Head of Underwriting

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in California.

📋 Description

• Develop and implement an underwriting strategy that aligns with the company's risk appetite and growth objectives.

• Create clear underwriting frameworks, guidelines, and authority structures.

• Lead and cultivate the underwriting team to ensure consistent, high-quality decision-making.

• Oversee, mentor, and expand a team of underwriters.

• Establish performance expectations, KPIs, and standards for accountability.

• Promote a culture of discipline, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

• Take ownership of portfolio performance, which includes loss ratio, exposure, and concentration risk.

• Monitor trends and modify underwriting strategy based on performance metrics and market conditions.

• Actively manage catastrophe exposure, including risks related to wildfires and other perils.

• Ensure that underwriting decisions correspond with pricing models.

• Collaborate with actuarial and data teams to enhance segmentation and risk selection.

• Balance growth ambitions with profitability objectives.

• Champion the use of data-driven underwriting tools, models, and risk scores.

• Work alongside data science teams to enhance model performance and usability.

• Ensure that underwriting decisions are guided by comprehensive analytics and insights.

• Collaborate with reinsurance to align the underwriting strategy with risk transfer initiatives.

• Ensure that portfolio construction is consistent with reinsurance structures and limitations.

• Assist in optimizing retention and exposure.

• Ensure underwriting practices comply with regulatory standards and internal controls.

• Maintain thorough documentation, audit trails, and consistency.

• Support regulatory interactions and internal reviews.

• Collaborate with claims, finance, and revenue teams to ensure alignment on performance and strategy.

• Provide insights into loss drivers and emerging risks.

• Act as a key advisor to executive leadership concerning portfolio risk and growth.

⛳️ Requirements

• 10–15+ years of underwriting experience, ideally in property insurance.

• An active Property & Casualty (P&C) insurance license in at least one U.S. state is required. If not currently licensed in California, candidates must be able to obtain a California Non-Resident Property & Casualty license within 90 days of hire.

• Demonstrated leadership experience in managing and developing underwriting teams.

• Strong expertise in risks associated with catastrophes; experience with wildfires is highly preferred.

• In-depth knowledge of underwriting, pricing, and portfolio management.

• Experience in insurtech or data-driven underwriting environments is preferred.

• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance frameworks.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary along with equity stock options.

• Flexibility to work from anywhere in the United States.

• Unlimited paid time off (PTO), which includes sick leave and company holidays.

• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance (25% paid by employee, 75% covered by Delos including dependents).

• 401(k) retirement savings plan.

• Opportunities for professional development and tuition assistance.