Licensing Specialist

About the Job:

Universal Shield Insurance Group (universalshield.com) and its member companies – Universal Fire & Casualty Insurance Company and Shield Indemnity Inc. has an opening for a Licensing Specialist in our Waterford, Michigan office.


The Licensing Specialist plays a critical role in ensuring compliance with state regulatory requirements by preparing, submitting, and maintaining all Agent/Agency appointments and terminations, Surplus Lines Broker tracking, licensing, contracts, agreements, and invoicing. This position also provides direct support to the Commercial Surety team, making it integral to the company’s ability to service agents, producers, and customers with accuracy and timeliness.

Key Responsibilities:

• Receive, review, process, and maintain requests for new Agent/Agency appointments and terminations for Commercial Surety and P&C teams.
• Manage state-specific requirements through Insurance Department Licensing Division portals.
• Track and maintain Surplus Lines Broker licenses by state.
• Communicate the status of appointments and terminations to internal departments and Agencies.
• Review renewal invoices for accuracy against state insurance department guidelines.
• Maintain accurate expiration records for Agent/Broker licenses in company databases.
• Assist with onboarding contracts, agreements, and invoices for Agents/Agencies.
• Support the Surety Bond team with bond cancellations and required notifications.
• Provide timely and accurate responses to agents and customer inquiries.
• Ensure compliance with company and regulatory file maintenance standards.
• Support underwriting efforts and take actions within designated timeframes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements:

• High school diploma/GED required.
• Minimum of 2 years of insurance-related experience preferred.
• Knowledge of insurance, para-legal processes, State Court Systems, or criminal justice a plus.
• Skilled in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Teams).
• Strong organizational skills, detail orientation, and accuracy in communication.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with colleagues and agents.
• Possess or willingness to obtain a Michigan Notary (preferred).

Universal Shield Insurance Group offers an industry competitive benefits package including health insurance with a company contributed HSA, dental insurance, vision coverage, short term disability insurance, long term disability insurance, AD&D insurance, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and other lifestyle and family friendly and work/life balance benefits. We also offer a company matched 401K, unlimited PTO for exempt employees, and other ancillary workforce benefits. Applicants selected for interviews will receive more information on our full company benefit program.

USIG targets property and casualty insurance for small and medium businesses that are managed in such a way that they deserve to qualify for, and enjoy, the additional advantages in security and coverage offered by an admitted product. We also offer an E&S product for those accounts that may qualify for our admitted market product after a few years of successful operation. We work exclusively with our appointed wholesale General Agents that demonstrate a commitment to professional underwriting practices and have multi-decade relationships with our underwriting teams. USIG incorporates a state-of-the-art risk acceptance process, employing expert underwriting rules, advanced analytics, machine learning, and external data sources to supplement standard risk information. USIG and its insurance entities (Universal Fire & Casualty Insurance Company “UFCIC” and Shield Indemnity Incorporated “Shield”) maintain an AM Best Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Ratings (Long-Term ICR) of “a-“. UFCIC also maintains a Demotech Financial Stability rating of A (Exceptional) and is Treasury Listed for surety bonds up to $5.9M. USIG also underwrites the Surety line of business through our admitted company, providing bonds for the Commercial, Contract and Specialty Surety markets. Through our proprietary, cutting-edge portal Bondramp.com, we provide agents at all levels access to a large library of competitively priced commercial and transactional bonds, immediately delivering many bonds upon the Principal’s payment. Conveniently, BondRamp.com and is available 24x7x365 and accessible by computer, tablet, or mobile device. We have corporate offices in Waterford and Grandville, Michigan as well as Dublin, Ohio.