VP Product Personal Lines

Howden•Remote - Missouri, MO

About The Position

The VP Product Personal Lines is responsible for the strategic development, management, and profitability of the company’s personal lines insurance products. This role leads the product lifecycle from market analysis and product design through implementation, monitoring, and ongoing optimization. The Product Manager works closely with Underwriting, Actuarial, Claims, Operations, Distribution, Compliance, IT, and Marketing to ensure products are competitive, appropriately priced, operationally effective, and aligned with the company’s overall business strategy.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, insurance, economics, or a related field.
5+ years of experience in personal lines insurance, preferably in product management, underwriting, actuarial, or portfolio management.
Strong understanding of personal lines insurance products, underwriting principles, pricing, and profitability.
Experience working with insurance carriers, MGAs, or other property & casualty organizations.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Ability to interpret insurance performance data and translate analysis into actionable business decisions.
Strong project management and cross-functional leadership skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other analytical/business intelligence tools.

Nice To Haves

CPCU, CIC, ARM, or other insurance designation.
Experience with homeowners and/or personal auto products.
Experience with insurance product filings and regulatory requirements.
Experience with catastrophe-exposed property portfolios.
Familiarity with predictive analytics, insurance scoring, geospatial analytics, and catastrophe modeling.
Experience working in an MGA or entrepreneurial insurance environment.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute product strategies for personal lines products, including homeowners, renters, condominium, dwelling fire, and other relevant products.
Identify opportunities for new products, coverage enhancements, endorsements, and market expansion.
Conduct competitive and market analysis to identify pricing, coverage, underwriting, and distribution opportunities.
Manage the product lifecycle, including product development, implementation, enhancement, and retirement.
Develop business cases and recommendations for new products and product changes.
Monitor product performance using key metrics including written premium, growth, retention, loss ratio, frequency, severity, rate adequacy, and profitability.
Identify trends and recommend corrective actions to improve underwriting results.
Partner with Actuarial to evaluate rate indications, pricing adequacy, segmentation, and underwriting profitability.
Establish and monitor product-level goals and performance targets.
Analyze geographic, peril, customer, and distribution-channel performance to identify opportunities and emerging risks.
Partner with Underwriting to establish and refine eligibility rules, underwriting guidelines, risk segmentation, and appetite.
Evaluate emerging risks and their potential impact on personal lines portfolios.
Recommend changes to underwriting rules and guidelines based on portfolio performance and market conditions.
Work with catastrophe modeling and risk management teams to understand exposure and accumulation issues.
Work with Compliance and Legal to ensure products and product changes meet applicable state and federal requirements.
Support regulatory filings and approvals, including rates, rules, forms, and underwriting changes.
Monitor regulatory and legislative developments that may affect personal lines products.
Ensure product documentation and underwriting practices remain compliant across applicable jurisdictions.
Serve as the primary business owner for personal lines products.
Lead cross-functional product initiatives from concept through implementation.
Develop product requirements and coordinate with IT and Operations on system enhancements.
Partner with Distribution and Marketing to develop product positioning, communication, and sales strategies.
Provide training and product guidance to underwriting, agency, and distribution partners.
Coordinate implementation timelines, testing, rollout, and post-implementation reviews.
Monitor competitors, market conditions, consumer trends, and regulatory changes.
Partner with agency and distribution teams to understand market needs and producer feedback.
Identify opportunities to improve agent experience, customer value, and product competitiveness.
Evaluate product performance by distribution channel and recommend changes where appropriate.