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Job Description
Job Summary
This position is the technical authority and strategic lead for middle market and complex commercial risks within assigned industry segments. The role is accountable for the profitability, performance, and long‑term health of the portfolio, underwriting the organization’s most complex and highest‑value accounts while shaping underwriting philosophy and risk selection. As a recognized industry expert, this role provides advanced technical leadership and market influence, partnering with agents, field leadership, and enterprise stakeholders to drive disciplined growth, strategic agency engagement, and sustainable portfolio outcomes.
Essential Job Functions
- Serves as the technical underwriter and recognized subject matter expert for middle market and complex commercial risks, including industry‑specific, multi‑location, and multi‑jurisdictional exposures.
- Exercises high levels of individual underwriting authority, independently evaluating, pricing, and structuring coverage for the organization’s most complex and highest‑value accounts across multiple lines of business.
- Owns portfolio‑level results for assigned industry segments, including profitability, growth, retention, pricing adequacy, overall risk mix, and long‑term portfolio health.
- Interprets and applies complex coverage forms, endorsements, and manuscript language, providing expert guidance on non‑standard and emerging exposures within the assigned segment and influencing underwriting philosophy and risk appetite.
- Identifies portfolio trends, loss drivers, and emerging risks; develops and recommends action plans to improve results, support disciplined risk selection, and sustain long‑term performance across market cycles.
- Acts as a trusted advisor to agents and brokers, leading sophisticated underwriting discussions, negotiating terms, positioning underwriting decisions in competitive or challenging market conditions, and influencing strategic agency engagement and relationship outcomes.
- Partners with underwriting leadership and enterprise stakeholders to develop and execute industry‑specific underwriting strategy, including appetite definition, authority guidelines, risk selection philosophy, and segment‑level strategic positioning.
- Provides technical leadership and mentorship, collaborating with claims, loss control, actuarial, and marketing partners while representing the underwriting function internally and externally as a recognized industry authority. Performs other duties as assigned.
Education Requirements
- High School Diploma or equivalent required. Bachelors degree preferred.
- Professional designations such as CRIS (construction), MRIS (manufacturing and wholesale), CPCU, AU, or ARM, are preferred.
Experience Requirements
- 10+ years of commercial underwriting experience, with demonstrated experience underwriting complex middle market accounts within an industry segment such as Construction or Manufacturing and Wholesale.
Additional Qualification
Demonstrated analytical skills. Demonstrates excellent judgment and decision making skills. Effective negotiation skills. Ability to influence internal and/or external constituents. Effective leadership skills.
Physical Actions
Job is performed in-person at a Farmers office or virtually at an approved alternative work location. The physical work environment is indoors and climate-controlled with adequate lighting and ventilation. Normal and customary distractions include background noise produced by office equipment and chatter among people, as well as interruptions. Frequently sits for prolonged periods of time, up to a full shift. Occasionally moves about the workplace including, navigating stairs, ramps, and level or uneven surfaces. Occasionally moves, pushes, pulls, lifts, carries, and/or places objects or materials weighing up to 25 pounds without assistance. Frequently uses shoulders, arms, hands, and fingers to manipulate equipment, tools, and objects necessary to perform job duties. Frequently performs fine motor tasks such as typing, mousing, or writing, up to a full shift. Rarely performs movements such as bending, stooping, crouching, kneeling, twisting, and reaching overhead or below the knees. Possesses clear vision, with or without correction, to visually read and verify information. Relies on depth perception and peripheral vision to navigate the work environment visually by identifying barriers, changes in terrain and locating objects. Possesses adequate hearing, with or without correction, to communicate with co-workers, respond promptly to auditory signals or alarms, and discern sounds essential for maintaining safety and productivity in the workplace. Jobs in this category require rare, if any, travel.