Life and Critical Illness Underwriting Co-Signer
The Life and Critical Illness Underwriting Co-Signer is a critical role within Manulife ’s underwriting organization, responsible for delivering high-quality, competitive underwriting decisions while actively developing the next generation of underwriting talent. This role supports Manulife ’s underwriting philosophy by partnering with underwriters on complex and high-value files, strengthening decision quality, and ensuring sound risk management practices are consistently applied.
In addition to co-signing decisions, the Underwriting Co-Signer plays an important role in training, coaching, and shaping future-ready underwriting capabilities. The individual will help underwriters build confidence, critical thinking, judgment, and business awareness in an environment where digital tools, AI-enabled insights, and evolving customer expectations are changing how underwriting work is performed. Through active mentorship, file review, feedback, and collaboration, this role helps create a stronger underwriting pipeline and supports the future of underwriting at Manulife .
Key Responsibilities
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Underwriting Decisions: Evaluate and make underwriting decisions on life and critical illness insurance applications with approval limits up to $10 million, ensuring decisions align with Manulife ’s underwriting philosophy, risk appetite, and regulatory expectations.
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Co-Signing and File Review: Partner with assigned underwriters to review complex, high-value, or development-focused files, assessing the underwriting approach, evidence ordered, documentation, decision rationale, and customer/advisor impact.
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Training and Development: Actively train, coach, and mentor underwriters to build technical expertise, critical thinking, decision confidence, and readiness for increased approval limits and broader underwriting responsibilities.
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Future of Underwriting Capability Building: Support the development of future-ready underwriting skills, including effective use of digital tools, AI-enabled decision support, data-driven insights, and continuous improvement practices.
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Decision Quality and Consistency: Promote consistent application of underwriting guidelines, Manulife ’s philosophy, financial and medical underwriting principles, and appropriate risk management practices.
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Business and Customer Impact: Help underwriters understand the broader business impact of their decisions, including requirement ordering, amendments, advisor communication, cycle time, customer experience, persistency, and competitive positioning.
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Volume and Service Expectations: Manage co-signing and underwriting work efficiently, supporting service standards and timely decision-making while balancing quality, development, and business priorities.
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Coaching Conversations and Feedback: Provide timely, constructive feedback through case discussions, coaching sessions, office hours, and file reviews to accelerate underwriter development and reinforce learning.
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Collaboration: Work collaboratively with underwriting leaders, Risk Management, Research, medical directors, and new business to support consistent decisions and a seamless customer and advisor experience.
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Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities to improve underwriting processes, documentation, training approaches, requirement ordering, and use of tools to strengthen underwriting outcomes and future capabilities.
Qualifications
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Experience: A minimum of 5 years of experience in life and critical illness underwriting, with a proven track record of handling complex and high-value cases.
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Technical Expertise: Strong knowledge of life and critical illness underwriting, including medical, financial, non-medical, product, and persistency considerations.
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Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance, business, health sciences, or a related field is preferred. Professional underwriting designations or progress toward designations such as FALU, FLMI, ACS, or