT REPORTS: Approximately 8-10 Trainees

PREFERRED LOCATION: Alpharetta (GA)

Position Summary

The Underwriting Trainee Program Manager ("Program Manager") for IFG Companies will be responsible for executive oversight over the IFG Underwriting Trainee Program, including development of curriculum, participation in recruitment and full program execution. This individual will be responsible for ensuring that participants gain the technical skills, industry knowledge and professional experience needed to become successful E&S underwriters. The Program Manager will work closely with the Executive Leadership Team, Business Unit Heads and subject matter experts across all departments to develop and facilitate a structured curriculum and framework for mentorship and guidance for trainees. In addition, this role will support the recruiting effort to attract and retain well-qualified candidates for the training program from college campuses and other early-career fields. This role may additionally be given training and onboarding responsibilities outside of the formal trainee program.

Position Responsibilities

The primary responsibilities of the Underwriting Trainee Program Manager include:

• Designing and executing a comprehensive 30-week training curriculum, focused on General Liability, Excess/Umbrella and Inland Marine insurance, followed by a 16-week on-the-job account management experience.
• Coordinating with subject matter experts to deliver technical training on topics such as risk assessment, pricing, underwriting guidelines, policy issuance, finance, actuarial regulatory compliance and claims management.
• Working with underwriting leadership and human resources to attract and retain a strong class of trainees each year through college recruiting and by identifying qualified candidates from other fields in early stages of their careers.
• Facilitating small group training modules and case study exercises based on real accounts and claims examples.
• Developing and overseeing a testing process to ensure learning benchmarks are met throughout the program and a deep understanding of course material is retained upon program completion by trainees.
• Ensuring the curriculum remains current with industry best practices, legal requirements, and company-specific underwriting strategies.
• Providing regular coaching, feedback, and support to trainees, helping to build technical proficiency and develop professional soft skills.
• Partnering with senior underwrite and leadership to assign mentors and facilitate real-world learning opportunities for trainees.
• Other duties as assigned.
  
  

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• A deep understanding of the fundamentals of commercial underwriting, together with an ability to explain in depth risk assessment, rating, quoting, binding and other aspects of the underwriting process.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, combined with dynamic oral communication and public speaking abilities.
• Inspiring leadership abilities and the ability to develop high-performance teams.
• Cross-functional collaboration and influence across all departments and business units.
• The ability to prioritize and manage multiple tasks while meeting deadlines.
• Proficiency in computer applications (e.g., Excel, Word, SharePoint) and an ability to learn proprietary systems.
  
  

Education/Experience/Certifications

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university required.
• A minimum of five (5) years of commercial property-casualty underwriting experience.
• Excess and surplus lines underwriting experience required.
• Participation in a full commercial insurance underwriting training program and/or experience in developing underwriter training materials would be ideal.
  
  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Physical demands are considered to be that of a climate-controlled office environment, with minimal physical exertion.
• While this position is hybrid and requires working at least three (3) days per week in IFG Companies' offices, the role may require more in-office work during the training season.
• The position requires prolonged sitting, extensive utilization of computers and interactions with others in person and via phone.
• The position requires the ability and the willingness to travel to meet recruiting, collaboration and other business needs.
  
  

Benefits

• IFG Companies offer competitive compensation and benefits, including medical, dental, vision, 401(k), flexible spending, short-term and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, long-term care, paid parental leave, vacation and other paid time off.
  
  

IF G Companies is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse workforce.