Liability Zone Leader - West

Allianz Commercial; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 185,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual performance-based cash incentives

Job summary

Allianz Commercial is looking for a Liability Zone Leader to oversee the underwriting team in Chicago, Illinois. The role involves leading a talented team, negotiating terms for large clients, and developing relationships with brokers. Candidates should have a minimum of 8 years in liability underwriting, with strong leadership skills and the ability to make data-driven decisions.

The compensation package includes a base salary of $185,000 – $250,000, and eligibility for performance-based incentives. The company promotes a diverse and inclusive work environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of experience in underwriting liability business.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence others.
• Strong understanding of legal and regulatory frameworks relevant to Liability.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of underwriters to underwrite profitable business.
• Develop and maintain relationships with brokers and clients.
• Contribute to the development and execution of underwriting strategy.

Skills

Risk assessment

Relationship building

Leadership

Data analysis

Policy administration

Artificial Intelligence knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Economics, Finance, Insurance Management or Business Administration

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Role Overview

Liability Zone Leader – West, based in the Western Region. The North American Liability team offers a wide range of liability insurance solutions including National Accounts Excess, Multinational, Reverse Flow, Environmental Liability and some Primary General Liability in the United States and Canada.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of underwriters/team leads to underwrite profitable new and renewal business to meet Liability targets regionally and/or globally.
• Lead team in negotiating participation, pricing and terms and conditions for large/critical clients.
• Take ownership of large/critical accounts/clients and will have ultimate responsibility for accounts within the team.
• Lead and manage a team, including training and development and act as the referral point for other underwriters.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with brokers and clients.

Specific Responsibilities

• Managing a team of underwriters, delegating tasks to achieve overall results, supervising portfolio and acting as point of referral and managing cost centre budget.
• Contributing to development and execution of the regional underwriting strategy for Liability.
• Managing referrals from underwriters and spokes and re‑underwriting complex business as appropriate.
• Responsibility for zonal performance within National Accounts sub‑LOB and acting as a champion for any matters relating to the sub‑LOB.
• Underwriting oversight on large/critical new and renewal accounts to meet top and bottom line targets, including negotiating participation, pricing and terms and conditions with brokers, and proactively managing capacity.
• Underwriting and evaluating Natural Catastrophe Accumulation, ensuring an understanding of catastrophe modelling and interpretation of scenarios for Liability, and underwriting International Insurance Programs for Liability.
• Overseeing underwriting in line with Liability governance framework (underwriting authorities, global MSU, Underwriting Guidelines, Rules and Principles).
• Ensuring contract certainty is achieved on all accounts at time of inception.
• Ensuring utilisation of global/regional pricing tools.
• Ensuring placing and binding of FAC Reinsurance prior to policy inception.
• Ensuring adherence to reinsurance treaty terms/conditions.
• Proactively supporting acquisition of new business and retention of existing business and liaising with Distribution on market management initiatives.
• Positively representing Allianz Commercial externally to the market.
• Proactively driving involvement of functional areas in Underwriting process, including Distribution, ARC, Claims and Operations.
• Developing and maintaining strong relationships with key producers and clients and other relevant stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of experience in underwriting profitable Liability business, with specialised understanding of sub‑LOB products and portfolio.
• Recognised, well‑established long‑term relationship building with brokers at peer group level and within the local market.
• Specialised understanding of regional/local Liability insurance markets and competitor landscape, including global elements.
• Understanding of legal and regulatory framework.
• Ability to assess risk inherent exposures and natural hazards relevant to Liability.
• Ability to analyse current performance against benchmarks, understanding how the market operates and functions, the business needs and customer needs.
• Experience designing, developing and implementing consistent, robust wordings.
• Robust understanding of policy administration life cycle, information collection, policy issuance, premium bookings, credit control, and cancellation.
• Ability to analyse highly complex data from multiple sources in detail, identifying and resolving issues before they transpire.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with an ability to influence others.
• Experience with MS Office tools.
• Significant experience in leadership and development of direct teams, including coaching, mentoring and developing team members and performance assessment.
• Ability to persuade and motivate others to act, without executive authority.
• Deep knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), with ability to leverage AI‑driven insights to shape strategic decisions and drive innovation across the organisation.
• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Economics, Finance, Insurance Management or Business Administration.

Compensation

Annualised base pay range: $185,000 – $250,000. Salary may be higher and is determined by scope, complexity, location, skills, education, training, credentials and experience. Base pay is one component of total compensation. Employees are also eligible for annual performance‑based cash incentive awards.

Legal Requirements

Applicants must be legally authorised to work in the United States without the need for current or future employment‑based sponsorship. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of employment visas at this time, nor can we guarantee future sponsorship.

Equal‑Opportunity Employer

We welcome applications regardless of race, ethnicity or cultural background, age, gender, nationality, religion, social class, disability or sexual orientation, or any other characteristics protected under applicable local laws and regulations.

Accommodations for Candidates with Disabilities

If you need any adjustments to be made during the application and selection process, please email [e-mail].