AVP Product Leader Public and Private Directors & Officers Liability

CNA•Chicago, IL

19h•Hybrid

About The Position

This is an officer position responsible for providing overall underwriting excellence for Public and Private Directors & Officers Liability Insurance. The role encompasses product design, regulatory compliance, and system enablement, all aligned with the company’s strategic plans. The AVP Product Leader will shape product design and policy language, ensure regulatory readiness, and collaborate with key stakeholders to deliver system enablement and a best-in-class underwriting experience. This leadership role requires deep expertise in underwriting and a strong command of policy language and product development, gained through a blend of underwriting, claims, and/or legal experience. The ideal candidate is comfortable navigating complex issues, balancing risk and growth, and driving decisions to improve portfolio performance. The position is open to candidates in any CNA office location, with a strong preference for the Chicago area or the New York City metro (including surrounding Northeast locations).

Requirements

In-depth technical knowledge of underwriting theories and practices within the insurance field.
Ability to effectively interact and communicate with all levels of external and/or internal business partners within scope of responsibility, team and/or matrix environment.
Leadership and management skills, demonstrating integrity and professionalism.
Ability to drive results by identifying, and resolving problems within scope of responsibility.
Knowledge of the insurance industry, its products and services.
Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite and other business-related software.
Bachelor's degree in a related discipline, or equivalent.
Typically a minimum of 10 years of related work experience, with five years management experience.
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) or RPLU certifications and related roles.

Nice To Haves

Master preferred in a related discipline

Responsibilities

Provides end‑to‑end product leadership for assigned product lines, including product design, ongoing governance, compliance oversight, and lifecycle management aligned with enterprise strategy.
Leads policy form development, maintenance, and enhancements to ensure products meet regulatory, underwriting, and market requirements.
Ensures the achievement of continued profitability, growth and/or operational efficiencies for a product line through assessment of risk tolerance, market appetite and emerging risk issues.
Evaluates underwriting performance based on financial analysis, including rate, reserve adequacy, operational, planning and product reviews, providing results to underwriting management and developing plans to resolve issues.
Monitors the usage and profitability of alternative pricing programs.
Drives adherence to underwriting authority delegation, audit criteria and catastrophe management, and product governance standards for Directors & Officers Liability.
Oversees regulatory filings strategy, including coordination with Legal and Compliance, to support product changes, new offerings, and multi‑state implementation.
Partners with technology and operations teams to support product implementation in underwriting systems, resolve system‑related issues, and ensure alignment between product intent, system configuration, and underwriting execution.
Collaborates with business partners in Risk Control, Actuarial, Claim, Operations and Compliance to address governance and compliance issues related to underwriting practices.
Provides guidance and direction in the development and delivery of underwriting, product, systems, forms, and guideline training to ensure consistent execution across the organization.
May take lead responsibility for the development of underwriting strategies and position papers for emerging issues when assigned.
May maintain relationships with branches, brokers, agents and customers to assess risk tolerance, market appetite and emerging issues.