Underwriting Manager

Premera Blue Cross; Arizona; Remote; USD 108,000 - 209,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellness incentives

Tuition assistance

Retirement programs

Job summary

Premera Blue Cross is seeking an Underwriting Manager to lead a high-performing team and shape underwriting strategies across the organization. This remote/telecommuter role emphasizes people leadership, strategic insight, and expert underwriting to strengthen operations.

You will guide pricing, contracting, and policy provisions while partnering with sales and account teams. The role requires extensive underwriting experience and a focus on long-term policy quality.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business or related field, or 4 years of equivalent experience.
• Minimum 5 years underwriting, regulatory, or health insurance consulting experience.
• Previous underwriting experience required.
• 2 years in health insurance management or a leadership role.
• Master’s degree preferred.
• CEBS designation desirable.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deploy management reports tracking financial and membership positions and contracts.
• Oversee underwriting, pricing, and contracting to ensure rates meet risks and objectives.
• Lead underwriting processes to meet turnaround goals.
• Recruit, hire, and train underwriting teams; manage performance appraisals.
• Manage budget processes for assigned cost centers per guidelines.
• Serve as primary contact for underwriting policy across departments.
• Support sales and account teams in presentations and negotiations.
• Develop pricing data and systems to support strategic decisions.
• Assist management in sustaining long-term policies and procedures.
• Monitor data for accuracy and identify problems with solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Health insurance knowledge

Negotiation skills

Market analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in business or related field

Master’s degree (preferred)

CEBS designation

Job description

Workforce Classification: Telecommuter

Join Our Team: Do Meaningful Work and Improve People’s Lives

Our purpose, to improve customers’ lives by making healthcare work better, is far from ordinary. And so are our employees. Working at Premera means you have the opportunity to drive real change by transforming healthcare.

Premera is committed to being a workplace where people feel empowered to grow, innovate, and lead with purpose. By investing in our employees and fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous development, we’re able to better serve our customers. It’s this commitment that has earned us recognition as one of the best companies to work for. Learn more about our recent awards and recognitions as a greatest workplace.

Learn how Premera supports our members, customers and the communities that we serve through our Healthsource blog: .

As an Underwriting Manager , you will guide a high-performing team and shape the work that drives our business forward. In this role, you’ll combine people leadership, strategic insight, and underwriting expertise to strengthen operations and support key priorities across the organization.

This is a remote/telecommuter position, working from home.

What you’ll do:

• Develop and deploy management monitoring reports for tracking financial and membership positions and contract and fulfillment production, using these reports to effectively manage the business and report results to senior management teams.
• Manage underwriting, pricing, and/or contracting activities to ensure that rates and policy provisions are adequate to meet the risks assumed and the profit objectives of the company.
• Manage underwriting processes to meet or exceed turnaround goals and objectives.
• Create and maintain core competency in underwriting by recruitment, hiring, and training of high-quality, experienced, and energetic teams. Manage the associated performance appraisal process.
• Manage the budget process for assigned cost center(s), subject to corporate guidelines and senior management requirements.
• Serve as primary point of contact within Premera for other departments seeking information related to underwriting policy.
• Provide integral support to sales and account management teams, in internal and external presentations and negotiations.
• Develop and maintain pricing data and contract generation systems that support departmental and strategic management decisions with timely and accurate information.
• Assist underwriting senior management in sustaining long-term policies and procedures to formulate work unit strategy in support of organizational strategy.
• Monitor and review data from internal departments for content and accuracy, and to identify associated problems and develop solutions.

What you’ll bring:

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration or related field of study, or (4) years of work experience.
• (5) years of underwriting, regulatory, or health insurance consulting experience.
• Previous underwriting experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• (2) years of experience in health insurance management or a leadership position.
• Master’s Degree.
• CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist) designation.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Demonstrated track record in providing leadership in complex business cases and/or projects.
• Substantial knowledge of the health insurance industry, and of the group administration and/or underwriting function within an insurance carrier setting.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills. Demonstrated ability to negotiate "win-win" situations as it relates to business decisions.
• Ability to assess market conditions and recommend contract and underwriting improvements to support competitive position and/or revenue growth opportunities.

Physical Requirements

The following have been identified as essential physical requirements of this job and must be performed with or without an accommodation:

• This is primarily a sedentary role which requires the ability to exert up to 10 lbs. of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.
• This role requires the ability to keyboard and to communicate clearly and understandably in person and over the telephone.

Premera total rewards

Our comprehensive total rewards package provides support, resources, and opportunities to help employees thrive and grow. Our total rewards are more than a collection of perks, they're a reflection of our commitment to your health and well-being. We offer a broad array of rewards including physical, financial, emotional, and community benefits, including:

• Medical, vision, and dental coverage with low employee premiums.

• Voluntary benefit offerings, including pet insurance for paw parents.

• Life and disability insurance.

• Retirement programs, including a 401K employer match and, believe it or not, a pension plan that is vested after 3 years of service.

• Wellness incentives with a wide range of mental well-being resources for you and your dependents, including counseling services, stress management programs, and mindfulness programs, just to name a few.

• Generous paid time off to reenergize.

• Looking for continuing education? We have tuition assistance for both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

• Employee recognition program to celebrate anniversaries, team accomplishments, and more.

For our hybrid employees, our on-campus model provides flexibility to create your own routine with access to on-site resources, networking opportunities, and team engagement.

• Commuter perks make your trip to work less impactful on the environment and your wallet.

• Free convenient on-site parking.

• Subsidized on-campus cafes make lunchtime connections with colleagues fun and affordable.

• Participate in engaging on-site activities such as health and wellness events, coffee connects, disaster preparedness fairs and more.

• Our complementary fitness & well-being center offers both in-person and virtual workouts and nutritional counseling.

• Need a brain break? Challenge someone to a game of shuffleboard or ping pong while on campus.

Equal employment opportunity/affirmative action:

Premera is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. Premera seeks to attract and retain the most qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, genetic information or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.

If you need an accommodation to apply online for positions at Premera, please contact Premera Human Resources via email at or via phone at .

Premera is hiring in the following states, with some limitations based on role or city:

Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin.

The pay for this role will vary based on a range of factors including, but not limited to, a candidate’s geographic location, market conditions, and specific skills and experience.

National Salary Range:

$108,100.00 - $183,800.00

National Plus Salary Range:

$123,200.00 - $209,400.00

*National Plus salary range is used in higher cost of labor markets including Western Washington and Alaska.

We’re happy to discuss compensation further during the interview because we believe that open communication leads to better outcomes for all. We’re committed to creating an environment where all employees are celebrated for their unique skills and contributions.