Head of Credit Underwriting - Specialty Finance

As a team member in Finance at Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company with nearly $70 billion in annual sales, the opportunities are endless! Let Nationwide help create your career journey! At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

Please Note: This position is open to working remotely in the United States.

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Job Description Summary

Do you have the desire to grow a business and play a critical role in shaping business outcomes? Nationwide has been serving our members and driving business outcomes for almost 100 years. Our industry-leading workforce thrives in an agile work environment and a collaborative culture and delivers outstanding solutions and results. Our Investment and Risk professionals play a key role in transforming quantitative data analysis into meaningful insights that drive business results.

Nationwide Specialty Finance employs a research-driven, team-oriented, and results-focused approach to create and manage a wide array of innovative specialty finance insurance solutions like collateral protection, residual value, and portfolio insurance. Credit Research is a critical part of evaluating and pricing these insurance solutions.

As the Head of Credit Underwriting on our Specialty Finance team, you will be responsible for identifying and analyzing all credit risk aspects of these solutions and working with the team to structure these well. Collaborating with credit experts across the investment teams is an important part of the role. You will also work closely with external partners, and will play an integral part in establishing, maintaining, and overseeing underwriting activities, operating manuals and guidelines.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:   

• Drives credit analysis for innovative specialty finance solutions, establishing methodologies for evaluation of risk and return, bridging traditional asset-oriented approaches with product- focused views.

• Identifies risk and return drivers, develops and models forward-looking scenarios, analyzes relative value, and provides recommendations for pricing of credit aspects of specialty finance solution products.  

• Communicates analysis and recommendations through written reports, presentations, conversations and meetings with internal and external partners.

• Contributes to the establishment and implementation of a risk appetite, budget and limit framework for specialty finance solutions, leveraging and appropriately adjusting existing frameworks.  

• Designs, implements and monitors credit underwriting and operating manuals for the specialty finance venture.  Works closely with internal and external partners to incorporate input.  

• Builds relationships with internal and external partners to identify and assess new product opportunities.

• Interfaces with accounting, legal, regulatory and rating agency teams to structure specialty finance products in an effective and efficient manner.

• Designs and implements performance and risk measurement tools and reporting for the specialty finance venture.  

• Monitors, reviews and evaluates industry, economic, and regulatory trends that impact specialty finance products.

• Contributes to enhancement of the team's overall approach to evaluating and managing specialty finance opportunities, including evaluation framework, underwriting guidelines, and ongoing management.  

May perform other responsibilities as assigned.  

Reporting Relationships:  Reports to VP, CRO Specialty Finance.    

  

Typical Skills and Experiences: 

Education: Bachelor’s Degree; MBA, MS or MA in business administration, economics, finance, or CFA preferred.   

Experience: 8 to 12 years of related investment experience. 

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills:   

• Conversant in fixed income and equity valuation methodologies

• Conversant in return on capital based analysis  

• Expert Credit Research professional

• Advanced understanding of Credit Research tools and processes

• Proficient in Excel; Bloomberg experience is a plus

• Leadership potential 

• Demonstrated curiosity and ability to apply risk and return principles to innovative products

• Demonstrates presence with excellent verbal and written communication.

• Organized, detailed, and process oriented

• Analytical and problem-solving capabilities

• Well-developed negotiating skills

• Positive, hardworking, pro-active, and professional

• Highly collaborative and team oriented

• Critical and creative thinker; comfortable expressing opinions and views to peers and executive leaders

• Decisive with strong judgment

• Driven self-starter and capable of working independently

• Responsive, reliable, and timely

• Handles pressure well and capable of managing multiple tasks and projects simultaneously

• Ability to successfully coordinate and work across multiple groups

Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence. 

Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and HR Business Partner. 

Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values. 

Job Conditions:   

Overtime Eligibility: Not Eligible (Exempt) 

Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Some travel may be required. 

ADA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job.  Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties.  

Credit Check: Due to the fiduciary accountabilities within this job, a valid credit check and/or background check will be required as part of the selection process. 

We currently anticipate accepting applications until 11/08/2026. However, we encourage early submissions, as the posting may close sooner if a strong candidate slate is identified before the deadline.

Benefits

We have an array of benefits to fit your needs, including: medical/dental/vision, life insurance, short and long term disability coverage, paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date, nine paid holidays, 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off, 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off, 401(k) with company match, company-paid pension plan, business casual attire, and more. To learn more about the benefits we offer, click here.

Nationwide is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels challenged, appreciated, respected and engaged. Nationwide prohibits discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any characteristic (or classification) protected by applicable law.

This position could be filled within any of the lower 48 U.S. states.Smoke-Free Iowa Statement: Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, its affiliates and subsidiaries comply with the Iowa Smokefree Air Act. Smoking is prohibited in all enclosed areas on or around company premises as well as company issued vehicles. The company offers designated smoking areas in which smoking is permitted at each individual location. The Act prohibits retaliation for reporting complaints or violations. For more information on the Iowa Smokefree Air Act, individuals may contact the Smokefree Air Act Helpline at 888-944-2247.
For NY residents please review the following state law information: Notice of Employee Rights, Protections, and Obligations LS740 (ny.gov) https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/02/ls740_1.pdf

NOTE TO EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES:

We value the partnerships we have built with our preferred vendors. Nationwide does not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. All resumes submitted by employment agencies directly to any Nationwide employee or hiring manager in any form without a signed Nationwide Client Services Agreement on file and search engagement for that position will be deemed unsolicited in nature. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is subsequently hired as a result of the referral or through other means.

Nationwide pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement within the actual starting salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity and location of the role as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. If a Sales job, Sales Incentives, based on performance goals are possible in addition to this range. Note on Compensation for Part-Time Roles: Please be aware that the salary ranges listed below reflect full-time compensation. Actual compensation may be prorated based on the number of hours worked relative to a full-time schedule.The national salary range for Senior Investment Professional - Specialty Finance - 112257 : $171,750.00-$286,250.00The expected starting salary range for Senior Investment Professional - Specialty Finance - 112257 : $171,750.00-$286,250.00