Kara Wattenbarger

• Oversight of all field communication and process support for exclusive agencies and employee agents across 11 states conducted through teams of Implementation Consultants, Process Support Consultants, and Sales Coaches.
• Fostered partnerships with Sales Leaders and Product Management teams to integrate direct reports into matrixed organizational structure; restructured team using data to increase process efficiencies and improve Sales metrics.
• Participated in Governance Committee to develop framework to prioritize, streamline, and integrate communications; leveraged relationships with Product leadership to gain insights into future work impacts.
• Reconfigured extraneous policy processing to streamline, track incoming items, and ultimately reduce transaction volume.

Responsible for developing requirements, managing timelines, facilitating communication, and implementing complex project and portfolio-based work in addition to leadership-focused initiatives. Experience in both Agile and Waterfall methodologies.

• Maintained complex project load that expanded to that of portfolio manager; within each discipline managed broad span of business requirements, scope, and communications to all impacted parties throughout each project’s lifecycle. All projects completed on time with accolades from business partners.
• Enhanced and managed department-level project requirement peer review process. Updated committee member standards to improve quality of feedback given; developed rigorous measurement to monitor controls; closed identified process gaps.
• Developed capacity model to assess FTE need vs. incoming work; continued to influence capacity model usage at department level.
• Implemented project-specific complexity model to accurately reflect work effort of project management discipline.
• Developed and led team of project managers. Assisted with project-related escalations and delivered performance feedback.

Leader of a team responsible for countrywide Consumer Household Rule and Rate filings and Underwriting Risk Management Policy implementations.

• Streamlined filing review timeline, reducing overall timeframe by 40% without compromising quality.
• Developed capacity model to assess FTE need vs. incoming work; influenced capacity model usage at department level.
• Updated process documentation and developed spot-check methodology ensuring consistent execution and performance management of 15 direct reports. Hired and developed two front-line leaders to assist with span of control.

Responsible for countrywide property line P&L as well as property-related underwriting projects and processes with countrywide impacts using analysis to maximize impact while controlling costs

• Utilized side-by-side model of current renewal inspection criteria and predictive model to compare effectiveness. Implemented predictive model countrywide. Results showed referral and action rate improvement of 6%.
• Partnered with aerial inspection vendor to further expand inspection capabilities. Developed and negotiated statement of work, conducted analysis, and partnered with vendor to identify root causes of variances to ensure process synchronization. Developed technology specifications to integrate vendor into existing process as well as communication strategy for internal partners, agencies, and consumers.

Responsible for centralizing and leading a countrywide independent agency review process, including appointing and monitoring new agencies, book roll quality, and general management of underperforming agencies with a team of direct reports.

• 11 million in unprofitable written premium terminated via agency reviews in 2014 resulting in1.5-point improvement to countrywide loss ratio.
• Recommended and coordinated enhancements to agency management related systems to improve process efficiency to better isolate agencies requiring improvement. System updates reduced agency review volume by 25% while maintaining number of agencies on improvement plans. Resulted in reallocation of one employee from team of five.

Held multiple leadership positions throughout the Risk Management Business Center with accountability for people and process management as well as execution excellence.

• Researched, analyzed, developed, and implemented correct class process to manage property endorsement activity resulting in total net benefit of $2.6 million.
• Identified correct class process deviations within prior insurance declaration process and worked with appropriate regions to standardize. Resulted in $1 million additional preserved premium each year.
• In various Field Support roles, responsible for maintaining relationships and managing underwriting processing of regional offices. In addition, responsible for internal execution and performance management of up to two exempt employees with 15 – 25 non-exempt employees directly responsible for processing and handling of agency inquiries.
• Completed two temporary rotations in regional field offices (Midwest – October 2007 through March 2008; North Central – October 2009 through February 2010) with a focus on state P&L, underwriting guidelines, product rollouts, and multiple agency facing presentations of product and rate impacting events.

Responsible for ensuring service and quality goals were met or exceeded through performance management of underwriting associates as well as day-to-day oversight of large teams.

• Managed various projects, including multiple process rollouts and organizational structure consolidations resulting in headcount savings and process efficiency gains.
• Leadership role responsible for up to 25 reports and Kelly Services employees. Directly accountable for performance management, coaching, hiring, and terminations of non-exempt employees in call center/processing environment.