Specialty GL - Senior Underwriting Specialist (Remote/Hybrid)

Senior Underwriting Specialist

For more than 170 years, The Hanover has been committed to delivering on our promises and being there when it matters the most. We live our values every day, demonstrating we CARE through our values, sustainability initiatives and inclusive corporate culture.

The Hanover's Specialty General Liability team is seeking a Senior Underwriting Specialist with high hazard product liability experience to join its growing and dynamic team. The Specialty GL team provides admitted primary and supported excess solutions to clients with challenging product liability exposures.

At The Hanover, we are committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where all voices are valued. We actively seek top talent from all backgrounds and encourage qualified professionals to apply. We believe that diversity strengthens our organization and fosters a more vibrant community.

Recognizing the evolving nature of work, we support flexible arrangements. This role may be hybrid or fully remote, with occasional travel to key specialty locations. While we prefer candidates based in Georgia, Illinois, Arizona, Texas, Seattle, or Colorado we welcome qualified applicants from across the country.

The actual job title and level may be flexible dependent on candidate qualifications and experience (Underwriting Specialist).

This is a full-time, exempt role.

Position Overview: Responsible for identifying, soliciting, underwriting, and selling new and renewal accounts that drive profitable growth and align with the units appetite and growth goals. Apply advanced technical, sales and analytical skills to provide insurance solutions that help Hanover's customers manage risk. Demonstrates a thorough understanding of Hanover's strategies and appetites and will use internal and external data to make appropriate individual and portfolio risk decisions. Operates within a broad Letter of Authority for all underwriting decisions and with limited direction while managing an assigned book of business, generally with high technical complexity and coordination.

In this role, you will:

• Knows and applies underwriting concepts including risk selection, exposure and hazard identification and control, coverage implications, and loss analysis.
• Uses all appropriate underwriting tools, disciplines and strategies to ensure underwriting guidelines are followed.
• Understands pricing components and rating methodology and correlates pricing to exposures
• When presented with minimal information on a risk, instinctively knows the key questions to ask to ascertain the full scope of operations and the key exposures and needed controls.
• Completes file documentation according to best practices guidelines and can clearly explain account decisions.
• Provides clear and concise rating instructions for quotes prior to generating proposal for presentation to the agent.

• Manages assigned portfolio to achieve gross written premium, profitability, rate, retention, product mix, new business, and portfolio management goals, by use of proven pipeline and marketing practices.
• Developing an understanding of various financial reporting information and insurance performance measures in the management of risk.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the market factors that can affect pricing and how it correlates to individuals book, agency's book, the region, and countrywide.
• Prepares or analyzes information on underwriting decisions, rate, underwriting requirements, company appetite, status, and declinations to drive results within the assigned territory.
• Familiarizes oneself with other Hanover departments for leveraging growth in areas of business where portfolio could be more balanced.

• Can identify, solicit, pipeline, negotiate, and close accounts aligned with business strategy. Ability to profile assigned agency plant and to strategically market our capabilities to agents.
• Keeps current on state/territory issues, regulations, and trends.
• Utilizes market and competitor information to enhance relationships and individual account decision making.
• Prioritizes and develops effective relationship management and producer activities to build trust, facilitate negotiation, and secure commitment in order to improve yield and retention ratios.
• Operates with a franchise perspective to identify additional sell opportunities to create growth within other LOB's and customer segments.
• Partners with other business units to deliver comprehensive insurance solutions
• Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of Hanover's products and appetite while clearly communicating Hanover's position at the point of sale.
• Builds and maintains rigorous sales practices using all systems, sales tools and disciplines outlined in the sales best practices.
• Makes presentations to agents and customers. Utilize department and Specialty partners to augment sales process. Effectively utilize Claims and Loss Control to display service and/or technical expertise with present and future customers.

Work Location and Arrangement:

• Work location (remote, hybrid, or onsite) is determined by the Company based on role requirements and business needs and may be modified at the Company's discretion.
• Certain roles require the ability to perform job duties onsite, including reporting to designated Hanover offices and attending in-person meetings, training, or other work-related activities, as required by business needs.
• Travel may be required based on business needs and may vary depending on role demands.
• The Company's Flexible Work Arrangement Policy guides flexible work arrangements.

What you need to apply:

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience
• 5-7+ years Underwriting experience
• 5-7+ years' experience driving agency relationships resulting in profitable new and renewal business
• Proficient in ability to identify, analyze and solve problems and manage and prioritize multiple concurrent projects. Is used as a resource by others to collaborate on more complex risks, pricing, trends, industry segments coverages and product knowledge. May conduct peer-to-peer self-audits under the direction of management.
• Demonstrates ability to adapt quickly to change, exercise influence, and act as a change advocate being open to new and different ways of thinking.
• Viewed as an informal leader amongst the team/branch/region. Open to and proactively shares knowledge and expertise with peers, management, and leadership. Acts as a mentor for less experienced underwriters or newly hired underwriters, may assist with training other team members
• Communication - Interacts and communicates with confidence with all levels of external and/or internal business partners within scope of responsibility, team, and/or matrix environment. Can judge appropriate means and methods to communicate based on the nature of the communication. Able to influence desired outcomes to drive actions and results. Adept at influencing even when holding a position contrary to the majority opinion.
• Judgement and Decision Making - Ability to exercise judgment, negotiate and make sound business decisions based on level of authority. Applies judgment and expertise to determine when escalation is needed. Demonstrates confidence in one's ability to apply decision making to UW assessment.
• Teamwork and Collaboration Consistently fosters collaboration and respect among team members. Easily adapts to the diverse interests, styles, and perspective of key players. Is able to engage multiple members of a group to share information and to consider other points of view to reach objectives, consensus, and/or deadlines. Experienced in working with a wide range of teams and readily shares lessons learned.

Career Development:

It's not just a job, it's a career, and we are here to support you every step of the way. We want you to be successful and fulfilled. Through on-the-job experiences, personalized coaching and our robust learning and development programs, we encourage you at every level to grow and develop.

Benefits:

We offer comprehensive benefits to help you be healthy, build financial security, and balance work and home life. At The Hanover, you'll enjoy what you do and have the support you need to succeed.

Benefits include:

• Medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance
• 401K with a company match
• Tuition reimbursement
• PTO
• Company paid holidays
• Flexible work arrangements
• Cultural Awareness Day in support of IDE
• On-site medical/wellness center (Worcester only)
• Click here for the full list of Benefits

EEO statement:

The Hanover values diversity in the workplace and among our customers. The company provides equal opportunity for employment and promotion to all qualified employees and applicants on the basis of experience, training, education, and ability to do the available work without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex/gender, sexual orientation, national origin, gender identity, disability, marital status, veteran status, genetic information, ancestry or any other