Life Underwriting Large Case Specialist

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From day one, you’ll be encouraged to bring your whole self to work, take on meaningful challenges, and grow in ways that matter to you. 

This is your opportunity to belong, thrive, and make a difference—right here at Pekin Insurance.

Position Overview

Life Underwriting Large Case Specialist will focus on providing expert underwriting services for life insurance policies, with particular emphasis on cases over $5M and the business owner market. The ideal candidate will work closely with agents, brokers, advanced life specialists, actuaries, and sales teams to drive the business, develop new products, and ensure optimal pricing and risk assessment. 

Essential Job Functions

Underwriting & Risk Assessment: 

• Reviews medical records, exam and laboratory findings, financial and criminal records, and other relevant data to make informed business and pricing decisions
• Assesses coverage and tax implications and other specialized information when making underwriting decisions
• Serves as the key contact for underwriting decisions related to business owner life insurance policies
• Makes judgments regarding reinstatement requests and other policy-related decisions
• Assists in the Contestable claim review process
• Serves as a senior expert in all Life Underwriting policies and practices for the department
• Discusses unusual or difficult underwriting cases with peers and management, ensuring consistent and accurate decision-making
• Reviews cases underwritten by other underwriters and assess the adherence to Reinsurance manuals and treaties for quality and accuracy in underwriting decisioning   
• Serves as a key resource in Underwriting auditing and quality assessments and reports audit results to management for review and action   
• Discusses usual or difficult underwriting cases with peers and management, ensuring consistent and accurate decision-making
• Be a lead expert in underwriting for the organization.  Stay current with new laws, medical conditions, treatments affecting underwriting, and technology enhancements in underwriting through meeting and ongoing education

Reinsurance Relations: 

• Be a key driver of underwriting audit quality and participate in reinsurance and other audits of underwriting 
• Performs periodic internal audits of new and in-force business.  Provide feedback to underwriters and management to improve underwriting quality and accuracy 
• Supports all facultative reinsurance business, assisting with complex cases and decisions

Broker and Agent Support, Business Development: 

• Assists agents, brokers, and sales staff to create compelling business cases and plans for their business continuity insurance needs  
• Be a key point of contact for our agents and brokers for underwriting guidance, specifically on large cases and business insurance cases 
• Collaborates with agents to drive business and provide guidance in growing their portfolios
• Works with advanced life specialists to identify sales opportunities and increase policy sales, and partner to develop a business owner strategy
• Supports efforts to grow the business owner market, offering life insurance solutions tailored to their needs

Product Development Support: 

• Works closely with actuaries and the underwriting team to develop and refine new products to support the business owner market 
• Participates in the presentation of new products, procedures, and policy changes to agents at field meetings
• Participates in special projects related to new products, insurance regulations, and underwriting studies as assigned by Life Leadership

Training & Mentorship: 

• Participates in training other team members in all aspects of underwriting 
• Mentors junior life underwriters, helping them grow and improve their skills
• Performs other duties as assigned 

Education & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivilent industry experience
• 5+ years of financial underwriting experience
• Typically requires 6+ years related experience

Preferred or Specialized

• Prior life insurance experience

Certifications & Licenses

• N/A

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

In-depth ability to:

• Analyze and prepare documents, reports, and correspondence
• Listen, define, write, explain, and interpret ideas and policies
• Exercise sound judgment in making critical decisions.
• Maintain a positive image and build strong relationships
• Manage an independent agency force
• Recognize, analyze, and solve a variety of problems
• Define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions

In-depth skills in:

• Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience
• Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times
• Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems
• Collecting and analyzing complex data

In-depth knowledge of:

• Insurance industry and terminology within specialized product lines
• Business terms and acronyms
• Industry standards, marketplace environment, pricing, rates, and product offerings

 Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship now or in the future.

   Pay Range: 

•        $94,000.00- $129,000.00 per year 
  • This range is based on the expected level of experience and skills for this position. Final compensation will depend on individual

  Benefits: 

• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Generous 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off (PTO) with Paid Holidays
• Flexible/Hybrid Work Schedule
• Paid Volunteer Program

      For more information about the benefits we offer, please visit our Careers Page.