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08/27/2026

Assistant Vice President, Commercial Lines Underwriting Leader

Job Description

Does this opportunity interest you?

Western National is seeking an Assistant Vice President, Commercial Lines Underwriting to join our team!

The individual in this role will have the opportunity to provide strategic leadership for commercial underwriting operations across multiple teams or locations. This individual will shape underwriting strategy, develop high-performing teams, and partner across the organization to drive profitable growth while ensuring underwriting excellence, regulatory compliance, and exceptional customer experiences.

This role is based in our Seattle, Washington, office and is not eligible for remote work.

What are the responsibilities and opportunities of this role?

  • Leads,  coaches, and develops commercial underwriting managers, team leads, and underwriters to achieve individual, team, and company performance goals while fostering engagement, accountability, and strong business performance. 
  • Develops and implements underwriting strategies that balance risk and reward, strengthen the commercial product portfolio, and drive profitable growth. 
  • Partners with product development, actuarial, claims, sales, and other cross-functional teams to optimize underwriting performance and improve business results. 
  • Manages agency and vendor relationships to ensure alignment with company objectives, service expectations, and underwriting standards. 
  • Monitors underwriting practices to ensure compliance with company guidelines, regulatory requirements, and industry best practices. 
  • Evaluates market trends, competitive conditions, and emerging industry issues to maintain a strong competitive position. 
  • Develops and executes regional business plans focused on retention, pricing, exposure management, and profitable new business growth. 
  • Champions a collaborative "One Team, Better Together" culture across departments and locations. 
  • Consistently acts according to our customer experience standards, including responding quickly, maintaining a positive attitude, building rapport, demonstrating empathy, managing the customer's expectations, using the proper communication channel for the situation, and taking ownership to ensure the customer's issue is resolved. 
  • Performs special projects and other duties as assigned. 

 What are the must-have qualifications for a candidate?

  • Ten-plus years of leadership experience in the property-and-casualty insurance industry, with a strong focus on commercial lines underwriting. 
  • Demonstrated experience leading underwriting teams and managing diverse commercial books of business. 
  • Deep knowledge of commercial insurance products, underwriting guidelines, and underwriting best practices. 
  • Strong leadership, coaching, and talent development skills. 
  • Excellent verbal and written communication, negotiation, and decision-making abilities. 
  • Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with cross-functional teams and solve complex business challenges. 
  • Experience using underwriting systems, pricing tools, and data analytics platforms. 

What will our ideal candidate have?

  • Bachelor's degree in business, insurance, finance, or a related field. 
  • CPCU, CIC, CRM, or other relevant professional insurance designation. 

Compensation overview

The hiring range for this role is $200,000-240,000, annually. However, the base pay offered may vary depending on the job-related knowledge, skills, credentials, and experience of each candidate, as well as other factors such as the scope and location of the role. Candidates looking for compensation outside of the posted range are encouraged to apply and will be considered based on their individual qualifications and/or may be considered for other positions.

                           

Salary & Benefits:

Culture and Total Rewards

Western National has long been known as “The Relationship Company®” and caring for our employees is part of that relationship commitment. We value connectiveness, empowerment, and accountability, and we believe that our employees are our biggest asset.

Currently ranked as the 41st largest private company by revenue in Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal), Western National has earned accolades year-over-year as an employer of choice and garnered multiple awards for wellness in the workplace. Western National has also been named a Top Workplace by the Star Tribune for the past five consecutive years. In addition, the Group is consistently recognized as a Ward’s 50 property-and-casualty insurance company for its outstanding financial results.

Western National offers full-time employees a significant Total Rewards Package, including:

  • Medical insurance plan options and other standard employee benefits, including dental insurance, vision benefits, life insurance, disability insurance,   and more! 
  • Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) 
  • 401(k) Plan (participants are eligible for 100% matching on the first 6% of their contributions) 
  • Wellbeing  Program, including onsite fitness studio 
  • Paid Time Off – including holiday, vacation, and volunteer 
  • 100%  company-paid tuition reimbursement for approved job-relevant coursework  and access to The Institutes (risk and insurance education) 
  • Paid parental leave 
  • Short & long term incentive plan 

Western National believes in supporting balance between work and life by providing a flexible work environment, which includes a variety of hybrid and remote work arrangements designed to balance individual, job, department, and company needs.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Western National provides employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.


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Western National Insurance
Western National Insurance

Western National Insurance is a growing, A+ rated (A.M. Best) group of property-and-casualty insurance companies serving individuals, families, and businesses in 20 states across the Midwestern and Western U.S. including Alaska. Currently ranked as the 37th largest private company by revenue in Minnesota (Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal), Western National year-over-year has earned accolades as an employer of choice, including the Wellness by Design Platinum +Green award from Hennepin County for employers who actively support wellness in the workplace. Western was also named a 2021 Star Tribune Top 175 Workplace, and for thirteen consecutive years since 2009 is recognized as a Wards Top 50 performing property-and-casualty insurance company.

Western National is known as “The Relationship Company®,” and caring for our employees is a part of that relationship commitment. Western National offers competitive pay, advancement opportunities, a generous benefits package, a robust wellbeing program, and a healthy work/life balance (including three weeks of paid time off, nine paid holidays, and eight hours of paid volunteer time as a starting point for new employees). These attributes are just some of the reasons why nearly half of our employees choose to stay on the Western National team for ten years or more.

Our benefits package includes:

  • Medical insurance – We offer affordable (thanks to a generous employer subsidy), above-average coverage and the choice of either a traditional Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) option OR a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) option, which includes an HSA contribution
  • Western Wellbeing program – Including fitness studio, on-site massage, yoga classes, locker room with showers, sit/stand workstations, nutrition seminars, and more
  • 100% company-paid tuition reimbursement for approved job-relevant coursework
  • Two weeks paid parental leave
  • 401(k) company match
  • Profit-sharing bonus
  • Other standard employee benefits – including dental insurance, vision benefits, life insurance, disability insurance, and more

We could continue to list the things that we think make Western National a great place to work, but why not hear it instead from actual current and former employees? Here are some quotes that Western National employees have posted to the Glassdoor public review site:

  • “Excellent company which prioritizes customer service and community service.”
  • “I have felt welcomed here and I feel like the Senior Management cares.”
  • “The company has a great culture in my opinion. I feel like my contributions are valued and that management cares about what we do and takes the time to acknowledge individual impact for the company. Management feels very accessible as well. My co-workers are all professional people and easy to get along with. Opportunities for advancement are real and rewarding. Continuing education is 100% paid for and encouraged. The pay is good. The benefits are mostly solid and fair.”

(For more reviews from current and former Western National employees, you can visit the company’s Glassdoor page here: http://bit.ly/2qXtl4A .)

***Western National is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment.***