Underwriter Trainee-Professional Lines - Berkley
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
About the Job
Verus Specialty Insurance is an Excess and Surplus Lines provider writing business countrywide, a member of W.R. Berkley Corporate (NYSE: WRB), one of the largest property casualty insurance holding companies in the United States. The resources and strength of a Fortune 500 company back us and we operate with the flexibility and closeness of a small underwriting company. As such, Verus Specialty Insurance operates through a group of wholesale producers nationwide.
Our leadership encourages a culture that empowers employees to question the status quo and seek innovative ways to continue to exceed the expectations of our customers. We believe our strength comes from building an exceptional team that embraces collaboration, growth and ownership. If you share our vision and want to work for an organization that values your contributions, we want to hear from you!
The Company is an equal employment opportunity employer.
Responsibilities:
The Verus Trainee role is an entry level position within insurance underwriting. This role is focused on teaching the underwriting practices and the application to build and grow the Verus business. In this role, trainees will participate in formal or on-the-job training, developing a working knowledge of product language, underwriting practices, policies and guidelines. This position has a defined career path and is a great first step in the insurance industry.
Industry/Practice/Knowledge
- Links line of business policies and practices to company strategies
- Identifies and acts on opportunities to share knowledge with clients and customers
- Networks with peers and outside resources to exchange ideas and information
Product Skills
- Compares company coverages to competitors and differentiates our company from others
- Identifies new product opportunities
- Explains company service capability and applies to specific client needs, including coordination of standard service delivery to customers
Book Management/Pricing Skills
- Applies standard pricing to exposures
- Applies individual loss and expense factors, when applicable
- Utilizes internal information systems to measure results
- Analyzes and evaluates impact of producer performance on assigned book
- Applies key expense components, influencing controllable elements according to plans and strategies
- Identifies and evaluates influence of competitor strategies in local territory or line of business and its effects on the company’s business
Consulting
- Provides appropriate input for written premium and expense budget planning
- Offers creative solutions that contribute to the achievement of business results
Risk Selection
- Applies underwriting strategies and standards to pre-qualify risk acceptability
- Identifies and assesses exposures for each risk
- Performs detail analysis utilizing appropriate information (exposure/rate/financial & loss) to determine account acceptability, taking customer needs into consideration
- Assesses rate adequacy relative to exposure
Client Management
- Identifies clients' needs and recommends solutions
- Handles or refers as appropriate cross selling opportunities
- Negotiates standard coverage issues, closes sale, and gauges customer satisfaction
- Identifies and accesses basic underwriting/service resources and associated cost benefit
- Demonstrates knowledge of competitors products, strategies, strengths, weaknesses, position within agencies/in marketplace, financial picture
- Develops and pursues prospective clients
- Follows-up on prospective and incumbent clients' needs
Verus operates in a fast-paced environment that requires the ability to manage multiple, complex assignments and competing priorities. Candidates must be comfortable working in an ambiguous and dynamic environment.
- Strong oral/written communication skills, displaying a positive attitude
- Detail-oriented person with initiative and ability to work in fast-paced team environment
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work independently as well as part of a team
- Computer literate including use of Word, Excel and various project management tools
- Flexible and open to change and enhancements to help evolving in a competitive market
- Adaptive to adjusting priorities and/or work on multiple tasks
- Strong sense of ownership and accountability as a result of being highly motivated
- High school diploma or equivalent; college course work or degree preferred
