Assistant Manager Underwriting

Western & Southern Financial Group; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO

Tuition reimbursement

Insurance

401(k)

Career coaching

Job summary

Western & Southern Financial Group is seeking an Assistant Manager - Underwriting in Cincinnati, OH. You will lead a team of Express Underwriters, coach for performance, and maintain adherence to company guidelines and mortality expectations.

The role combines underwriting expertise with hands-on coaching, development, and operational leadership to ensure accurate, timely risk assessments and excellent service to agents and customers.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of life underwriting experience.
• Experience training, coaching or mentoring newer underwriters.
• Experience reviewing underwriting decisions for co-signature or concurrence.
• Strong analytical and organizational skills; able to manage multiple priorities.
• Proven ability to coach and develop others.

Responsibilities

• Provides day-to-day leadership, coaching and direction to a team of Express Underwriters.
• Leads associates through performance management; set expectations and provide feedback.
• Evaluate productivity, quality and decision quality against department objectives.
• Offer targeted coaching and training to strengthen underwriting knowledge and judgment.
• Underwrites applications within authority and provides technical guidance as needed.
• Partners with leadership to improve processes and improve customer/agent experience.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Underwriting

Training

Performance mgmt

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Underwriting software

Job description

Join Western & Southern Financial Group - Somewhere to Grow, Lead, Win and Do Good for Others

Western & Southern Financial Group (Western & Southern) is one of the strongest financial services groups in the world, with a 138-year history built on trust, compassion and commitment to our customers and our community. We help provide financial security and peace of mind to millions of families across the country through insurance, investments and retirement solutions.

A Day in the Life of an Assistant Manager - Underwriting

The Assistant Manager - Underwriting provides day-to-day leadership for a team of Express Underwriters within Insurance Operations. This role combines underwriting expertise with hands‑on coaching, associate development and operational leadership to ensure underwriting decisions are accurate, consistent and aligned with Company guidelines, mortality expectations and established service standards.

As a working leader, the Assistant Manager underwrites cases, provides co-signatures on underwriting decisions within assigned authority, and offers meaningful feedback to help underwriters strengthen their technical knowledge and decision‑making skills.

The Assistant Manager is responsible for the performance, development and ongoing effectiveness of assigned underwriting associates. This includes monitoring quality, productivity and service results; providing regular coaching and feedback; supporting technical training; identifying development opportunities; and addressing performance concerns when needed.

This position also plays an important role in the agent and customer experience. The Assistant Manager helps ensure the team provides timely, clear and solution‑oriented communication while appropriately managing underwriting risk to the Company.

Working closely with underwriting leadership, medical professionals, New Business and other Insurance Operations partners, the Assistant Manager supports the continued development of underwriting practices, procedures, training and processes designed to promote consistent risk classification, operational efficiency and outstanding service.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provides day‑to‑day leadership, coaching and direction to a team of Express Underwriters.
• Leads associates through effective performance management practices, including establishing expectations, monitoring results, providing regular feedback and supporting individual development plans.
• Evaluates associate productivity, quality, technical proficiency and overall performance against established department objectives and service standards.
• Identifies development needs and provides targeted coaching, mentoring and training to strengthen associates' underwriting knowledge, judgment and decision‑making skills.
• Reviews underwriting cases requiring co‑signature or additional technical guidance. Provides clear and meaningful feedback regarding the underwriting rationale and opportunities for continued development.
• Underwrites applications within assigned authority, evaluating medical, financial and non‑medical information to determine appropriate risk classification.
• Assists with more complex or difficult underwriting cases and serves as a technical resource for assigned underwriters.
• Promotes consistency in underwriting decisions by reinforcing Company guidelines, department procedures, underwriting philosophy and established mortality expectations.
• Monitors team production, time service, quality and workflow to ensure established goals and expectations are consistently achieved.
• Plans and organizes team workload and assists with balancing available resources during changes in volume, staffing or business priorities.
• Provides timely support and guidance when escalated underwriting questions or service concerns arise.
• Builds and maintains positive relationships with agents, internal business partners, vendors and other stakeholders through professional, responsive and solution‑oriented communication.
• Coaches underwriters on effective agent communication, including explaining underwriting decisions, obtaining necessary information and navigating challenging conversations while maintaining positive business relationships.
• Supports the handling and resolution of underwriting‑related complaints, escalations and case disputes as appropriate.
• Leads or supports technical training sessions for underwriting associates and contributes to the development of training materials, procedures and job aids.
• Partners with underwriting leadership to identify opportunities to improve processes, increase efficiency, strengthen quality and enhance the agent and customer experience.
• Supports implementation of changes to underwriting guidelines, procedures, systems and workflows and helps ensure associates understand and consistently apply new expectations.
• Fosters a team environment that promotes open communication, integrity, professionalism, accountability, collaboration and a sense of urgency.
• Communicates departmental priorities, Company initiatives, procedural updates and performance expectations clearly and consistently to associates.
• Recognizes individual and team accomplishments and supports Company reward and recognition programs.
• Participates in departmental projects and initiatives related to underwriting, training, process improvement, service, quality or operational efficiency.
• Maintains awareness of industry trends, underwriting practices and emerging medical or risk‑related developments through continuing education and professional development.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all Company policies and standards.

Qualifications

Required:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant work experience.
• Minimum of 3 years of life underwriting experience.
• Experience training, coaching or mentoring newer underwriters, including helping develop technical knowledge, judgment and decision‑making skills.
• Experience reviewing underwriting decisions for co‑signature or concurrence and providing meaningful, constructive feedback to the underwriter.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate medical, financial and non‑medical information and make sound underwriting decisions within established guidelines and authority.
• Demonstrated knowledge of life insurance underwriting principles, products, business processes and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Proven ability to coach and develop others through clear expectations, regular feedback and effective performance management practices.
• Strong analytical and critical‑thinking skills, including the ability to identify problems, evaluate available information and make sound decisions when complete information may not be available.
• Strong organizational skills with demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, balance competing demands and consistently meet business objectives.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate technical information clearly, professionally and appropriately to associates, agents and business partners.
• Demonstrated ability to provide strong customer and agent support, including identifying issues and working toward effective, appropriate resolutions.
• Ability to adapt to changing business needs, underwriting practices, workflows, technology and process improvements.

Preferred:

• Experience leading underwriting training sessions, technical discussions, case reviews or other group learning activities.
• Demonstrated progress toward the Fellow, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU) designation.
• Previous experience providing informal or formal leadership within an underwriting team.
• Experience supporting Express, accelerated or simplified underwriting programs.

Desired Leadership Competencies

Successful candidates will demonstrate the ability to:

• Develop Others: Recognize individual strengths and development needs and provide coaching that improves performance and builds technical capability.
• Lead Through Influence: Establish credibility through underwriting knowledge, sound judgment, consistency and effective communication.
• Make Quality Decisions: Balance underwriting risk, business needs, available evidence and established guidelines when making or reviewing decisions.
• Communicate Effectively: Deliver clear, respectful and actionable feedback and adapt communication style to the audience and situation.
• Drive Accountability: Establish clear expectations, monitor results and address performance or quality concerns promptly and constructively.
• Promote Collaboration: Build effective partnerships across Underwriting, New Business, Medical, Sales and other areas of Insurance Operations.
• Embrace Change: Help associates understand and successfully navigate changes in underwriting practices, technology, workflows and business priorities.

Why Work for Us

We know people do their best work when they feel valued and supported. Western & Southern offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to help associates succeed both at work and at home, including:

• Paid time off increasing with tenure.
• Tuition reimbursement and individualized career development plans.
• Medical, dental, vision and life insurance.
• 401(k) savings plan with pension options.
• Parental and maternity leave benefits.
• Access to on‑site amenities and employee discount programs.
• Meaningful skill development, leadership opportunities and career coaching.

Western & Southern is built on a culture driven by integrity, top‑notch performance, teamwork and collaboration. We are committed to hiring and developing professionals who strive for excellence, demonstrate strong ethics and make fact‑based decisions.

Western & Southern is not just a place to work - it's somewhere to grow, lead, win and make a difference in your career and community.