Director, Underwriting Support

Company
Munich Reinsurance Company of Canada
Location
Toronto, Canada

We care for humankind – and that starts with our people
Our greatest strength lies not in what we do – but how we do it. It's the unique individual behind every piece of work who matters the most. Our people make Munich Re a global success. Working at Munich Re gives us access to the depth, breadth, and mindset we want in order to develop our full potential. That's why a career at Munich Re is much more than just a job. It's an invitation to be your very best and make a positive impact on the world.

Overview
Do you enjoy building relationships and working collaboratively in a team environment with both internal, external and global stakeholders? Do you possess strong analytical and investigative competencies? As someone with excellent communication skills and business acumen, you will utilize exceptional interpersonal and influencing skills across all levels of the organization.

We're looking for our next Director, Underwriting Support. Could It Be You?
As a leader in our organization, you will oversee a team of Underwriting Analysts, providing guidance and direction to ensure the delivery of high-quality support to our underwriting teams. You will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the team, including resource allocation, process implementation, and data integrity. A key aspect of this role is the development and growth of your team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Collaboration is essential, as you will work closely with underwriting team leads, as well as other stakeholders such as finance and claims, to drive business outcomes. Your expertise will be leveraged to identify areas for process improvements, and you will play a critical role in leading your team through change initiatives, ensuring seamless adoption and minimal disruption. By combining strong leadership skills, technical expertise, and a customer-centric approach, you will enable our underwriting analysts and underwriters to make informed decisions, drive business growth, and deliver exceptional results.

Need more details? This role includes:

1. Technical Expertise & Strategic Decision Making:
   Provide expert guidance on underwriting processes and procedures, ensuring consistency and adherence to industry best practices. Offer technical support and coaching to team members and peers, promoting knowledge sharing and collaboration. Stay up-to-date with industry trends, market developments, and emerging best practices, applying this knowledge to inform strategic decisions and drive growth. Direct and oversee timely processing of business by your team according to SLAs. Direct and oversee accuracy of your team's work product according to work instructions, and the interpretation and application of various complex contract wording clauses. Ensure policies and processes within area of control are maintained, updated and fit-for-purpose. Identify deficiencies in underwriting processes, and implement corrective actions supplemented with staff guidance/training as needed. Ensure your team is trained and familiarized with systems, tools, applications, and reports as required. Leverage data and analytics to drive delivery model; ensure all month/quarter-end deliverables are met in accordance with the timetable and expected quality standard including supporting Corporate Accounting. Extract data from workflow tools to oversee the performance of team's KPIs. Determine available capacity and allocate resources accordingly.
2. Leadership & Stakeholder Management:
   Lead and develop the Underwriting Analyst team, fostering a culture of continuous learning, improvement, and collaboration. Collaborate with underwriting team leads, finance, claims, and other stakeholders both locally and globally to drive business outcomes, ensure alignment, and promote a customer-centric approach. Build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders, representing the team's interests and driving business results. Represent the unit's interests on global projects and initiatives. Foster a productive work environment, creating solutions and resolving problems involving other functional units. Act as a resource to team when senior level involvement required. Contribute to department goals and strategy, providing feedback and insights to key stakeholders.
3. Team Development:
   Assure high quality of underwriting analyst work product through coaching, mentoring and continuous conversations. Develop and implement strategies to enhance team performance, including resource allocation, process implementation, and data integrity. Enable and empower team to collaborate effectively with peers and other stakeholders. Coach, mentor, and provide continuous feedback to team members, enabling them to grow professionally and deliver exceptional results. Foster a culture of empowerment, encouraging team members to take ownership of their work, identify areas for improvement, and develop solutions. Embrace and lead the Continuous Conversations model of performance and development enablement. Lead talent acquisition efforts, employing diversity and inclusion best practices to build a diverse, high performing team.
4. Operational Excellence & Change Management:
   Ability to lead team and department through large-scale projects by adopting effective change management techniques. Oversee the day-to-day operations of the team, ensuring seamless execution and minimal disruption during change initiatives. Monitor and analyze team performance metrics, using data-driven insights to inform decisions, optimize workflows, and drive continuous improvement. Manage the scoping, testing and implementation of global initiatives that impact your team or department.

So are YOU our next Director, Underwriting Support? You are if…
First and foremost, we're looking for well-rounded individuals who are professional, have great communication skills, and demonstrate the ability to build strong relationships with both internal and external clients. You'll be joining an energetic and goal-oriented team that uses a collaborative approach to working within all areas of the company, and focuses on achieving the greater objectives of Munich Re.

Specifically, we're looking for the following qualifications:

1. Bachelor's Degree preferred advanced degree a plus.
2. Chartered Insurance Professional (CIP) / Fellow Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP) / Certified Risk Manager (CRM) an asset.
3. 10+ years of experience of Insurance or Reinsurance Company experience (ideally as an Underwriting Analyst or similar role) with strong technical understanding of the end-to-end underwriting process from submission through to insurance policy/reinsurance certificate issuance.
4. 5+ years of team lead/supervisory or management experience.
5. Proficiency in Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Power platform and other computer software, with the ability to learn and adapt to new systems and technologies.
6. Familiarity with data analysis and visualization tools, with the ability to extract insights and drive business decisions.
7. Proven leadership and management skills, with the ability to motivate and develop high-performing teams.
8. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to energize and engage colleagues, and convey a vision for client-focused solutions.
9. Strong collaboration and influencing skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
10. Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and conceptual skills, with the ability to think critically and drive solutions.
11. Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines, with a focus on delivering high-quality results.
12. Strong understanding of business economics, including the ability to assess business plans, analyze business models, and drive growth.
13. Good understanding of the insurance industry, including Facultative and Large Risk underwriting, operations, and finance.
14. Demonstrated resourcefulness in setting priorities and guiding investment in people and systems.
15. Ability to develop and nurture working relationships, including within Munich Re North America and within the broader Munich Re Group.
16. French and/or secondary language skills, verbal and written, are an asset.
17. Curiosity and a drive to seek solutions by collaborating across the organization.
18. Ability and willingness to travel nationally and internationally, up to 15%.

In addition to an exciting job opportunity, we offer the following:
Exposure to challenging projects and development opportunities to grow your skills and career with both local and global colleagues and partners. A comprehensive total rewards financial program which includes extensive flexible benefits and pension. A hybrid work environment in an inspiring physical workplace setting. Educational Assistance Programs that continue to recognize your on-going success.

Click on the link to apply:
Munich Re Canada is committed to providing a work environment that is inclusive and free of employment barriers and discrimination. Accommodations will be made for qualified applicants with a disability throughout the recruitment process. If you receive a request for an interview and you have a disability which will require an accommodation to support your participation, please contact AODARequestHR@munichre.ca as soon as practical so that suitable accommodations can be arranged.