About the Role

The Director of Life Underwriting will play a critical role in overseeing and driving the performance, and efficiency life underwriting function at Ethos. This senior leadership role is responsible for managing and optimizing life underwriting production, ensuring a seamless, customer-centric, and profitable underwriting process while maintaining the company’s risk management and compliance standards.

The role will lead a team of life underwriting professionals, collaborate with other departments and utilize data-driven insights to implement best practices, streamline operations, and improve underwriting efficiency. This position requires a strong combination of leadership, technical underwriting expertise, and operational management experience.

Roles & Responsibilities:

1. Leadership & Strategic Oversight

• Provide leadership, vision, and direction to the life underwriting team, fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Develop and implement underwriting policies and processes that improve operational efficiency, enhance customer experience, and support profitable business growth.
• Mentor and develop a high-performing team of underwriting managers,and build a strong bench of future leaders.

2. Underwriting Operations & Efficiency

• Ensure that the underwriting department operates within established quality and productivity standards, compliance frameworks, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee the day-to-day operations of the underwriting department, ensuring that policies are underwritten in accordance with company guidelines, regulatory standards, and risk tolerance.
• Monitor and manage underwriting capacity and resource allocation to ensure service level agreements (SLAs) are met and underwriting quality is maintained.
• Collaborate with IT and Operations to implement innovative technologies (e.g., automation, AI, machine learning) that improve underwriting accuracy, speed, and efficiency.

3.Data & Analytics

• Leverage data analytics to assess the effectiveness of production underwriting practices, identify trends, and improve decision-making processes.
• Develop and present key performance metrics (KPIs) and operational reports to senior leadership, providing insights into underwriting performance, productivity, and profitability.

Qualifications and Skills:

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Actuarial Science, Insurance, or a related field (Master's degree preferred).
• A minimum of 10-15 years of experience in life insurance underwriting, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
• Extensive knowledge of life insurance products, underwriting processes, and industry regulations.
• Proven experience in leading underwriting operations, managing large teams, and driving performance improvements.
• Strong understanding of data analytics, underwriting technology platforms, and automation tools.
• Professional certifications such as FLMI, ALMI, or other relevant underwriting/designations preferred.

Skills & Competencies:

• Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire a diverse team, drive change, and develop talent.
• Strategic Thinking: Strong ability to set a vision and execute strategic initiatives to achieve business goals.
• Analytical Skills: Excellent quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, with a focus on data-driven decision-making.
• Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Problem Solving: Creative and resourceful in identifying solutions to complex operational and underwriting challenges.
• Technology Savvy: Familiarity with underwriting software, automation tools, and data analytics platforms.

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