Director, Underwriting Strategy & Governance

Penn Mutual•Philadelphia, PA

20h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Underwriting Strategy & Governance is a senior underwriting knowledge leader and implementation partner who supports the Associate (VP) Chief Underwriter, Underwriting Strategy & Governance in executing underwriting strategy, advancing quality and consistency, and strengthening underwriting capability across the organization. This role combines limited production authority on complex and jumbo cases, deep technical mentorship, training leadership, and execution of underwriting initiatives. The Director serves as a subject matter expert (SME) and trusted escalation point, providing guidance on complex risk decisions while ensuring adherence to underwriting standards and governance frameworks.

Requirements

Deep technical expertise in life underwriting risk assessment, complex case evaluation, and underwriting standards.
Strong ability to mentor, coach, and develop underwriters’ technical judgment and consistency.
Experience supporting underwriting training, quality reviews, and governance initiatives.
Solid understanding of life insurance products (Term, Whole Life, IUL, VUL) and advanced underwriting considerations.
Familiarity with underwriting tools, evidence sources, and emerging technologies, including AI enabled capabilities.
Ability to partner effectively with senior underwriting leaders while operating without direct operational ownership.
Strong judgment, communication, and influence skills.
Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent related work experience required.
10+ years of life underwriting experience.
Demonstrated underwriting signing authority of $20M, including experience with complex case design and advanced sales.
Prior experience mentoring underwriters or serving in a technical leadership role.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Mentor and coach underwriters to strengthen technical expertise, judgment, and consistency in underwriting decisions.
Develop, enhance, and deliver underwriting training programs in partnership with underwriting leadership and governance teams.
Reinforce underwriting standards, documentation expectations, and governance discipline through coaching, feedback, and education.
Support the Associate (VP) Chief Underwriter in executing underwriting strategy, governance standards, and policy changes.
Participate in underwriting governance initiatives and forums by providing technical input, analysis, and implementation support.
Participate in underwriting quality review and audit activities, including case reviews and outcomes analysis, to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
Assist in resolving complex underwriting issues and systemic challenges, escalating insights and recommendations as appropriate.
Participate in underwriting projects and initiatives supporting the business plan, including process improvements, technology adoption, and vendor solution implementation.
Support underwriting modernization efforts by helping underwriters adopt new tools, automation, and enhanced workflows.
Collaborate with internal partners (e.g., Medical, Actuarial, Product, Reinsurance, Distribution, Compliance, Operations) as needed, while not owning operational management.
Reinforce the responsible use of AI and advanced analytics in underwriting through training support, documentation standards, and quality controls.
Serve as a senior underwriting SME, providing guidance on complex risk assessments while ensuring adherence to underwriting standards and philosophy.
Review referrals and provide underwriting decisions and signatures within delegated authority, including large, complex, and jumbo cases.
Provide limited production underwriting support as needed, without ownership of day-to-day case flow or operational queues.