Underwriting Specialist, Environmental

The Opportunity

• Are you looking for a caring, collaborative, values-driven workplace with inspiring teammates and leaders? Do you have the ambition and desire to be the best and thrive at the most impactful global insurance provider in the world? Look no further than Zurich Canada.
• If you have experience in environmental underwriting, and are looking for a new challenge, we would love to hear from you.
• Zurich Canada is currently looking for an Environmental Underwriting Specialist to analyze and underwrite new and renewal Contractors, Consultants and Site Environmental Liability business.
• Reporting to the AVP, Manager Environmental, you will be responsible for managing and growing a profitable portfolio of complex environmental risks, under limited direction, utilizing The Zurich Way of Underwriting Framework within delegated authority levels on highly complex assignments ensuring a high level service to customers.
• This is a unique opportunity to build your knowledge and experience for the future in a supportive environment where your voice matters.
• This is a hybrid job opportunity.
• What you will do
• Proactively seek renewal and new account opportunities, effectively and efficiently handling incoming submissions as well as soliciting business through pipelining.
• Measure exposure/analyze complex environmental risk across a diverse range of industry classes, including manufacturing, real estate, construction, and energy.
• Review and synthesize the findings of environmental due diligence (Phase Is, Phase II Environmental Site Assessments etc.), with the ability to profitably underwrite known and unknown pollution conditions in the determination of coverage terms.
• Pre-qualify accounts to meet with the organization's LoB-specific and overall appetite, using a solution-oriented approach to profitably meet the customer’s needs.
• Regularly initiate and lead in-person visits with brokers, customers, and as well as internal stakeholders with a planned and well-prepared purpose, in order to further existing relationships and develop new ones.
• Identify and initiate opportunities for risk engineering, attending on-site surveys in collaboration with Zurich Risk Resilience engineers, and skillfully synthesizing the survey findings in Terms & Conditions.
• Negotiate Terms & Conditions with a high degree of skill, actively following through on current opportunities to close the deal and welcome further opportunities.
• Exemplify a OneZurich philosophy by collaborating with other lines of business to cross-sell and increase product density, supporting colleagues across different business units.
• Actively participate in team meetings, exhibiting behaviours that promote the well-being of self and teammates.
• Show accountability in good data hygiene, ensuring data associated with accounts are accurate and complete.
• Work effectively with all stakeholders to achieve operational metrics, including timely and accurate issuance and coding of policy transactions.
• Assist in training and developing junior staff and new joiners to the underwriting and operations team.
• Contribute to the organization’s thought leadership, representing the organization in external publications and seminars. Further the wider organization’s understanding of Environmental Liability LoB’s appetite and strategy.
• Conduct broker and customer presentations on Environmental Liability, emerging issues, and LoB appetite.
• Ensure the successful completion of projects by maintaining continuing dialogue with business unit stakeholders during planning and implementation.
• Job Qualifications - What you bring to the table

- Required

• High School Diploma or Equivalent and 5 or more years of experience in the Underwriting or Market Facing area. (ADD POP addendum)

OR

• High School Diploma or Equivalent and 10 or more years of experience in the Claims or Underwriting Support area

OR

• Zurich Certified Insurance Apprentice including an Associate Degree and 3 or more years of experience in the Underwriting or Market Facing area (ADD POP addendum)

OR

• Zurich Certified Insurance Apprentice including an Associate Degree and 8 or more years of experience in the Claims or Underwriting Support area

AND

• Knowledge of Microsoft Office
• Experience working on time restraints for quotes on new and renewal business
• Experience working in a team environment

Preferred

• Bachelor’s Degree, majoring in Life or Environmental Sciences, or Chemical/Environmental Engineering
• 5-7 years in an Environmental Underwriting or Broking role
• 1-3 years in an Environmental Consulting or Technician role, with experience conducting or reviewing Phase I and IIs Environmental Site Assessments
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; bilingual (French and English) fluency is strongly preferred
• High degree of proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat suite

Our Culture

• At Zurich, we are proud of our culture. W