Product Manager – Commercial Underwriting / Delegated Authority programs

You have a clear vision of where your career can go. And we have the leadership to help you get there. At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something important, ensuring the abilities of all employees are used to their fullest potential. 

The Product Manager works with business owners and creates, maintains and communicates the Product Vision and Product Roadmap to develop technical changes to a moderately large / complex business solution. Alternatively, their accountability may be for several smaller, less complex solutions. The Product Manager owns the outcomes at the Agile Release Train (ART) level, breaking down the roadmap into a program increment roadmap that is clearly communicated to product owners and developers on release trains. The Product Manager also ensures alignment at all times with the product vision. This is a key role and works collaboratively with business owners, solution architects, product owners and delivery teams.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

This role will focused on supporting the needs for delegated underwriting programs as well as other Commercial underwriting initiatives.  We are searching for candidates with the following attributes and experience:

• Minimum of three years’ experience working within the Commercial insurance industry coupled with eight years’ experience as a Product Manager, Senior Product Owner, Product Owner, or similar role.

• Experience leading large Underwriting-related initiatives, supporting multiple business units and stakeholders.

• Knowledge of policy administration systems, policy lifecycle processes, and product definition.

• Experience in driving data needs across multiple internal and external business stakeholders to support downstream processes, including policy coding requirements, claims handling, state reporting, actuarial analysis and management reporting.

• Ability to partner closely with agile team members on technical requirements, including data mapping and validations, and understanding impacts to integrating systems.

• Multiline P&C experience preferred. 

This hybrid role works from the office in Chicago, IL or the potential for remote work with travel to/from Chicago as needed.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

Performs a combination of duties in accordance with departmental guidelines:

• Owns, and has final authority for, the business strategy, content and priorities for the ART

• Collaborates with Business Owner / Initiative Owners to decompose Initiatives into ART-level work efforts

• Develops and owns the Agile Program Vision, Backlog and Program Increment (PI) Roadmap, continuously communicating to the Portfolio and Team levels

• Develops Benefit Hypotheses and acceptance criteria

• Works with Portfolio Management, where applicable, actively engaging in Portfolio-level meetings and providing insights into budget parameters

• Partners with system architects to prioritize architecture work aligned with the architectural runway and business priorities

• Actively participates in Team-level PI ceremonies

• Provides strategic insights into work activities to help development teams in sizing

• Participates in release management and solution validation, including partnering with application support teams to prioritize system defects and user feedback.

• Support change management, training and communication needs.

• Supports the development of a high performing Product Management team at CNA.  Provides leadership and mentoring, coaching and development support to empower Product Owners to proactively manage product backlogs to deliver business value.

May perform additional duties as assigned.

Reporting Relationship

Typically AVP or above

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Proven ability to effectively coach, develop, mentor and inspire a team using the Lean-Agile Mindset

• Expert domain knowledge of the solutions being developed and proven ability to deliver outcomes across business functions in pursuit of value within their area of expertise and for the company

• Proven ability to think strategically and develop plans and roadmaps to realize outcomes aligned with business strategy

• Strong ability to resolve conflicts, facilitate discussions, propose viable alternatives, and consider different approaches

• Proven ability to interact effectively with stakeholders at all levels, including business and technical/product teams; building and maintaining collaborative relationships

• Ability to pivot and enact change quickly

• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, verbal and written communication skills

• Strong leadership and management skills, demonstrating integrity and professionalism

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree, with Master's preferred, in a related discipline or equivalent work experience

• Typically a minimum of ten years of related work experience, preferably as a Product Manager, Product Owner or equivalent role implementing technology enhancements to policy administration or underwriting systems.

• Experience with insurance, preferably Commercial insurance

• Successful track record with Agile methodologies

Applicable certifications preferred - SAFe PO/PM, CSPO or PSPO

#LI-ED1

In certain jurisdictions, CNA is legally required to include a reasonable estimate of the compensation for this role. In District of Columbia, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York and Washington, the national base pay range for this job level is $97,000 to $189,000 annually. Salary determinations are based on various factors, including but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and location. CNA offers a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to help our employees – and their family members – achieve their physical, financial, emotional and social wellbeing goals.  For a detailed look at CNA’s benefits, please visit cnabenefits.com.

CNA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the recruitment process. To request an accommodation, please contact leaveadministration@cna.com.