Senior Underwriter

Career Opportunity

Role Title

Senior Underwriter

Purpose of role

The Senior Underwriter is responsible for underwriting life insurance application using universally recognized underwriting principles by evaluating health, financial, lifestyle and other risk factors to determine the appropriate underwriting rate class, while managing and maintaining service levels and acceptable mortality results. The incumbent will work closely with and establish strong relationships with company stakeholders including New Business, Actuarial, Claims, and Distribution.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

• Review insurance application files for new business, reinstatements and coverage change requests
• Establish and maintain effective relationships with producers, including communicating the underwriting decision
• Balance investigative costs for tests/assessments versus risk management requirements to make informed underwriting decisions and determine steps to be taken to fully evaluate the application, including identifying additional required information and/or professional resource assessment reports
• Order required medical tests/assessments, as required. Arrange for any additional required assessments from professional resource contacts and contact the producer to obtain missing application information
• Research, interpret and analyze information relevant to the application, including product details, legislation, rate manuals, medical/drug reference books, applicant insurance history, motor vehicle reports and other relevant sources. Access (decode) confidential medical information related to the applicant through the Medical Information Bureau (MIB)
• Efficiently document the applicant file on the Underwriting systems as additional information is received. Code and enter data from received medical reports to the information system
• Complete a full underwriting assessment of the application following the receipt and review of all required information, considering potentially competing factors such as new/increased business income to Foresters versus risk of significant financial loss.  Consult with Chief Underwriter as required on complex underwriting issues
• Finalize the underwriting decision within approval limits as assigned by the Chief Underwriter, carefully distinguishing standard from preferred and preferred plus risks, and authorize issues of the new or revised insurance certificate for approval applications
• Initiate processes to refer application files for reinsurance as required
• Compose related correspondence to members/producers related to the information required to assess the application with appropriate reconsiderations, where possible; advisory letters to the member and producer regarding the approval/decline of the application, letters containing confidential medical information to the applicant’s physician related to a decline decision
• Participate in the research, review and analysis of underwriting related legislation and regulations, and current underwriting issues and trends, and participate in the review and development of new/revised underwriting policies, procedures, systems and standards as assigned by the Chief Underwriter
• Work with the Medical Director on cases as required
• Other projects and duties as assigned

Key Qualifications

• A minimum of five (5) plus years of underwriting experience
• Achieved AALU and working towards FALU/FLMI designations
• Strong medical and financial underwriting knowledge
• Experience with simplified issue and final expense type products
• Strong knowledge of underwriting theory, principles, methods, systems, processes and standards attained from Part One of the Academy of Life Underwriting program and underwriting experience
• Consultation skills to make consistent and appropriate underwriting decisions within Foresters policies and standards
• Consultation and communication skills to request information from a broad range of resources/professionals as required
• Knowledge of the interpretation and application of underwriting legislation and regulations across the US
• Knowledge of the Foresters purpose, goals and objectives to ensure compliance of decisions with Foresters policies and standards
• Ability to learn and understand in detail, Foresters insurance products and contact provisions to review and assess applications in order to make effective underwriting decisions

#LI-Remote

• Travel to Head Office, Toronto, Ontario, Canada will be required.

The actual base salary for this position will depend on several factors, including job-related skills, experience, and education. In addition to base pay, eligible employees may participate in a discretionary variable incentive plan, results are subject to both individual and company performance.

Please note that this posting is intended to fill an existing vacancy; however, there may be instances where more than one vacancy is available for the same role.

Equal Opportunity Employment and Inclusion – at Foresters Financial, we are committed to sustaining an equal opportunity environment for all job applicants. We embrace Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (IDE) as a core strategic objective for building strong, innovative teams in which all our employees can show up wholly and authentically as themselves.

Foresters Financial strives to provide an accessible candidate experience for prospective employees with different abilities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodations during the recruitment process, please email accommodations@foresters.com in advance of your appointment.

Thank you for choosing Foresters. Only those candidates who will be selected for further consideration will be contacted by our Talent Acquisition Team.