Agribusiness Risk Underwriters (ARU) is a specialty program administrator that develops and distributes proprietary insurance products in 22 states (and counting!).  ARU was formed to solve old problems with new methods.  We operate in a historically-challenging space, which requires constant innovation and creative problem-solving.  To us, this is not a burden; but rather, it is an exciting opportunity and the very foundation of our existence, as we remind ourselves every day: “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.”

Our goal is simple:  we want to completely dominate our little niche, to the extent that all remaining  competitors will simply give up and leave “our” space.  Will we succeed in our mission?  Well… we are still a relatively young company, but we are on a pretty exciting trajectory, with rapid premium growth and healthy underwriting profits.  

We know we will only be able to achieve our goals if we have the right people.  We are heavily focused on finding the “just right” fits for our team.

What does “just right” really mean?  Remember, ARU was formed to “solve old problems with new methods.”  What really matters to us is NOT years and years of experience at the underwriting desk approaching things in the same old traditional way, but rather an individual's raw ability to creatively approach complex challenges - under pressure - while staying calm, composed, and organized.

Underwriter Position:  Required Qualifications

• Genuine enjoyment of learning and self-improvement
• Well above-average raw IQ
• Strong ability to learn quickly
• Excellent critical thinker and problem-solver
• Exceptional personal organization and time-management skills
• Naturally a well-organized person:  “a place for everything, and everything in its place.”  Neat, clean, tidy.
• High ability to self-manage and take absolute and complete ownership of assigned responsibilities and accompanying results.
• Self-motivated to perform with extremely-high accuracy.  No tolerance for sloppy or hurried work product. Calm, steady, and even-keeled personality.  
• Flexible and adaptable in any situation.
• Graceful, tactful, and professional under pressure, in the spoken word and in written form.

Underwriter Duties

• Approaches every day with an intellectual curiosity
• Uses excellent critical thinking to perform risk analysis in accordance with company objectives
• Maintains files and documentation with impeccable organization and consistency
• Communicates with brokers, vendors, carriers, and reinsurers with the utmost professionalism and tact
• Harnesses emerging technology to benefit company operations
• Learns, grows, and improves as a professional 
• Contributes as an integral part of a young, growing company
• Much more - but you get the gist!  :)

WORK FROM HOME details

• ARU's office is in Mocksville, NC
• We are seeking a full time employee, who will spend the majority of his/her time working from home
• Required:  a dedicated, quiet office space, free of distractions, with hard line high speed internet
• Working from home will be available AFTER the initial training period
• Initial training will take place in ARU's office in Mocksville
• How long will the initial training period last?  This depends greatly on an individual's previous relevant experience and the ability to learn quickly.
• After the initial training period, the Underwriter will work from home full time (travel to ARU's office approx 1 day/month, for group collaboration)

Compensation

• Competitive salary, depending on experience
• Health insurance
• PTO
• Retirement plan with company match
• Opportunities for advancement

“Just Right” Fit Initial Screening Process:  Transparent, Specific, and Objective

If you express an interest in working with ARU, you will be directed to complete a Wonderlic profile. There are two main parts to the profile:  IQ and personality.  Both are important indications of being a “just right” fit, but the first real screening threshold that you must clear is the IQ portion.

The IQ portion is a timed test:  50 multiple choice questions; 12 minutes.  The pressure is on - how many can you get right?

After the timed test, there are two personality segments.  These portions of the assessment are NOT tests.  Rather, they are used as a tool to get to know you better.  Please answer these questions with your first instinct.  It is important not to over-think any single response, and (please) do not try to “beat” the personality assessment.  That will just make the results all wonky and defeat the whole purpose - remember:  the personality portions are not tests.  

After we receive your Wonderlic results, we will first determine if you scored above our minimum threshold on the IQ portion.  We require 60% or greater correct responses (30 out of 50).  On the surface, it may sound easy - but it is not; in fact it is quite challenging.   

Our experience has taught us that individuals scoring below 30 are not the right fit for ARU.  If you score below 30, we will respectfully inform you we will not be moving forward with you in our hiring process.  (if you are interested in knowing how many out of 50 you got correct, we will share this with you upon written request)