Lead Automated Underwriting Rules & QA

Sammons Financial Group Inc.; Iowa; Hybrid; USD 95,000 - 159,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

ESOP

401(k)

Fridays off

Paid time off

Tuition reimbursement

Volunteer time off

Job summary

Sammons Financial Group is seeking a Senior Underwriting Rules Specialist to lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of life underwriting rules across underwriting platforms. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams and external vendors to improve efficiency and mortality performance.

Ideal candidates will have a college degree, life underwriting experience, and strong project management and communication skills, plus FALU designation in progress.

Qualifications

• College degree or equivalent industry related work experience required.
• Life underwriting experience preferred.
• Rules writing experience required.
• Possess excellent organizational and project management skills, with ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously.
• Strong and effective leadership, decision-making, and motivational skills.
• Strong interpersonal skills for relationship building.
• Flexible and adaptable to quickly changing deadlines within projects.
• Excellent communication skills, including listening, oral, presentation, and written.
• Strong analytical skills in assessing medical evidence and mortality data.
• Able to effectively use Excel.
• Designation or working toward completion of FALU required.

Responsibilities

• Lead and own assigned projects.
• Develop, update, and manage underwriting rules within underwriting platforms.
• Design solutions in automated underwriting by identifying gaps, defining workflows, and refining requirements.
• Collaborate with vendors and internal teams to adapt rules.
• Coordinate with Mortality Management and Underwriting Research to adjust accelerated underwriting rules.
• Ensure data mapping aligns with mortality assumptions and application questions.
• Perform QA testing of underwriting rules as needed.
• Update SOPs with Underwriting Research as needed.
• Lead technical tasks: story writing, requirements definition, testing, troubleshooting, and QA.
• Uphold Sammons Financial Group values and attendance policy.
• Participate in other initiatives as necessary.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Communication

Analytical skills

Interpersonal skills

Multitasking

Deadline management

Education

College degree or equivalent

FALU designation in progress

Tools

Underwriting platforms

Job description

What You Can Expect In This Role

Support the design, implementation, and maintenance of underwriting rules to drive operational efficiencies, ensuring mortality expectations are met. Collaborate with other departments and external partners, including New Business, Underwriting, Marketing, Sales, Information Technology (IT), and third-party vendors.
What You'll Do In This Role

• Confidently lead and effectively take ownership of the projects to which you are assigned.
• Develop, update, and manage underwriting rules within the underwriting platforms, supporting efficiency and scalability initiatives aligned to life strategy goals.
• Within an automated underwriting framework, lead solution design efforts by identifying gaps, defining workflows and rules, and refining requirements in collaboration with vendors and internal teams.
• Work closely with outside underwriting engine and administrative system vendors to create, maintain, and alter underwriting rules as needed.
• Collaborate with Mortality Management and Underwriting Research to create or adjust accelerated underwriting rules.
• Work closely with existing medical and underwriting evidence vendors to ensure data is mapped appropriately to our application questions and meets our mortality assumptions and efficiency goals.
• Work closely with existing medical and underwriting evidence vendors to ensure data is appropriately mapped to application questions, aligned with mortality assumptions, and supportive of application design and filing efforts as needed.
• Perform Quality Assurance (QA) testing of underwriting rules as needed.
• Work in partnership with Underwriting Research to update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as needed.
• Lead and engage in technical tasks, including story writing, requirements definition, testing, troubleshooting, and quality assurance, to ensure the accuracy and compliance of underwriting rules and project deliverables.
• Commitment to embrace Sammons Financial Group Companies shared values (Accountability, Connection, Openness, Respect and Integrity).
• As stated within the Company Attendance and Punctuality policy, regular attendance is required and expected in order to meet the business service levels and workflow demands.
• Participate in other initiatives and/or projects as necessary.
What We're Looking For

• College degree or equivalent industry related work experience Required
• Life Underwriting experience Preferred
• Rules writing experience Required
• Possess excellent organizational and project management skills, with ability to manage multiple assignments simultaneously
• Strong and effective leadership, decision-making, and motivational skills
• Strong interpersonal skills for relationship building
• Flexible and adaptable to quickly changing deadlines within projects
• Excellent communication skills, including listening, oral, presentation, and written
• Strong analytical skills in assessing medical evidence and mortality data
• Able to effectively use Excel
• Designation or working toward completion of FALU Required

Other Requirements

• Due to the financial nature and level of accountability of this position, a credit and criminal background check is required - The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires Sammons Financial Group Companies to notify you that, as a routine part of processing this application for employment, Sammons Financial Group may request a consumer report on you to verify all information contained in this application. Such report may include information about work-related behaviors, performance, character, general reputation, and personal characteristics, in addition to information about your previous employment, education, credit history and criminal records

Salary Range Information

USD $95,198.00 - USD $158,663.00 /Yr. Range includes data points from multiple labor markets. Specific range is dependent on the labor market where the incumbent will be hired to perform the position. Starting salary is dependent on candidate qualifications and experience. For a narrower salary range specific to your labor market, please inquire.
What you can expect when you join Sammons Financial Group

• Comprehensive health coverage for you and your family, including Medical, Dental, Vision, HSA & FSA options, and term life insurance.
• Competitive compensation with a performance-based incentive program tied to clear goals and individual and/or company success.
• Invest in your future with our 100% company-funded Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), plus automatic enrollment in our 401(k).
• Work–life balance that means something. Friday afternoons off year-round, generous paid time off, and paid holidays.
• Commit to your growth with paid development time, tuition reimbursement, and professional development opportunities across industry, individual, and leadership programs.
• Make an impact beyond the workplace through volunteer time off, and our company nonprofit matching gift program, supporting the causes that matter most to you.
• An ownership culture that inspires; join a connected, values-driven workplace where employees take accountability, support one another, and are empowered to do their best work—together shaping our future shared success.

Work Authorization/Sponsorship

At this time, we’re not considering candidates that need any type of immigration sponsorship now or in the future or those needing work authorization for this role (This includes, but is not limited to students on F1-OPT, F1-CPT, J-1, etc.)
Additional Information

Sammons Financial Group Is An Equal Opportunity Employer
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

ADA
Sammons Financial Group is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in all aspects of the employment process. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation at any stage of the application or hiring process, including navigating our website or applying for a position, please contact [e-mail] or call 800-728-2987.

E-Verify
Sammons Financial Group participates in E-Verify and will provide the Social Security Administration and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security with information from each new employee's Form I-9 to confirm work authorization.

Policy for External Search Firms and Agencies
Sammons Financial Group maintains an internal Talent Acquisition function and does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from search firms, staffing agencies, or other third-party recruiting vendors. Please review our Recruitment Agency Policy for additional information here.