Underwriting Manager

We are a leading financial services provider committed to making decisions easier and lives better for our customers and colleagues around the world. From our environmental initiatives to our community investments, we lead with values throughout our business. To help us stand out, we help you step up, because when colleagues are healthy, respected and meaningfully challenged, we all thrive. Discover how you can grow your career, make impact and drive real change with our Winning Team today.

**Working Arrangement**

Hybrid

**The opportunity**

Manulife’s insurance business is a multifaceted and industry-leading area that includes a world-class underwriting organization. The Underwriting team is growing We are looking for a high-energy, passionate, customer-obsessed, and creative individual to join our leadership team to help manage day-to-day business operations and drive performance through transformation.

Reporting to the Managing Director of Underwriting, the **Underwriting Manager **is primarily responsible for operational effectiveness and developing and supporting our strategy to ensure timely, cost-effective service.

The role provides overall management direction and builds and leads a successful Underwriting team. This is accomplished through effective recruitment, retention, and development of staff and the creation of a positive work environment that encourages participation, ownership, responsibility, innovation, initiative, integrity, and a sense of pride in the operations and in Manulife.

To succeed in this role, you need to thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment and commit to service excellence through building effective relationships across the organization at all levels. As a representative of Manulife’s brand, you will be encouraged to model our values and understand our business strategy and mission.

The Underwriting team is 120 strong consisting of Individual, Affinity, and Group business which supports multiple distribution channels including Advisor Services, Managing General Agencies, and National Accounts. The business services both advisors sold and direct to client markets. Several product lines such as Life, Critical Illness, Disability, Mortgage Creditor, and Health and Dental are handled by the underwriting team. The team is also diverse in people and location. We have people in all offices as well as working-from-home individuals. The Underwriting team is responsible for risk assessment, analyzing experience, and projecting trends.

**Responsibilities**
- Lead service delivery of the Underwriting area within the established service level agreements, handling escalated customer issues and ensuring the operations provide real value to our customers.
- Take personal ownership of consistently meeting standards and targets.
- Improve the efficiency of staff by recruiting and developing highly cohesive and motivated teams, evaluating individual and team performance, addressing performance-related concerns, initiating corrective action, conducting staff performance appraisals, managing reward and recognition, and talent management.
- Provide leadership and technical direction for the development of staff, and the creation of a positive and productive work environment.
- Build and maintain strong internal and external working relationships including presentations to advisors and distribution or office visits when needed.
- Ensure ongoing partnerships and collaboration.
- Work with multiple teams in all locations to ensure quality and service. Innovative and always looking for opportunities to continually improve our business and serve our customers.

**What motivates you?**
- You obsess about customers, listen, engage and act for their benefit.
- You think big, with curiosity to discover ways to use your agile approach and enable business outcomes.
- You thrive in teams and enjoy getting things done together.
- You take ownership and build solutions, focusing on what matters.
- You do what is right, work with integrity and speak up. You share your humanity, helping us build a diverse and inclusive work environment for everyone.

**What we are looking for**
- Demonstrated leadership skills and accountabilities including staff development and team engagement.
- Excellent understanding of Insurance Products and Industry knowledge - underwriting background an asset specifically living benefits
- Outstanding relationship skills, building strong relationships with internal and external business partners.
- Resilient and adaptable when working under business pressures and sales deadlines
- Superior communication skills, both written and verbal
- Excellent negotiation, influencing, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
- Ability to effectively work with a remote and geographically diverse team.
- Willingness to problem-solve directly with key stakeholders.
- Strong operations orientation
- Results Oriented
- Presentation skills Dedication to learning and professional de