Manager 1 - Underwriting

LifeWise Health Plan of Oregon.

LifeWise and its affiliates employ more than 3,000 people and provide healthcare coverage to more than one million members throughout Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Arizona. Few industries are changing as quickly or dramatically as healthcare. And fewer companies are in a better position to lead than we are.

Since 1986 LifeWise has been committed to providing Oregonians with access to quality health care and peace of mind about their health-care coverage. Realizing this vision takes dedicated, innovative thinkers, working together to make a difference. 

Are you ready to make a difference? If you would like to apply your skills and experience to make a difference in the lives of our members consider the following position:

We are seeking an seasoned Manager of Underwriting for our corporate headquarters who will assist us in achieving our our vision to help lead us into the future. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership / communmication skills, the ability to work with individuals at all levels of the organization, and the technical experience to grow and develop a strong underwriting team.

Job Summary:

Through application of underwriting techniques, the incumbent contributes to the achievement of corporate goals and objectives by managing an underwriting staff which selects risk and develops rates for assigned cases. The incumbent endorses an equitable balance between risk and rates for LifeWise business, and interfaces effectively with senior management to communicate results and recommendations in a clear and concise manner.

Responsibilities:
1. Manages underwriting and pricing activities to ensure that the rates developed are adequate to meet the risks assumed and the profit objectives of the company.
2. Effectively tracks workflow and monitors sector performance to ensure rating adequacy, and to provide periodic reports to senior management.
3. Manage the proposal underwriting process so turnaround goals and objectives are met or exceeded.
4. Creates and maintains core competency in underwriting by recruitment, hiring and training of high-quality, experienced and energetic team of underwriters.
5. Manages the budget process for assigned cost center(s), subject to corporate guidelines and senior management requirements.
6. Manages the employee performance appraisal process for all direct reports, including compensation and profit-sharing determinations.
7. Leads extra-departmental projects/workgroups as directed by Underwriting senior management.
8. Serves as primary point of contact within LifeWise for other departments seeking information related to Underwriting policy.
9. Provide integral support to Sales and Account Management teams in client presentations, negotiation, and sale of renewals and proposals.
10. Assist the Director and Vice President of Underwriting with assigned tasks, as required.

Minimum Qualifications:
1. BA/BS degree from a four-year college in Business Administration, Mathematics, related field, or equivalent work experience.
2. Three years of group medical underwriting, or health and welfare consulting experience.
3. Demonstrated ability to lead work teams
4. Substantial and diverse knowledge of the health insurance industry, and of the group underwriting function within an insurance carrier setting.
5. Strong analytical, problem solving and decision making skills.
6. Excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
7. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions in one-on-one environment or in smaller group situations with customers, Sales, underwriting management, and other employees within the organization.
8. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in oral, written, diagram or schedule form. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions in mostly standardized situations with several abstract and concrete variables.
9. Ability to prioritize work in such a way that focuses rests on areas with highest potential cost impact.