Business Development Manager - 70410  

DESCRIPTION/RESPONSIBILITIES: Penn National Insurance has a great opportunity for a Business Development Manager to join our excellent team of professionals. This is a hybrid role reporting to our Harrisburg Home Office. Expected travel is around 10%.

The Business Development Manager is responsible for supporting the Vice President of Field Operations and the Vice President of Distribution, providing leadership and guidance to the regional offices and distribution team.  The Business Development Manager is a primary liaison with and between field, distribution, and home office.  This position will work directly with the Vice President of Field Operations to achieve branch production and profitability goals by developing, reviewing, and implementing insurance agency management and marketing strategies through the integration of the insurance sales, services, underwriting, and pricing functions, as well as ensuring that current tools, procedures, and strategies are used. The Business Development Manager will also support the Vice President of Field Operations in collaboration with various departments to maximize the effectiveness of branch offices by identifying and implementing tools, reports, and workflows that support the efficient execution of revenue goals. This position will lead the annual branch audit and edit/modify audit procedures.

Additionally, the Business Development Manager will be the lead liaison with IT on Distribution and Field Operations IT initiatives.   COMPETENCIES AND ESSENTIAL DUTIES OF THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Business Acumen  * Leads annual branch audit process for Field Operations and Distribution.  This includes continuous review of audit procedures to ensure alignment with goals for both personal and commercial lines insurance. Provides recommendations on improvement to VP of Field Operations.

Negotiation  * Presents and seeks potential solutions or actions, building on others' ideas; asks questions to generate ideas and gets all parties involved in the solution; explores needed resources and support while ensuring that the conflicting parties take ownership for resolving the conflict.   * Takes positive action to resolve the conflict by confirming agreements and specifying next steps, resources, support, and how to track progress; summarizes to ensure that all are aware of required actions and accountabilities.  * Negotiate agency company agreement changes with legal.

Results Oriented   * Develop, review, and implement marketing strategies through the integration of the sales, services, underwriting and pricing functions.   * Distribution division lead for state expansion initiatives.

Time & Priority Management  * Recommend, implement, and manage Agency Management Best Practices to include items such as:  insurance agency prospecting activities, new appointment criteria, agency segmentation criteria, and effectiveness of agency incentive programs.  * Collaboratively works with the Regional Vice Presidents in strengthening Territory Manager performance levels and skill sets, with emphasis on territories and individuals below financial plans for profit and production.  * Collaborate with various functional departments to maximize the effectiveness of programs.   * Maintain Aspire Group.  Develop content for sessions.  Identify and select members for Aspire.  * Develop content and agenda for annual TM/RVP meeting.  * Maintain new TM coaching sessions.

Decision Making  * Identify and implement improved communication channels with field office as it relates to product, system, or profitability initiatives.  * Direct oversight on agency profitability reviews, which includes the identification of unprofitable agents, directing the profitability analysis support provided by the Relationship and Agency Support Managers, and coordinating appropriate action plans with the Branch Offices.  * In collaboration with RVPs and M, coordinates training and skill development of Territory Managers, Middle Market Underwriters, and Small Business Underwriters, in the areas of marketing and agency management.  * Collaboratively develops the marketing support materials/programs with the Marketing Communications Manager, and ensures training is provided to and completed by Company sales staff and agency force.

CORPORATE CORE COMPETENCIES OF THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 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 provide ideas to promote their success.  * Recognizes and manages an ambiguous work environment.  * Demonstrates flexibility in generating alternative solutions and recommendations.

QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 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.  

Experience  * Minimum of 7 years property/casualty insurance experience required with an emphasis in sales, marketing, and commercial lines underwriting.  * Minimum of three years marketing experience with a Property and Casualty carrier, agency, or broker experience with heavy concentration in underwriting exposure/risk and marketing may substitute for carrier experience.

Technical/Professional Knowledge  * Exceptional written and oral communication skills  * Excellent problem solving, research and analytical skills  * Strong interpretive and evaluative thinking skills  * Strong math aptitude  * Demonstrated utilization of planning skills and sound judgment  * Demonstrated knowledge of available marketing support tools  * Proven ability to handle