VP - Operations

UFG Insurance•,

11h•$240,000 - $320,000•Remote

About The Position

The VP - Operations provides enterprise-level leadership and strategic direction across Underwriting Support, Premium Audit, and Billing, with accountability for the end-to-end operating model. The role ensures the people, processes, technology, and controls required to achieve production, profitability, premium integrity, and customer experience objectives. It leads a large, multi-functional, geographically dispersed organization supporting record premium volume, complex multi-state operations, and enterprise system transformation. The VP partners with executive leadership and stakeholders across Underwriting, Finance, Technology, Claims, and other areas to shape operating strategy, prioritize enterprise investments, and deliver sustainable financial and operational results. The role is accountable for operational performance, expense management, workforce strategy, risk and control oversight, training strategy, and change leadership. It supports accurate, high-quality service to agents and insureds, premium accuracy and collection, and enterprise growth and transformation. The position establishes long-term operating strategy and enterprise standards, oversees performance across multiple functions, and advises senior leadership on operational capacity, expense tradeoffs, premium risk, and transformation readiness. It leads workforce and capacity planning across domestic and offshore operations; manages controls, compliance, and financial stewardship; and develops leaders, training, succession, and workforce stability. Remote work is optional in a general office environment, with some overnight travel required.

Requirements

15+ years of underwriting or underwriting operations experience required.
Executive leadership experience overseeing large, multifunctional, geographically dispersed teams.
Strong financial acumen and ability to connect operations to premium growth, profitability, and expense management.
Advanced knowledge of underwriting support functions.
Expertise in workflow optimization, change management, and operational excellence methodologies.
Proven record of reducing cycle time, enhancing quality, and improving service metrics.
Ability to identify, analyze, and resolve problems; motivate and develop staff; recognize and meet customer needs; and plan and execute business strategy.
Executive-level written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to influence senior leaders and external stakeholders.
Ability to synthesize complex operational and financial data into clear executive-level insights and recommendations.
Excellent negotiation skills and ability to collaborate tactfully and diplomatically with internal and external partners.
College degree required.
Remote optional; some overnight travel required.

Nice To Haves

Degree in business administration or a related field preferred.
CPCU designation preferred.
15+ years of management experience preferred.
Familiarity with Commercial Lines functions, including corporate underwriting, underwriting, risk control, premium audit, and marketing.

Responsibilities

Establish the long-term strategic vision for business operations in collaboration with executive leadership.
Direct department goals, ensure alignment with underwriting targets, hold others accountable, and develop business cases to support change when needed.
Lead and prioritize cross-functional enterprise initiatives across Business Operations, UW Enablement, Technology, Finance, and Underwriting that affect the policy lifecycle, accuracy, or customer experience.
Provide executive leadership across Underwriting Support, Premium Audit, and Billing, aligning operational strategy with underwriting, financial, and enterprise objectives.
Advise senior leadership on operational capacity, expense tradeoffs, premium risk, and transformation readiness.
Establish enterprise operating standards, policies, and performance frameworks that balance growth, profitability, compliance, service levels, and customer experience.
Oversee productivity, quality, compliance, premium accuracy, audit effectiveness, billing timeliness, and service-level performance across supported functions.
Own enterprise workforce and capacity strategy across domestic and offshore operations, aligning resources with premium volume, service demands, and financial targets.
Resolve complex, high-visibility escalations from underwriters, RVPs, agents, and internal business partners.
Develop and enforce enterprise standards, best practices, and continuous improvement frameworks.
Ensure operational controls mitigate underwriting processing errors, premium leakage, billing errors, audit disputes, and regulatory risk.
Partner with Finance, Underwriting, and Compliance to support accurate premium recognition and financial reporting.
Own expense management and workforce investment decisions across functions.
Establish and monitor controls related to accuracy, policy and billing integrity, and downstream financial impacts.
Ensure audit readiness, regulatory compliance, and governance practices across operational areas.
Use data, KPIs, and trend analysis to identify risk, inform executive decisions, and drive continuous improvement.
Lead and develop a multidisciplinary leadership team capable of executing enterprise transformation and scaling operations.
Set enterprise training, capability development, and succession strategies that support operational readiness, leadership depth, and scalability.
Champion efforts to reduce attrition, strengthen engagement, and improve team stability.
Establish performance management, coaching, and accountability frameworks for leaders.
Oversee offshore partnerships, contract oversight, onboarding, training, and leadership structure.
Represent the organization with credibility and professionalism to internal and external stakeholders and ensure operational strategies align with customer, agent, and underwriting expectations.