VP, Sr. UW Manager - Surety Commercial

Zurich NA; Pennsylvania; Remote; USD 200,000 - 285,000; Full time

Job summary

Zurich North America is seeking a Vice President, Senior Underwriting Manager for Surety Commercial in the East Region. The ideal candidate will manage a market-facing team, coach underwriters, and drive profitable growth through strategic underwriting and broker relationships, with travel 15-20% within the Northeast.

The role emphasizes leadership, development plans for underwriters, and collaboration with actuaries to align pricing, while maintaining a strong customer and distributor focus to

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor’s degree with 10+ years in underwriting, market facing, broker, carrier or risk management within Commercial Insurance OR a bachelor’s degree with 20+ years in claims or underwriting support.
• 2+ years of people management experience.
• Experience in a specialized line of business or segment.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of market facing underwriters with coaching and mentorship.
• Oversee development plans for underwriters to drive profitable results.
• Develop processes and policies to align underwriting with strategic objectives.
• Identify market trends and work with actuaries on rate/price structure.
• Maintain relationships with internal stakeholders to improve service and profitability.
• Participate in leadership meetings to implement policies and initiatives.
• Contribute to business strategy aligning underwriting with goals.
• Underwrite and analyze new and renewal business within delegated authority.
• Recommend action plans after reviewing agency books and trends.
• Develop and maintain relationships with distributors to support retention and growth.
• Collaborate with customers and distributors to assess needs and provide solutions.

Skills

Team leadership

Strategic planning

Broker relationships

Negotiation

Communication

Market facing underwriting

Insurance knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree

CPCU

Job description

Zurich is currently looking for a VP, Sr. UW Manager - Surety Commercial in the East Region. Although our preference is for the individual to be based out of New York City, we would also consider other locations within the Northeast Region. (You will be expected to travel as necessary to support the needs of the team and to cultivate key broker relationships within the region (15-20%).)

This is a great opportunity to utilize your management skills to help us profitably manage our Commercial Surety book of business. This is a critical leadership position that will focus on developing our underwriting talent and driving and cultivating broker relationships. We are looking for a Leader that will exercise strong technical underwriting knowledge while managing a team of production underwriters. A Leader that will empower, develop, and drive a cohesive team in delivering on our strategy in an appetite appropriate manner that strengthens our market positioning. This role requires an influential approach to business relationships and oversight on strategic underwriting practices.

The VP, Sr. UW Manager - Surety Commercial is responsible for:

• Managing a team of market facing underwriters, providing continuous coaching, and acting as a mentor to the team.
• Overseeing development plans for underwriters to ensure they have the capabilities to drive profitable business results.
• Developing processes and reviewing policies relevant to underwriting to ensure they are in line with strategic business objectives.
• Identifying market trends and coverage exposures that may impact business results, working with our actuaries to insure a proper rate / price structure
• Managing relationships with key internal stakeholders to identify opportunities for service improvement to ensure commercial viability and customer satisfaction.
• Participating in leadership team meetings to provide specialist guidance and enable the implementation of policies, projects, and change initiatives to produce profitable results.
• Contributing to the business strategy to align underwriting strategy with wider business goals.
• Underwriting and analyzing new and renewal business within delegated authority levels.
• Recommending and implement action plans after reviewing agency books of business and profit/growth results and trends.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with distributors (agents and brokers) in support of business retention and profitable new business
• Working with customers and distributors (agents & brokers) to determine their insurance-related needs and provide solutions.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree and 10 or more years of experience in the Underwriting, Market Facing, Broker, Carrier or Risk Management area within the Commercial Insurance industry OR
• Bachelor’s Degree with 20 or more years of experience in Claims or Underwriting Support area within the Commercial Insurance industry AND
• Experience in Experience in a specialized line of business or segment
• 2 or more years of people management experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced knowledge and practice of line/s of business
• Strategic planning and execution experience
• Strong team building and organization skills
• Strong verbal and written and communication skills
• Strong negotiation skills
• Experience managing complex portfolios
• Technical knowledge of insurance industry operations and processes
• Knowledge in risk selection and strategical components of anticipating the market environment
• CPCU

Your pay at Zurich is based on your role, location, skills, and experience. We follow local laws to ensure fair compensation. You may also be eligible for bonuses and merit increases. If your expectations are above the listed range, we still encourage you to apply—your unique background matters to us. The pay range shown is a national average and may vary by location. The proposed Salary range for this position is $200,000.00 - $285,000.00, with Global Specialty Incentive Plan bonus eligibility set at 50%.

We offer competitive pay and comprehensive benefits for employees and their families. [Learn more about Total Rewards here.]

Why Zurich?

At Zurich, we value your ideas and experience. We offer growth, inclusion, and a supportive environment—so you can help shape the future of insurance. Zurich North America is a leader in risk management, with over 150 years of expertise and coverage across 25+ industries, including 90% of the Fortune 500®.

Join us for a brighter future—for yourself and our customers.

Zurich in North America does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, age, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or other characteristics protected by applicable law. Equal Opportunity Employer disability/vets.

Zurich complies with 18 U.S. Code

• 1033.

Location(s): AM - New York, AM - New Jersey Virtual Office, AM - Pennsylvania Virtual Office

Remote Working: Yes

Schedule: Full Time

Employment Sponsorship Offered: No