Commercial Underwriting Assistant Manager

Location Preference: Ideal candidate will be located in Eastern Iowa or Illinois

As an Underwriting Leader, you will oversee a high-performing commercial lines underwriting team with a clear focus on building a profitable, sustainable book of business. In this role, you’ll guide underwriting strategy, make key decisions on complex accounts, and partner closely with agents to drive quality growth. You’ll play a critical leadership role by coaching and developing underwriters, ensuring consistent risk evaluation, and aligning pricing with exposure to achieve strong business outcomes. Through your expertise, you’ll provide direction on challenging accounts, strengthen agency partnerships, and help position the organization as a top carrier of choice. Your impact will be felt in both the results you deliver and the relationships you build—shaping profitable growth, elevating team performance, and enhancing the overall customer and agent experience.

Essential Functions:

• Leads underwriting team to drive profitable portfolio growth and strong business results

• Makes final decisions on complex accounts and provides guidance on challenging risks

• Monitors team workload, performance, and overall book results

• Ensures pricing aligns with risk quality across the portfolio

• Enforces corporate and regional underwriting guidelines and procedures

• Tracks agent performance and guides underwriters/agents to meet annual goals

• Implements strategies to improve profitability and addresses performance gaps

• Advises on complex accounts, communication strategies, and agency challenges

• Builds, manages, and strengthens agency relationships; rehabilitates underperforming partners

• Educates agents on products, appetite, and systems to drive quality submissions

• Identifies opportunities and barriers within agency relationships; partners with marketing to enhance experience

• Leads hiring, coaching, training, and development of underwriting team to ensure consistency and growth

• Collaborates with regional leadership to implement underwriting updates and business strategies

• Oversees audits, Letter of Authority process, and compliance for new and renewal business

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in insurance or business administration or equivalent relevant experience

• Six years of commercial lines underwriting experience or related experience

• Insurance designations preferred, such as CPCU and CIC

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

• Excellent knowledge of underwriting and risk analysis

• Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to make sound decisions

• Strong computer skills, including knowledge of Microsoft Office and social media

• Ability to work on multiple projects while meeting deadlines.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to speak effectively before groups

• Strong leadership skills and ability to motivate team

• Ability to effectively communicate products, procedures, business planning and system information

• Exceptional customer service skills

• Occasional travel; a valid driver’s license with an acceptable motor vehicle report per company standards will be required if driving