Director of Production Underwriting – Workers’ Compensation JN -102026-182736

Goodwin Recruiting; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 150,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Goodwin Recruiting is assisting a growing specialty insurer in finding a Director of Production Underwriting – Workers’ Compensation. The role leads a production underwriting team, remains hands‑on, and develops a defined territory through broker relationships and targeted business development.

The successful candidate will mentor underwriters, manage complex accounts, and strategize growth with claims, loss control, and senior leadership input.

Qualifications

• Significant Workers’ Compensation underwriting experience.
• Proven success as a production underwriter with responsibility for growing a defined territory.
• Demonstrated ability to personally generate business through retail broker relationships.
• Established relationships with retail insurance brokers and agencies.
• Prior leadership or mentoring experience with underwriting or production teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Production Underwriters.
• Personally manage and grow a defined workers’ compensation territory.
• Maintain an active book of business while underwriting complex accounts.
• Build and strengthen relationships with retail insurance brokers and agencies.
• Coach underwriters on territory development, prospecting, broker engagement, and generating qualified submissions.
• Help team members identify target agencies and create actionable business‑development plans.
• Conduct regular territory and pipeline reviews focused on both production and underwriting quality.
• Accompany underwriters on broker meetings and provide hands‑on field coaching.
• Develop strategies to expand relationships with existing agencies and penetrate new markets.
• Evaluate workers' compensation risks across complex and high‑severity industries.
• Analyze loss history, operations, safety programs, claims trends, and management practices to make sound underwriting decisions.
• Partner closely with claims, loss control, operations, and senior leadership on complex accounts and growth strategy.
• Maintain an active marketplace presence through agency visits, industry events, conferences, and relationship‑building activities.
• Provide market intelligence regarding broker activity, competitive trends, pricing, and emerging opportunities.

Skills

Leadership

Underwriting

Broker relations

Mentoring

Territory development

Education

AU/CWCA designation

Job description

Director of Production Underwriting – Workers’ Compensation

Director of Production Underwriting – Workers’ Compensation

A growing, profitable specialty insurance organization seeks an experienced Director of Production Underwriting - Workers’ Compensation to lead and develop its production underwriting team.

This is a true player/coach opportunity for an accomplished Workers’ Compensation production underwriter who has personally built and grown a successful territory and can teach other underwriters how to do the same.

The director will remain hands‑on with underwriting and business development while leading, mentoring, and coaching a team of production underwriters. The ideal candidate combines strong technical workers' compensation expertise with the ability to develop retail broker relationships, generate profitable submissions, and create repeatable territory‑development strategies.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Production Underwriters.
• Personally manage and grow a defined workers' compensation territory.
• Maintain an active book of business while underwriting complex accounts.
• Build and strengthen relationships with retail insurance brokers and agencies.
• Coach underwriters on territory development, prospecting, broker engagement, and generating qualified submissions.
• Help team members identify target agencies and create actionable business‑development plans.
• Conduct regular territory and pipeline reviews focused on both production and underwriting quality.
• Accompany underwriters on broker meetings and provide hands‑on field coaching.
• Develop strategies to expand relationships with existing agencies and penetrate new markets.
• Evaluate workers' compensation risks across complex and high‑severity industries.
• Analyze loss history, operations, safety programs, claims trends, and management practices to make sound underwriting decisions.
• Partner closely with claims, loss control, operations, and senior leadership on complex accounts and growth strategy.
• Maintain an active marketplace presence through agency visits, industry events, conferences, and relationship‑building activities.
• Provide market intelligence regarding broker activity, competitive trends, pricing, and emerging opportunities.

What We’re Looking For

• Significant Workers’ Compensation underwriting experience.
• Proven success as a production underwriter with responsibility for developing and growing a defined territory.
• Demonstrated ability to personally generate business through retail broker relationships.
• Established relationships with retail insurance brokers and agencies.
• Prior leadership, management, or mentoring experience with underwriting or production teams.
• A proven ability to explain how you built a territory and translate that approach into a repeatable strategy for other underwriters.
• Strong technical knowledge of workers' compensation, including complex or high‑severity risks.
• Strong business‑development instincts and comfort being active in the marketplace.
• Ability to balance profitable underwriting with production and growth objectives.
• Strong communication, coaching, and relationship‑building skills.
• Self‑motivated and comfortable operating in an entrepreneurial, collaborative environment.

Particularly Valuable Experience

• Experience with high‑severity/low‑frequency workers' compensation classes such as construction, transportation, manufacturing, steel, or waste management.
• Experience within an MGA, specialty carrier, or similarly entrepreneurial insurance environment.
• Familiarity with alternative program structures and creative pricing approaches.
• Experience working closely with integrated claims and loss‑control teams.
• AU, CWCA, or other relevant insurance designations.

What Will Make Someone Successful

This position is designed for someone who can genuinely say:

I built a successful territory myself, I understand exactly how I did it, and I know how to teach other underwriters to do the same.

Technical underwriting expertise alone will not be enough. The Director must be comfortable developing broker relationships, generating submissions, growing a profitable book, and helping other underwriters become stronger producers.

Location & Travel

Candidates may live anywhere in or near the Mid‑Atlantic region, Southeast (not Atlanta), or Southwest, provided they have strong retail broker relationships in the territory.

Expect approximately 25% travel for broker meetings, agency visits, conferences, and industry events.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

• Leadership role with meaningful influence over the underwriting team's growth and development.
• Opportunity to remain hands‑on with underwriting and production rather than moving into a purely administrative management position.
• Highly collaborative environment with strong claims, loss‑control, and operational support.
• Focus on broker relationships, underwriting strategy, and profitable growth rather than excessive administrative work.
• Stable, profitable organization with a long‑term approach to building its book of business.
• Culture that values underwriting quality and relationships over simply chasing top‑line premium.
• Strong emphasis on professional development, training, and continuing education.

Compensation: Competitive base salary plus performance‑based incentive compensation and comprehensive benefits.

$150,000 - $180,000

JOB ID: 182736 #post

Warren Mead