Insurance Underwriter

Employment Type
Full-Time
Seniority Level
Senior Individual Contributor
Location
Remote ( Open to South Africans)
Working hours
9am -6pm CST
Compensation:
$2500- $3500 Per Month depending on experience.. ($4000 for exceptional candidate with over 10 years experience)

About the Role

A growing insurance organization specializing in high-value personal property coverage is seeking an experienced Underwriter to join its underwriting team. This role is ideal for a seasoned underwriting professional who thrives in a fast-paced environment, exercises strong judgment, and can independently manage complex underwriting decisions with minimal oversight.

The successful candidate will take ownership of a full underwriting workload, evaluating referred applications, appraisals, photographs, and customer risk profiles to ensure accurate coverage decisions and appropriate insured values. This role requires a strong balance of analytical thinking, risk assessment, customer communication, and documentation accuracy.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys working within a modern, technology-driven insurance environment while contributing to underwriting quality, operational improvements, and customer experience.

Key Responsibilities

Review referred quotes and insurance applications to evaluate risk exposure and make sound underwriting decisions
Document underwriting rationale and decision-making processes clearly and thoroughly for auditability and future reference
Review appraisal reports, photographs, and supporting documentation submitted for new and existing policies
Assess documentation authenticity, completeness, and overall acceptability
Determine appropriate insured values by evaluating appraisals, requested coverage limits, and internal pricing tools
Initiate pricing verification or price checks when discrepancies or concerns are identified
Conduct comprehensive risk reviews, including:
- Decline history checks
- Cancellation history reviews
- Loss history evaluations
- Assessment of primary and additional insured parties
Identify underwriting red flags across:
- Applicant profiles
- Insured items
- Supporting documentation
Execute underwriting decisions, including:
- Issuing policies
- Requesting additional information
- Adjusting coverage limits
- Recommending cancellations
- Escalating files when necessary
Escalate complex, high-risk, or out-of-authority cases to management with detailed recommendations and supporting context
Communicate directly with customers through phone, email, and chat to:
- Resolve documentation issues
- Answer policy and coverage questions
- Address eligibility inquiries
- Assist with billing-related concerns
Partner closely with underwriting assistants responsible for file pre-processing by reviewing work quality and providing constructive feedback
Participate in team discussions related to:
- Risk appetite
- Product development
- Underwriting operations
- Process improvement initiatives
Adapt quickly to proprietary underwriting systems and internal tools

Required Qualifications

8+ years of underwriting experience within personal lines property insurance
Proven ability to independently make underwriting decisions, including:
- Issue decisions
- Decline decisions
- Cancellation decisions
Strong experience identifying risk indicators across complete applicant profiles
Direct customer communication experience via phone, email, and chat
Excellent written communication and documentation skills
Ability to clearly articulate underwriting rationale and recommendations
Comfortable working within proprietary technology platforms and learning new systems quickly
Strong analytical thinking and decision-making skills
Ability to perform effectively in fast-paced, high-volume underwriting environments
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional underwriting experience

Preferred Qualifications

Experience underwriting:
- Jewelry insurance
- Watches
- Fine art
- High-value personal property or valuables
Familiarity with appraisal evaluation and validation processes
Ability to recognize credentialed appraisers and identify common appraisal inconsistencies or pitfalls
Previous experience working within InsurTech or digitally-native insurance environments
Property & Casualty Producer License
Previous sales or customer service experience

Required Hard Skills

Personal lines property underwriting
Risk assessment and analysis
Appraisal review and evaluation
Policy issuance and cancellation decision-making
Loss history analysis
Documentation review and validation
Underwriting file management
Insurance pricing evaluation
Audit-ready documentation practices
CRM and underwriting system proficiency
Written underwriting documentation
Customer communication across multiple channels

Required Soft Skills

Sound judgment and decision-making
Attention to detail
Critical thinking
Strong communication skills
Professional discretion
Collaboration and teamwork
Accountability and ownership
Adaptability
Time management
Problem-solving
Ability to work independently
Process improvement mindset

What Success Looks Like

Consistently making accurate and well-documented underwriting decisions
Effectively identifying risk indicators and preventing exposure issues
Delivering high-quality customer interactions with professionalism and clarity
Maintaining strong attention to detail across documentation and policy reviews
Collaborating effectively with underwriting assistants and cross-functional teams
Contributing to operational efficiency and underwriting process improvements

Why This Role is Exciting

This role offers the opportunity to work on specialized, high-value insurance products within a modern and technology-driven underwriting environment. The position provides meaningful ownership, autonomy in decision-making, and the chance to directly influence underwriting quality, customer experience, and operational improvements while protecting some of customers’ most valued personal assets.

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