Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Underwriting Support Technician

🎯 Role Definition

The Underwriting Support Technician is a specialized operations role that enables underwriters to evaluate, price, and bind insurance risks efficiently. This role focuses on submission intake, data validation, preparing bind packages, coordinating inspections and loss runs, supporting endorsements and renewals, and maintaining accurate policy and rating system records. The ideal candidate will have experience with insurance management systems (AMS360, Applied Epic, Guidewire), strong Excel skills, a customer-service mindset, and knowledge of underwriting guidelines for commercial or personal lines.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Insurance Customer Service Representative or Policy Administrator
Brokerage or Agency Support Associate
Claims support / intake specialist

Advancement To:

Underwriter (Assistant or Junior Underwriter)
Senior Underwriting Support Specialist / Team Lead
Underwriting Operations Analyst or Underwriting Manager

Lateral Moves:

Commercial Lines Account Manager
Policy Administration Specialist
Risk/Compliance Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Receive and triage new submissions and renewal files from brokers, agents, and internal referral channels; log and prioritize items in the underwriting queue to meet SLA targets and ensure timely underwriting review.
Validate completeness of submission documentation (applications, loss runs, financials, declarations, inspection reports) and request missing information from agents or insureds with clear, professional follow-up.
Prepare and assemble complete underwriting packages for underwriters including summary memos, risk highlights, historical premium and loss analysis, and recommended conditions or exclusions for underwriting decision-making.
Perform detailed data entry and maintain accurate policy records in agency management systems (AMS360, Applied Epic), underwriting platforms (Guidewire, Duck Creek), and internal trackers; ensure coding of coverage, limits, endorsements, and effective dates is error-free.
Run and interpret loss runs and claims histories; summarize trends and red flags for the underwriter and request supplemental claims documentation when required for risk assessment.
Apply rating manuals, rate tables, and company-specific rating engines to calculate premium estimates and prepare comparative quotes for underwriters and account executives.
Prepare binders, quotations, and provisional cover letters; coordinate issuance of binders and certificates of insurance once coverage is authorized and confirm receipt with brokers.
Process endorsements, cancellations, reinstatements, and mid-term changes with accurate premium/return premium calculations and system updates; generate endorsement documents for distribution.
Coordinate inspections, surveys, photos, and third-party reports (engineering, environmental, property valuation) with vendors and internal teams; track outcomes and incorporate findings into underwriting files.
Order and review third-party reports such as credit checks, motor vehicle reports (MVRs), and property appraisals; attach and summarize report findings in the application file.
Assist with complex quote compilations for large or multi-location risks, consolidating multi-state exposures, and verifying compliance with state-specific filing or rating requirements.
Support broker and agent inquiries on policy status, coverage details, and binding procedures; provide excellent customer service while maintaining underwriting integrity and strict adherence to delegated authority.
Escalate exceptions, unusual exposures, or coverage requests to senior underwriters for review and document decision rationale and required conditions in the file.
Reconcile premium audits and billing inquiries with the accounting/billing teams; provide supporting documentation and summaries to facilitate correct invoicing and adjustments.
Monitor renewal pipeline and prepare renewal summaries including changes in exposure, prior loss activity, recommended retention levels, and suggested terms for renewal negotiations.
Conduct file audits and quality assurance checks on issued policies and endorsements to ensure compliance with underwriting guidelines and regulatory requirements; correct discrepancies and document remediation steps.
Maintain and update underwriting checklists, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and template documents to streamline submission handling and reduce cycle times.
Support reinsurance data collection and treaty reporting by compiling required policy-level exposure and claims information for ceded risk submission and reinsurer queries.
Prepare regular and ad-hoc reports and KPIs for underwriting managers such as submission volumes, hit ratios, bind rates, turnaround time, and outstanding information lists using Excel or BI tools.
Participate in cross-functional meetings with underwriting, sales, policy servicing, claims, and actuarial teams to ensure consistent understanding of product/pricing changes and coordinate service delivery.
Assist with new business setup, policy terminations, and data migrations during system conversions; test and validate transactions in staging environments to ensure a smooth go-live.
Maintain licensing and continuing education requirements where applicable; ensure the team’s documentation meets regulatory audit standards and supports compliance activities.

Secondary Functions

Participate in process improvement initiatives (LEAN/Six Sigma style improvements) to reduce submission processing time and lower error rates; contribute to root cause analysis of recurring issues.
Help train and mentor new underwriting support staff on systems, SOPs, and quality standards; develop quick-reference guides and checklists.
Support special projects such as product rollouts, rate change implementations, or system upgrades by providing subject-matter input on data structure and business rules.
Execute periodic file clean-ups and archival tasks to ensure an auditable and searchable underwriting repository in accordance with retention policies.
Coordinate with IT and business analysts to document system enhancement requests and validate fixes for underwriting workflows and integrations with agency portals.
Assist risk management and compliance teams with ad-hoc data pulls, file reviews, and regulatory reporting requests during internal or external audits.
Serve as a subject-matter point of contact for brokers and internal partners during catastrophe events, supporting rapid submission triage and temporary coverage solutions.
Support vendor relationships for inspections, loss control, and third-party report providers including onboarding documentation and performance feedback.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strong proficiency with insurance policy administration systems (AMS360, Applied Epic, Guidewire, Duck Creek) and agency management workflows.
Advanced Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, formulas) and comfort preparing spreadsheets for underwriting analysis.
Experience with rating engines and premium calculation tools; ability to apply manual and automated rating for commercial and personal lines.
Familiarity with insurance documents and forms (applications, declarations, endorsements, binders, certificates of insurance).
Knowledge of loss run interpretation, claims terminology, and basic claims-to-exposure linkage for underwriting evaluation.
Basic SQL or data query skills for extracting submission or policy data from internal systems (preferred).
Use of document management and e-signature tools (DocuSign, Adobe Acrobat, SharePoint) for secure document handling.
Experience with CRM and broker portals for submission intake and communication tracking.
Understanding of regulatory and compliance requirements for underwriting documentation and state-specific filings.
Ability to assemble reinsurance submission data and familiarity with ceded reporting workflows (preferred).
Familiarity with rating manuals and actuarial terminology for policy pricing and premium reconciliation.
Strong data entry accuracy and ability to manage high-volume transactional tasks with low error rates.

Soft Skills

Exceptional attention to detail and a strong focus on accuracy, completeness, and documentation.
Clear, professional verbal and written communication geared toward brokers, agents, underwriters, and internal stakeholders.
Excellent organizational and time management skills; ability to prioritize competing demands and meet tight turnaround times.
Customer-service orientation with a solutions mindset and ability to de-escalate sensitive conversations.
Strong problem-solving skills and ability to identify root cause and recommend process improvements.
Team player who collaborates across underwriting, sales, claims, and IT to deliver consistent outcomes.
High level of discretion handling confidential financial and personal information.
Adaptability to changing underwriting rules, product changes, and system upgrades.
Initiative and ownership — able to follow through on tasks and drive items to resolution without constant supervision.
Analytical mindset with a capacity to synthesize data, summarize findings, and present concise recommendations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent required.

Preferred Education:

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Business, Risk Management, Finance, Insurance, or related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Risk Management & Insurance
Business Administration
Finance / Accounting
Information Systems (for system-focused roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

1–3 years of insurance operations, underwriting support, agency administration, or related customer service role.

Preferred:

3–5+ years supporting underwriting teams in commercial lines or personal lines; experience with AMS360, Applied Epic, Guidewire, or other major policy administration systems is highly preferred.
Certifications such as AINS, AU, CPCU (in progress or completed) or producer/adjuster licensing in relevant states are beneficial.
Demonstrated track record of processing high-volume submissions, managing renewals, and supporting underwriting decisions with accurate file management.