Associate (VP) Chief Underwriter

Penn Mutual•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

The Associate (VP) Chief Underwriter is a senior enterprise underwriting leader responsible for underwriting production, risk selection strategy, and underwriting talent across a team of underwriters. Reporting directly to the Chief Underwriter, this role serves as a primary underwriting executive, with accountability for underwriting quality, mortality outcomes, field partnership, and organizational capability. The Associate (VP) Chief Underwriter provides strategic direction for underwriting risk selection, leads and develops underwriting leaders and teams, and ensures underwriting practices align with product pricing, reinsurance strategy, and enterprise underwriting philosophy. This role combines deep technical underwriting expertise with strong people leadership, operational oversight, and decision-making authority, while supporting enterprise underwriting initiatives and major projects sponsored by the Chief Underwriter.

Requirements

Deep, enterprise level expertise in life underwriting risk selection, including medical, financial, and non-medical assessment.
Demonstrated success leading large underwriting organizations and senior underwriting leaders.
Strong strategic orientation with the ability to align underwriting practices to product pricing, reinsurance strategy, and distribution needs.
Proven ability to influence field behavior and outcomes through strong relationships, credibility, and executive presence.
Advanced knowledge of the reinsurance marketplace and large case underwriting dynamics.
Ability to balance underwriting discipline with growth, customer experience, and distribution effectiveness.
Strong analytical, decision making, and problem-solving skills.
Executive level communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
Experience leading underwriting modernization efforts, including technology, vendor solutions, and AI enabled underwriting capabilities.
Commitment to maintaining best in class underwriting practices and professional standards.
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent related experience required.
15+ years of progressive life insurance underwriting experience, including extensive experience with complex, high face amount, and jumbo cases.
Demonstrated executive level underwriting authority of $20M+.
Proven experience leading large underwriting teams and leaders, with accountability for quality, mortality, and talent outcomes.
Experience partnering with distribution, product, actuarial, and reinsurance leaders to shape underwriting strategy and outcomes.
Track record of leading underwriting transformation initiatives, including technology adoption and AI enabled underwriting solutions.

Nice To Haves

Master’s Degree or MBA preferred.
Professional designations ACS, ALU, FLMI, FALU, CLU (or progress toward one or more) preferred.

Responsibilities

Provide executive leadership over underwriting risk selection strategy, ensuring underwriting guidelines align with mortality assumptions, product pricing, and profitability objectives.
Deliver expert underwriting judgment and final decisioning on the most complex, high risk, and jumbo cases with limited personal production of high death benefit cases.
Build, lead, and develop underwriting leaders and teams, with accountability for talent development, succession planning, organizational design, and team cohesion.
Establish and maintain strong, influential relationships with field leaders and Financial Professionals, including the ability to deliver difficult decisions while preserving trust and partnership.
Partner closely with Product, Actuarial, and Reinsurance to assess risk, product pricing and mortality assumptions, and collaborate with Associate (VP) Chief Underwriter, Underwriting Strategy and Governance to evolve underwriting guidelines as product strategies change.
Own and execute an effective case escalation framework, serving as the final escalation point and ensuring clear communication of decisions to field leadership.
Define, implement, and oversee the underwriting quality, mortality, and performance management for the underwriting team, including audits, trend analysis, and corrective action planning.
Lead and sponsor underwriting initiatives and projects supporting business objectives.
Collaborate with Associate (VP) Chief Underwriter, Underwriting Strategy and Governance on process improvements, technology adoption, and vendor solution implementation.
Champion the responsible adoption of AI and advanced analytics in underwriting, ensuring alignment with governance standards, risk controls, and underwriting judgment.
Represent underwriting leadership in enterprise forums, industry discussions, and key internal and external meetings as appropriate.
Ensure compliance with company policies, regulatory requirements, and professional standards, while remaining current on industry, mortality, and underwriting trends.