Territory Manager

Penn National Insurance has an incredible opportunity to join our team as a Territory Manager for Maryland!

The Territory Manager serves as a liaison between the company and agents and acts as a relationship manager for our agents, regional underwriting team and corporate departments. Assesses the strengths and weaknesses of agents and assists them in achieving a mutual goal of profitable growth in both volume and policy count. Incumbent ensures that agents are familiar with and use Penn National Insurance commercial lines and personal lines initiatives, products, policies, procedures, and services.

COMPETENCIES AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES OF THE TERRITORY MANAGER

Business Acumen

Sales/Premium Growth

• Develop the agency force that pre-qualifies accounts, in house rates, and assists agency partners to help them write profitable business.
• Develop professional working relationship with agent, regional underwriting and claim teams and corporate departments.
• Conduct thorough evaluation of all prospective agents and submit written recommendation to Regional Vice President.

Profitability

• Profiles personal lines book of business to assist in profitability analysis.

Agency Management

• Provides training to agency plant on new programs, products, services, and systems.

Negotiation

Sales/Premium Growth

• Keeps two-way communication between agent and company continuously open and viable.

Results Oriented

Sales/Premium Growth

• Monitors agency results and follows up with agent as to growth and compliance with company’s initiatives, procedures, and policies.
• Stays alert for and shares industry information, new ideas, products, or changes in other carrier philosophies that could positively or adversely affect Penn National Insurance with appropriate colleagues.
• Conducts ongoing agency prospecting within territory to create a pipeline of potential future appointments.

Profitability

• Monitors agency results and follows up with agent as to profitability and compliance with company’s initiatives, procedures, and policies.
• Facilitates agency reviews with other team members to review agent’s performance as compared to established goals and implement corrective actions as needed.

Time & Priority Management

Sales/Premium Growth

• Participates in rate reviews as requested (PL &CL).

Agency Management

• Develops annual agency/company marketing plans.

Decision Making

Sales/Premium Growth

• Makes consistent underwriting decisions, adheres to company pricing philosophies, and promotes ease of doing business with Penn National Insurance

Profitability

• Develops and implements agency action plans to achieve profitability.

Agency Management

• Analyzes territory profitability, premium growth, and agency representation; implements corrective actions where appropriate.

Performs various projects requested or assigned by the Regional Vice President

CORPORATE CORE COMPETENCIES OF THE TERRITORY MANAGER

Effectively Communicates and Connects

• Communicates and negotiates effectively with peers regarding work outcomes.
• Influences by making a strong case, bringing other people on the team to understand the presented viewpoint.
• Provides feedback and is clear when disagreeing with an approach; offers suggestions for improvement.
• Attentively listens and asks clarifying questions and paraphrases to enhance understanding.
• Builds and nurtures positive relationships within the workplace.

Customer Focused

• Identifies explicit and implied customer needs.
• Asks probing questions to fully understand business requirements.
• Develops positive relationships with customers by meeting their needs as well as incorporating their feedback.
• Responds quickly and takes action with high quality solutions that address needs and improve overall customer experience.
• Owns resolution of customer experience outcome.

Talent Development Mindset

• Discusses technical and professional development with peers to gain suggestions for further development.
• Actively seeks and acts on opportunities to recognize peers for high performance.
• Stays alert to identify learning opportunities for self.

Demonstrates Adaptability

• Contributes to progressive thinking within the team by posing questions that challenge traditional methods or processes.
• Proposes ideas and suggests new approaches to tackling own work tasks and issues in a better way to drive organization success.
• Participates in and actively supports change initiatives and provides ideas to promote their success.
• Recognizes and manages an ambiguous work environment.
• Demonstrates flexibility in generating alternative solutions and recommendations.

Demonstrates Accountability

• Applies judgment in making decisions about own work and takes responsibility for actions.
• Demonstrates reliability by producing steady work results and delivering on commitments to team members on time.
• Takes responsibility for regularly seeking and applying feedback and actively learning from errors and setbacks.
• Understands the mission of the organization.

SPECIAL RELATIONSHIPS FOR THE TERRITORY MANAGER

• The Territory Manager reports to the Regional Vice President
• Direct contact with all levels of branch underwriting and supporting claims service office personnel
• Direct contact with all levels of Home Office Underwriting Operations personnel
• Direct contact with agents and insureds
• This position has no internal direct reports

QUALIFICATIONS OF THE TERRITORY MANAGER

Education/Credentials

• Four-year college degree preferred, with continuing education in specialized insurance courses such as IIA, AU, CPCU, and CIC, as well as other educational experiences that enhance product knowledge and technical business relations.
• Recommend maintaining an active agent’s P&C license in domiciled state.

Experience

• Minimum of three years property/casualty commercial and/or personal multi-lines underwriting and/or marketing experience with a Property and Casualty carrier preferred. Agency or broker experience with heavy concentration in underwriting exposure/risk and marketing may substitute for carrier experience

Technical/Professional Knowledge

• Must have technical underwriting knowledge of the commercial and personal lines of business written by Penn National Insurance
• Effective oral and written communication skills, with the ability to communicate information of a highly technical nature
• Proven sales, negotiations, and solution-selling skills
• Working knowledge and skill in agency and Company automation systems, to include fundamental knowledge on the use of personal computers, with emphasis on Microsoft Office Suite
• Exceptional customer service skills
• Good financial analysis skills
• Excellent time management skills
• Strong commercial and personal lines underwriting analysis skills

JOB REQUIREMENTS (as required by ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act)

• This position is primarily a sedentary position that requires occasional standing and walking throughout the office environment.
• Must be able to see and effectively use a computer monitor.
• Must be able to operate a computer, keyboard and applicable printers and other general office equipment.
• Must be able to access and enter information accurately using automated systems.
• Must be able to hear and communicate via the telephone and/or monitoring devices to both internal and external clients.
• Must be able to present information to individuals and groups.
• Must be able to interpret and apply concepts that may or may not be based upon established guidelines.
• Must be able to maintain acceptable attendance and adhere to scheduled work hours.
• Must have a valid driver’s license and be able to operate a motor vehicle.
• Must be able to travel, with overnight stays required.

Only candidates from the following states will be considered for positions at Penn National Insurance: Alabama, Delaware, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin.