PEO Benefits Underwriting Trainee

About Niural

Niural is the AI-native global PEO for the modern workforce. Our mission is to give every growing company enterprise-grade payroll, benefits, and compliance without the enterprise overhead. Built from scratch rather than retrofitted onto legacy systems, Niural combines payroll, PEO/ASO, global EOR, benefits, and vendor payments into one intelligent platform. Powered by EMMA, our AI coworker that executes — not just advises — Niural runs payroll and compliance across 150+ countries with near-perfect accuracy. Backed by a $52M Series A and $200M+ in annualized gross revenue on our PEO product alone, we're building the financial infrastructure that companies run their businesses on.

About the Job

The PEO Benefits Underwriter Trainee is a structured, mentorship-driven entry point into group health underwriting within a PEO/master policy structure. You'll start by learning to review, validate, and prepare incoming group benefits submissions — census data, prior carrier documentation, plan designs, eligibility rules — and progress toward supporting risk assessment and pricing decisions under the guidance of senior underwriters.

This role sits at the front line of Niural's in-house underwriting engine, the same engine powering our newly launched AI-powered Benefits Selection and Enrollment Platform, which brought medical benefits underwriting in-house to eliminate third-party quoting delays and deliver more competitive pricing for our PEO clients. You'll work closely with our NYC-based sales, underwriting, and BenOps teams, gaining hands-on exposure to every step of the underwriting workflow — from first submission to final rating.

Responsibilities

• Collect and log incoming underwriting requests across new business, renewals, off-cycle changes, and census updates
• Review submissions for completeness, including census files, prior carrier invoices, renewal packets, plan designs, eligibility rules, SIC codes, and participation details
• Learn to triage submissions based on effective dates, complexity, and underwriting service level agreements (SLAs)
• Audit census data to identify missing fields, formatting inconsistencies, dependent mismatches, ZIP code anomalies, and eligibility flags
• Assist in validating prior carrier documentation such as rates, contribution structures, enrollment counts, and renewal methodologies
• Support risk assessment and pricing for new and renewing PEO groups under senior underwriter supervision
• Learn and apply core underwriting principles: rating factors, loss ratios, credibility, and risk pooling in a PEO/multiple-employer welfare arrangement (MEWA) context
• Help clarify missing or unclear submission information with brokers or internal teams to prevent underwriting delays
• Support ACA compliance checks, affordability testing, and eligibility determinations in partnership with the compliance team
• Collaborate with BenOps and Implementation teams to ensure downstream processes receive clean, accurate, and complete data
• Maintain organized underwriting files and documentation in line with internal and carrier standards
• Participate in structured training on group health insurance fundamentals, PEO co-employment models, and state-specific regulatory requirements
• Shadow senior underwriters on renewal reviews, plan design conversations, and carrier negotiations.
• Ensure PHI and sensitive data are handled securely in alignment with HIPAA and internal compliance protocols

Skills and Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Computer Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related quantitative field
• 0-2 years of professional experience — this role is well-suited to recent graduates as well as early-career candidates
• Strong attention to detail with a focus on data accuracy and quality
• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with numbers, spreadsheets, and large datasets such as employee census files
• Genuine interest in health insurance, employee benefits, or insurance risk — prior coursework, internship, or licensing (health & life) is a plus but not required
• Clear written and verbal communication skills — you'll be translating technical underwriting concepts for brokers and internal stakeholders
• Proficiency in Excel or Google Sheets; comfort learning new software platforms quickly
• Ability to manage multiple cases and deadlines simultaneously while maintaining high accuracy standards
• Self-starter who thrives with structured mentorship but can also work independently as skills develop
• Based in or willing to work on-site in New York, NY

Nice to Have

• Exposure to PEO, ASO, or group health insurance concepts
• Familiarity with ACA compliance, COBRA, or benefits administration
• Experience with HRIS, benefits admin, or payroll platforms
• Progress toward or interest in pursuing underwriting/actuarial certifications (e.g., AHIP, LOMA)

What Success Looks Like

In your first 90 days, you'll understand Niural's book of business, master core rating and risk concepts, and be able to accurately review census data and flag issues independently. By month six, you'll be contributing directly to quotes and renewals under senior underwriter guidance, with a clear path toward owning small-group underwriting independently.

Why Niural

At Niural, we're building the future of global workforce management with a relentless focus on innovation and impact. Join a collaborative, mission-driven team in the heart of NYC, where you'll work alongside visionary leaders and top talent shaping how AI transforms benefits and underwriting. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits, 401(k) with match, unlimited PTO, and access to an unparalleled network of founders, investors, and industry events in NYC.

Niural AI is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.