AVP, Professional and Healthcare Programs
Job Description
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Job Description Summary
You will serve as the strategic leader for the Professional and Healthcare Programs Portfolio, driving growth, innovation, and disciplined execution across a diverse set of program businesses. You will be responsible for shaping the portfolio’s direction by identifying and cultivating new program opportunities that align with the company’s long-term objectives and market positioning.In this role, you will oversee the strategic governance and operational performance of existing programs, ensuring alignment with underwriting profitability, risk appetite, and regulatory standards. You will lead a high-performing team in the development of customized underwriting frameworks—including guidelines, rates, forms, and procedures—tailored to the unique needs of each program.
You will establish and manage strategic partnerships with program administrators and reinsurance brokers, setting clear expectations and authority levels to ensure consistent execution and accountability. Your leadership will be critical in approving complex or high-value accounts that exceed delegated authority, reinforcing underwriting discipline and portfolio integrity.
This role demands a forward-thinking executive who can balance strategic growth with operational rigor, while fostering innovation and collaboration across internal and external stakeholders.
Job Description
Key Responsibilities:
In partnership with VP, Casualty Programs shapes and executes the Professional & Healthcare program strategy, translating enterprise objectives into actionable plans and roadmaps for the portfolio.
Drives innovation and capability enhancements in pricing models, portfolio management, AI utilization, underwriting processes, and performance metrics by identifying opportunities, developing recommendations, and leading implementation within delegated authority.
Conducts market, competitor, and segment assessments to inform strategic planning, highlight emerging risks and opportunities, and make clear recommendations to the VP and senior leadership.
Manages day-to-day strategic relationships with program administrators, ensuring alignment to agreed strategies, expectations, and authority levels, and escalates recommendations regarding performance concerns or potential program terminations to the VP.
Designs, maintains, and refines leading indicator dashboards for the Professional & Healthcare portfolio (e.g., geographic diversification, risk scores, limits, incurred losses, retention, actual vs. technical, rate changes), providing insightful analysis and recommended actions.
Oversees Program Administrator reviews and regular touchpoints to ensure strategic alignment and operational effectiveness, escalating material findings, risks, or opportunities to the VP.
Leads the initial vetting and due diligence of new program opportunities, assessing fit, risk, and readiness, and providing clear go/no-go recommendations and business cases for VP/Sr Leadership decisioning.
Develops and cultivates working relationships with key reinsurance brokers, preparing analysis, structures, and recommendations for reinsurance placement and renewal; partners with the VP and Corporate Reinsurance on final decisions.
Coordinates cross-functional collaboration with actuarial, claims, legal, corporate reinsurance, compliance, underwriting center of expertise, and operations to support program execution and issue resolution, ensuring timely communication and follow-through.
Prepares and, as appropriate, presents executive overviews and materials focused on strategic direction, financial health, and operational performance of each program, supporting VP updates to senior leadership.
Achieves overall P&L performance targets for the Professional & Healthcare portfolio by managing key levers (rate, mix, underwriting execution, and distribution performance) within delegated authority and recommending corrective actions when results deviate from plan.
Leads detailed financial analysis and input into annual planning and forecasting for assigned programs, including variance analysis, scenario modeling, and insights that inform senior leadership decisions.
Develops and executes tactics to drive profitable growth, retention, and distribution effectiveness, while monitoring acquisition and administrative expenses; recommends adjustments to optimize return on equity and align with risk appetite.
Continuously monitors underwriting performance, claims trends, and regulatory developments, translating findings into actionable recommendations to maintain sustainable growth and portfolio stability.
Orchestrates contract negotiations for new programs and profit-sharing arrangements by structuring deal terms, preparing financial analyses, and leading working sessions with partners, with the VP retaining final approval.
Makes data-driven recommendations on commission and compensation structures, balancing market competitiveness, distribution partnership health, and portfolio profitability, for VP/SVP approval.
Executes underwriting governance within the frameworks established by enterprise guidelines, reinforcing clear decision rights, controls, and accountability for the Professional & Healthcare portfolio.
Reviews large account referrals and complex risks that approach or exceed Underwriting Delegation of Authority, assessing risk, pricing, and overall exposure; provides recommendations and concurrence, escalating to the VP for final sign-off above their authority.
Administers and monitors underwriter Letters of Authority and Program Administrators’ Letters of Authority within the standards and structures set by the VP, ensuring alignment, documentation, and appropriate use of authority.
Partners with Compliance, Legal, and Operations to ensure programs operate within regulatory and compliance frameworks, escalating issues and recommending remediation plans where needed.
Provides informed recommendations on policy reformations and rescissions and ensures appropriate documentation, controls, and defensibility, with final approvals consistent with governance and delegation frameworks.
Oversees program-level audits and quality assurance activities for assigned portfolios, identifying themes, remediation actions, and continuous improvement opportunities, and reporting key findings to the VP and stakeholders.
Leads and develops a high-performing team supporting the Professional & Healthcare programs (e.g., underwriting, program managers, analysts), including recruiting, onboarding, coaching, performance management, and succession planning, in partnership with the VP.
Promotes a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and underwriting excellence with a strong focus on portfolio management discipline and data-driven decision-making. Monitors team and program performance against agreed metrics such as profitability, growth, quality, and compliance.
Leads the team through change initiatives, including process improvements, portfolio management orientation, technology and AI adoption, and shifts in market or distribution strategy, ensuring alignment and engagement across associates and partners.
Champions innovation and practical experimentation, encouraging the team to test and scale new tools, workflows, and insights that improve risk selection, efficiency, and customer/partner experience, while staying aligned with direction from the VP and enterprise stakeholders.
May perform other responsibilities as assigned.
Reporting Relationships: Reports to VP, Programs – E&S/Specialty; Leads a team of 5-8 H/G band Program Management professionals.
Typical Skills and Experiences:
Education: Undergraduate studies in Business Administration, Finance, Risk Management & Insurance. Advance degrees preferred.
License/Certification/Designation: CPCU, RPLU, ASLI, ARe and other various specific technical seminars/instruction preferred.
Experience: 8-10 years’ experience in Excess and Surplus lines or Specialty marketplace and/or healthcare and professional lines preferred. Knowledge of the E&S lines and specialty marketplace and program administration distribution system. Experience in placement and administration of reinsurance on a treaty basis as well as facultative placements. Experience in negotiations, influencing and leading, maintaining relationships, building effective teams, and driving results. Technical skills as well as interpersonal savvy, problem solving and strategic thinking. Experience developing and leading high performing teams.
Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: Strategic thinker with demonstrated ability to develop a plan and execute. Excellent verbal and written skills, strong negotiation skills with significant experience negotiating contracts and contract language with program administrators and reinsurers. Skilled at building relationships and working with internal and external stakeholders. Demonstrated ability to align team performance for maximum impact.
Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence.
Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and Human Resource Business Partner.
Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates the Nationwide Values.
Job Conditions:
Overtime Eligibility: Not Eligible (Exempt)
Working Conditions: Normal office environment.
ADA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.
Benefits
We have an array of benefits to fit your needs, including: medical/dental/vision, life insurance, short and long term disability coverage, paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date, nine paid holidays, 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off, 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off, 401(k) with company match, company-paid pension plan, business casual attire, and more. To learn more about the benefits we offer, click here.
Nationwide is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels challenged, appreciated, respected and engaged. Nationwide prohibits discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any characteristic (or classification) protected by applicable law.
NOTE TO EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES:
We value the partnerships we have built with our preferred vendors. Nationwide does not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. All resumes submitted by employment agencies directly to any Nationwide employee or hiring manager in any form without a signed Nationwide Client Services Agreement on file and search engagement for that position will be deemed unsolicited in nature. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is subsequently hired as a result of the referral or through other means.
Nationwide pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement within the actual starting salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity and location of the role as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. If a Sales job, Sales Incentives, based on performance goals are possible in addition to this range. Note on Compensation for Part-Time Roles: Please be aware that the salary ranges listed below reflect full-time compensation. Actual compensation may be prorated based on the number of hours worked relative to a full-time schedule.The national salary range for AVP, Professional and Healthcare programs - E&S : $154,000.00-$290,000.00The expected starting salary range for AVP, Professional and Healthcare programs - E&S : $154,000.00 - $258,000.00