Chief Underwriting Officer

In this positionu2026 Primary responsibility for leading the strategic direction and operational management of the underwriting function. Additional responsibilities include driving underwriting excellence, including general underwriting policy and underwriting management best practices. This includes advancing underwriting profitability, governance, product and pricing strategies, adoption of new tools, data and analytics and empowering our underwriters to make informed underwriting decisions within that framework. As a leader within the organization, this individual will help shape the overall direction of the business, identify growth opportunities, innovate our product set, anticipate, and react to market trends, and drive profitability across the portfolio. While the primary product is Commercial Auto, the successful candidate should have experience operating across a wide range of insurance products and exposures including excess, property, casualty, liability, marine, and credit and financial lines. As such, the role requires strong core knowledge of North American insurance markets, including captive and independent, with a concentrated focus in commercial auto. Our approach to the market and portfolio of customers and products requires the ability to pivot from portfolio underwriting to individual account underwriting and back. Leadership and management responsibilities for the Commercial Auto team. The fundamental areas of engagement and responsibility are: Overall Underwriting Leadership u00b7 Manage Ford Pro Insureu2019s overall commercial auto underwriting function including production, guidelines, reinsurance utilization, loss results, referrals, and renewals u00b7 Set, manage and achieve underwriting targets to ensure profitable growth; establish and monitor relevant KPIu2019s including submission rate, quote ratio, bind ratio, etc. u00b7 Manage a team of underwriters including effective delegation of underwriting authority (balancing speed to market against effective risk controls), mentoring/coaching, and providing vision and growth opportunities u00b7 Manage strategic distribution partners (e.g., wholesalers, brokers, MGA, etc.) including monitoring of profitable production targets, go-to-market strategies (in conjunction with the sales teams) and issues resolution u00b7 Collaborate with actuarial teams to validate pricing assumptions and ensure alignment with underwriting guidelines u00b7 Work closely with both internal and external customers to ensure the highest underwriting standards u00b7 Champion and represent the underwriting function while effectively interacting with other internal stakeholders/function u00b7 Strive to exceed Fordu2019s customer service expectations throughout the buying/servicing/renewal process Portfolio Optimization & Technical Underwriting: u00b7 Provide deep technical expertise and guidance for all business unit product capabilities serve as a trusted advisor u00b7 Oversee the management and refinement of all Underwriting Guidelines in collaboration with ecosystem partners capabilities u00b7 Drive thoughtful cycle management across the portfolio leveraging analytics and functional support resources to capitalize on high margin opportunities, reposition or exit unprofitable market segments and grow/maintain margins for the balance of the book u00b7 Proactively monitor key underwriting and claims metrics to identity emerging risks and opportunities u00b7 Collaborate with underwriting leaders, business performance management, actuarial and modeling teams to develop and implement technical pricing and other analytic capabilities to drive price adequacy and profitability u00b7 Implement, assess and refine pricing strategies; including risk tiering, segmentation and other methods to optimize portfolio in collaboration with actuarial u00b7 Act as underwriting referral point for complex risks and risks that exceed authority levels u00b7 Proactively drive underwriting actions and initiatives to improve overall profitability of the portfolio u00b7 Implement adoption of advanced tools and supplemental data sets to enhance and augment underwriting New Product Development: u00b7 Ensure that proper Underwriting strategies align with appetite, and target portfolio metrics u00b7 Oversee coordination and evaluation of new product, program and geographic expansion opportunities Underwriting Governance and Controls: u00b7 Develop effective processes, policies, procedures, and controls to ensure effective and quality underwriting u00b7 Increase the use of underwriting automation with the necessary controls to enable the business to scale u00b7 Ensure regulatory compliance and the underwriting function adapts to any regulatory change, strategic decisions, or adoption of best practices u00b7 Manage internal and external audit procedures UW Audit Process: u00b7 Manage overall underwriting audit framework in collaboration with compliance u00b7 Lead and manage the quality/content of Underwriting audit findings and the audit process. Use the audit process to build & strengthen underwriter skill sets, improve strategies and update guidelines over time u00b7 Manage audit recommendations generated by audit findings to conclusion and create a team process to do so. Implement and monitor supplementary underwriter self-audit quality control processes Risk Management: u00b7 Manage portfolio Gross/Net premium and CAT accumulations u00b7 Monitor and manage portfolio within established tolerances, thresholds and target metrics u00b7 Support Treaty insurance reviews and placements in coordination with the Ceded Reinsurance team u00b7 Monitor and manage Risk Management and capital adequacy framework in partnership with Finance and Actuarial Teams; ensure appropriate reinsurance strategies are leveraged based on portfolio and individual account characteristics, maturity of products and underwriting experience and performance targets u00b7 Ford Pro Insure representative on Underwriter Committees, North American Statutory Boards, and Corporate Enterprise Risk Management process requirements as necessary Authority Management & Governance: u00b7 Responsible for delegation of underwriting authority and attestations of underwriting team; maintain and improve an appropriate referral and delegation process based upon experience and skill sets, and partner u00b7 Establish a process that confers underwriting authority after completion and review of on boarding process and provide updates as needed. Monitor authority levels each year and work to modify as needed over time Training & Talent Development: u00b7 Continuously work with Ford Pro Insureu2019s underwriters to ensure execution of underwriting guidelines and best practices across the underwriting function u00b7 Encourage underwriter development and support model that allows the underwriting team to professionally grow u00b7 Document and regularly update underwriting guidelines, manuals, and processes/procedures to drive positive underwriting engagement and makes efficient use of underwriting talent u00b7 Collaborate with Talent development on training and development opportunities to enhance modern underwriter skillsets u00b7 Advance underwriting skillsets to adapt to rapidly changing risk landscape. Oversee the ongoing development of underwriters - customer-focused and solutions-oriented expert that relies on data-driven decision-making and technology to optimize their underwriting portfolio and deliver consistent underwriting profit. Manage training needs based upon audit feedback, referral reviews and new product needs Product Development and Management: u00b7 Build out Ford Pro Insureu2019s commercial auto product function to meet customer needs u00b7 Partner with internal and external stakeholders to position Ford Pro Insureu2019s offerings in the marketplace and contribute to new product development u00b7 Collect market intelligence to analyze market trends and competitor product/pricing strategies to inform product/pricing decisions and ensure competitiveness u00b7 Direct teams to conduct regular product reviews to assess performance, profitability, and market competitiveness, and recommend adjustments as necessary (including development of new products) u00b7 Develop differentiated programs for focused market segments as part of an overall u201cprogram businessu201d strategy u00b7 Build tools, processes, and documentation to ensure repeatable and compliant product development and implementations u00b7 Manage, mentor and develop a team of product managers, ensuring defined to attract and retain talent Ford Pro Insure Expansion: u00b7 Support Ford Pro Insureu2019s national footprint and expansion strategies, specifically from a product and underwriting perspective u00b7 Ensure compliant state product filing activities by preparing necessary documentation and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements u00b7 Participate in the review and approval process for state filings, ensuring timely submissions and adherence to regulatory timelines u00b7 Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather and document business requirements and processes for new products and enhancements to existing offerings u00b7 Ensure that all business requirements are clearly communicated to relevant teams, including IT, Finance, Claims and Operations for effective implementation Qualifications, Skills, and Experience: u00b7 Minimum of 15 years of insurance product and underwriting experience, including a minimum of 5 years of commercial auto insurance experience (while not required, experience with multi-line insurance product and underwriting is a plus) u00b7 At least five years of experience leading and developing a team, allocating resources efficiently, and setting realistic timelines u00b7 Experience building and/or leading business units with a track record of growth and profitability u00b7 Experience leveraging data driven decision making u00b7 Continuing progress toward or completion of a professional designation (e.g., CPCU, ARM) preferred u00b7 Thorough understanding of state regulations governing commercial auto policy issuance and use, including policy forms and coverage u00b7 BA/BS degree or equivalent experience u00b7Strong problem-solving analytical and technical skills to assess risk u00b7 Proficient in underwriting and data software/analysis tools u00b7 Prior MGA experience a plus u00b7 Broad knowledge of P&C and Financial Lines underwriting u00b7 Ability to operate in a dynamic and high paced environment with a sense of urgency u00b7 Adaptable and able to manage competing priorities u00b7 Growth mindset, desire to both learn and teach u00b7 Ability to drive data analytics and make appropriate correlations on results u00b7 Ability to manage multiple projects and timelines across a variety of stakeholders to meet target deliverable deadlines u00b7 Strong communications skills both written and oral. Ability to concisely provide executive summaries to senior management as needed u00b7 Experience in corporate governance and controls management including exposure to a wide variety of systems u00b7 Wide variety of assignments in operational workflow reviews and systems a plus u00b7 Experience in corporate governance controls and supporting infrastructure u00b7 Well, organized with relentless attention to detail u00b7 Self-motivated u00b7 Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a team environment u00b7 Action oriented and strong work ethic What you'll receive in return... As part of the Ford family, youu2019ll enjoy excellent compensation, and a comprehensive benefits package that includes generous PTO, retirement, savings and stock investment plans, incentive compensation, and much more. Youu2019ll also experience exciting opportunities for professional and personal growth and recognition. Our benefits summary can be found here . You may not check every box, or your experience may look a little different from what we've outlined, but if you think you can bring value to Ford Motor Company, we encourage you to apply As an established global company, we offer the benefit of choice. You can choose what your Ford future will look like: will your story span the globe, or keep you close to home? Will your career be a deep dive into what you love, or a series of new teams and new skills? Will you be a leader, a changemaker, a technical expert, a culture builderu2026or all of the above? No matter what you choose, we offer a work life that works for you, including: u2022 Immediate medical, dental, vision and prescription drug coverage u2022 Flexible family care days, paid parental leave, new parent ramp-up programs, subsidized back-up childcare and more u2022 Family building benefits including adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, fertility treatments, and more u2022 Vehicle discount program for employees and family members and management leases u2022 Tuition assistance u2022 Established and active employee resource groups u2022 Paid time off for individual and team community service u2022 A generous schedule of paid holidays, including the week between Christmas and New Yearu2019s Day u2022 Paid time off and the option to purchase additional vacation time. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position. Candidates for positions with Ford Motor Company must be legally authorized to work in the United States. Verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a culturally diverse workforce. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status or protected veteran status. In the United States, if you need a reasonable accommodation for the online application process due to a disability, please call 1-888-336-0660. #LI-WC #LI-Remote Requisition ID : 49381

Created: 2025-10-06