Head of Underwriting, Middle Market

Zurich North America is seeking a Head of Underwriting for our growing Middle Market team. This role will be responsible for Portfolio Strategy & Execution, Risk Selection and Pricing, Portfolio Stewardship and Product Management. This is a critical role which requires oversight of strategic underwriting practices nationally. This leader will utilize their expertise to manage, design and drive diverse multidimensional strategies for our Middle Market book of business. We require strong leadership skills that will cultivate portfolio insights, develop strategy and deliver a collaborative value chain with our Brokers and Customers.

This position reports to the Head of Middle Market and will be based in one of our Zurich Offices. This role will be part of the CUO leadership team as well as a valued member of the Middle Market leadership team.

Responsibilities Include :

• Works with Business Unit Head on Portfolio Strategy & Execution plan and develop technical operational plan to support execution.
• Drives technical aspects of portfolio management including risk selection and pricing needs to improve underwriting performance.
• Provides input and recommendations into pricing updates and long-term pricing tool refreshes and modernization plans.
• Creates a rigorous underwriting process and procedure monitoring system.
• Develops long-term strategic LOB underwriting goals, cycle management strategy and LOB underwriting policy.
• Collaborates with Industry Practice heads on appetite definition by LOB.
• Leads guideline selection, evaluation and exemption based on MM needs.
• Leads tiering analysis, guidance and execution to support portfolio mix goals.
• Manages referral decision criteria and provides technical advice for nuanced risks.
• Portfolio stewardship, manages a review and share of large loss lessons by LOB.
• Leads the UW quality reviews (MPR, TUR) and compliance policy framework.
• Manages certain aspects of accumulation and CAT management to track, monitor and approve accumulation as well as CAT data quality, governance and infrastructure.
• Manages overall Country Underwriting Plan (CUP) profitability review, including impacts of loss trends, change in portfolio mix and other book analysis by LOB and segment and delivers output to inform planning.
• Oversees product development strategy and prioritization in close collaboration with head of Industry Practice which includes product evaluation, conceptualization & launch, and manuscript drafting.
• Ensures that all delivery of work to the business unit is coordinated, prioritized and considered impactful.
• Identifies skill / competency needs and partners with Underwriting University to confirm training is delivered to support underwriting development.
• Provides employees with consistent and clear communication on business strategies, profitability objectives, priorities and accountabilities.

Basic Qualifications :

Preferred Qualifications :

At Zurich, compensation for roles is influenced by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the specific office location, role, skill set, and level of experience. In compliance with local laws, Zurich commits to providing a fair and reasonable compensation range for each role. The proposed salary range for this position is $248,500 – $435,000 with short-term incentive bonus eligibility set at 50%.

As a condition of employment at Zurich, employees must adhere to any COVID-related health and safety protocols in place at that time.

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.

Zurich maintains a comprehensive employee benefits package for employees as well as eligible dependents and competitive compensation. 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.

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