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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Underwriting Technician

💰 $45,000 - $65,000

InsuranceAdministrationFinance

🎯 Role Definition

The Underwriting Technician serves as the backbone of the underwriting department, providing essential administrative and technical support that enables underwriters to efficiently and accurately assess risk. This role is pivotal in managing the end-to-end policy lifecycle, from initial submission to final issuance. You'll be the organizational powerhouse responsible for data integrity, document management, and seamless communication between underwriters, brokers, and agents. Success in this position hinges on meticulous attention to detail, a proactive mindset, and a deep understanding of insurance processes, ensuring the underwriting engine runs smoothly and effectively.

📈 Career Progression

This role is a fantastic stepping stone into a long-term career in the insurance industry, offering clear pathways for growth and specialization.

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Insurance Administrative Assistant
  • Customer Service Representative (Insurance)
  • Recent Graduate (Business, Finance, or related field)

Advancement To:

  • Associate Underwriter or Assistant Underwriter
  • Senior Underwriting Technician or Team Lead
  • Underwriter

Lateral Moves:

  • Claims Assistant
  • Brokerage Technician or Account Coordinator
  • Risk Management Assistant

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Process and manage new business submissions, policy renewals, endorsements, and cancellations with an exceptionally high degree of accuracy and timeliness.
  • Conduct thorough reviews of insurance applications and all supporting documentation to ensure they are complete and adhere to established company guidelines.
  • Perform initial data entry and setup of submission information into various underwriting systems, rating platforms, and internal databases.
  • Serve as a primary point of contact for brokers and agents, communicating professionally to request missing information, clarify submission details, and provide timely status updates.
  • Actively assist underwriters in the risk assessment process by gathering, organizing, and summarizing essential data such as loss runs, financial statements, and MVRs.
  • Prepare, issue, and distribute official policy documents, endorsements, binders, and certificates of insurance, ensuring all details are correct.
  • Maintain pristine electronic and physical underwriting files, ensuring all correspondence, documentation, and decisions are properly logged and easily accessible for audits.
  • Accurately calculate premiums, taxes, and fees for new and renewal policies using proprietary rating tools, spreadsheets, and software.
  • Diligently monitor and track the status of submissions, quotes, and bound policies to ensure departmental service level agreements (SLAs) are consistently met.
  • Conduct pre-underwriting analysis on accounts with low complexity, flagging any potential issues or deviations from guidelines for the underwriter's review.
  • Handle and independently resolve routine inquiries from both internal and external stakeholders regarding policy information, billing, and underwriting status.
  • Collaborate with the broader underwriting team to identify opportunities for process improvements, enhanced efficiency, and better service delivery.
  • Generate standard and ad-hoc reports from underwriting systems to support portfolio management, business analysis, and team performance tracking.
  • Ensure all tasks are performed in strict compliance with state and federal regulations, as well as internal underwriting policies and procedures.
  • Manage and process bordereaux reports from agents or MGAs, which includes data validation, cleansing, reconciliation, and entry into company systems.
  • Provide comprehensive administrative support to a team of underwriters, which may include managing calendars, scheduling meetings, and handling correspondence.
  • Cultivate and maintain strong, positive working relationships with brokers, agents, and internal teams like claims, finance, and legal.
  • Book, process, and verify premiums and transactions within the policy administration system, guaranteeing the integrity of financial data.
  • Screen and triage incoming submissions based on predefined criteria, assigning them to the appropriate underwriter and prioritizing urgent requests.
  • Support underwriters in preparing formal quotes and proposals by gathering necessary data, formatting documents, and ensuring a professional presentation.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to assist underwriters with portfolio reviews.
  • Contribute to the organization's data quality initiatives and a positive team culture.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate broker or client needs into actionable tasks for the underwriting team.
  • Participate in user acceptance testing (UAT) for new software, system upgrades, and process changes.

Required Skills & Competencies

We look for professionals who possess a blend of technical aptitude and strong interpersonal skills to thrive in this detail-oriented, collaborative environment.

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Microsoft Office Proficiency: Advanced skills in MS Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs), Word, and Outlook are essential for daily tasks and reporting.
  • Policy Administration Systems: Hands-on experience with insurance software like Guidewire, Duck Creek, ImageRight, or similar platforms.
  • Data Entry & Accuracy: Demonstrable ability to input large volumes of data quickly and with near-perfect accuracy.
  • Insurance Principles: A solid foundational knowledge of commercial or personal lines of insurance, including terminology, policy structures, and concepts.
  • Rating & Quoting: Experience using rating software and manual rating methodologies to calculate premiums.
  • Document Management: Proficiency in using electronic document management systems for filing and retrieval.

Soft Skills

  • Attention to Detail: An exceptional eye for detail is non-negotiable, as accuracy in documentation and data is paramount.
  • Organizational & Time Management: Proven ability to prioritize a high volume of tasks, manage deadlines, and work efficiently under pressure.
  • Communication Skills: Clear, professional, and concise communication skills, both written and verbal, for interacting with internal and external partners.
  • Problem-Solving: The ability to identify issues, analyze problems, and proactively seek out effective solutions.
  • Teamwork & Collaboration: A positive, collaborative attitude with a strong desire to support the team and contribute to shared goals.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High School Diploma or GED equivalent.

Preferred Education:

  • Associate's or Bachelor's Degree.
  • Progress toward or completion of insurance designations (e.g., AINS, AU, CPCU).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Business Administration
  • Finance or Economics
  • Risk Management and Insurance

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 1-3 years of experience in an administrative or support role within the insurance industry (carrier, MGA, or brokerage).

Preferred:

  • Direct experience as an Underwriting Assistant, Technical Assistant, or a similar role in a P&C (Property & Casualty) or specialty lines environment.
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