San Francisco, California, United States · Remote OK
$175k–$200k/yr
Position Overview: The Head of Underwriting is responsible for leading the company’s underwriting function, driving risk selection, pricing discipline, and portfolio performance. This role combines strategic ownership wi…
Skills: Underwriting Strategy, Portfolio Management, Risk Selection, Pricing Discipline, Catastrophe Risk Management
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Lead the company's underwriting function by defining risk appetite, pricing discipline, and portfolio performance strategies. Manage and scale a high-performing team of underwriters while integrating data analytics to optimize risk selection and growth.
Requires 10-15+ years of underwriting experience, preferably in property insurance, and an active P&C license in at least one U.S. state. Proven leadership experience and expertise in catastrophe-exposed risks, particularly wildfire, are strongly preferred.
Position Overview:
The Head of Underwriting is responsible for leading the company’s underwriting function, driving risk selection, pricing discipline, and portfolio performance. This role combines strategic ownership with team leadership, ensuring underwriting excellence through strong guidelines, data-driven decision-making, and consistent execution.
The Head of Underwriting plays a critical role in balancing growth and profitability, particularly in catastrophe-exposed portfolios, while building a high-performing underwriting team. This role also proactively identifies opportunities to streamline processes and implement automation, leveraging a forward-thinking approach to position the organization for long-term success in an evolving industry.
Key Responsibilities:
Underwriting Strategy & Leadership
● Define and execute underwriting strategy aligned with company risk appetite and growth goals
● Establish clear underwriting frameworks, guidelines, and authority structures
● Lead and develop the underwriting team to ensure consistent, high-quality decision-making
Team Management & Development
● Manage, mentor, and scale a team of underwriters
● Set performance expectations, KPIs, and accountability standards
● Foster a culture of discipline, collaboration, and continuous improvement
Portfolio Management
● Own portfolio performance, including loss ratio, exposure, and concentration risk
● Monitor trends and adjust underwriting strategy based on performance and market conditions
● Actively manage catastrophe exposure, including wildfire and other perils
Pricing & Risk Selection
● Ensure alignment between underwriting decisions and pricing models
● Partner with actuarial and data teams to refine segmentation and risk selection
● Maintain balance between growth targets and profitability
Data & Analytics Integration
● Drive adoption of data-driven underwriting tools, models, and risk scores
● Collaborate with data science teams to improve model performance and usability
● Ensure underwriting decisions are informed by robust analytics and insights
Reinsurance & Risk Alignment
● Partner with reinsurance to align underwriting strategy with risk transfer programs
● Ensure portfolio construction reflects reinsurance structures and constraints
● Support optimization of retention and exposure
Governance & Compliance
● Ensure underwriting practices meet regulatory requirements and internal controls
● Maintain clear documentation, auditability, and consistency
● Support regulatory interactions and internal reviews
● Cross-Functional Leadership
● Collaborate with claims, finance, and revenue teams to align on performance and strategy
● Provide insights into loss drivers and emerging risks
● Serve as a key advisor to executive leadership on portfolio risk and growth
Qualifications:
Compensation and Benefits
● Competitive salary plus equity stock options
● Flexibility to work from anywhere in the United States
● Unlimited PTO, including sick leave and company holidays
● Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. (25% paid by employee, 75% covered by Delos including dependents)
● 401(k) retirement savings plan
● Professional development opportunities and tuition assistance
Insurance provider for catastrophe regions, protecting people's homes through coverage and risk mitigation.
Delos Insurance Solutions, a pioneering Managing General Agent (MGA), is at the forefront of transforming property insurance in climate-affected regions. Delos is currently active in California, writing policies in areas that other insurance providers are avoiding for wildfire exposure. Traditional insurance models have proven inadequate in an era marked by the impacts of climate change. Delos has embarked on a groundbreaking approach, integrating climate and catastrophe modeling expertise at every level of an insurance provider. Delos' innovative programs leverage proprietary AI risk models (patented) developed by world-renowned professors within our team. Beginning with wildfire risk, these models have consistently outperformed industry standards, allowing Delos to underwrite policies profitably in areas where legacy carriers are swiftly withdrawing. This enables Delos to provide insurance coverage to millions of homes that would otherwise have limited options.
Offices: San Francisco, CA 94123, US
Insurance provider for catastrophe regions, protecting people's homes through coverage and risk mitigation.
Delos Insurance Solutions, a pioneering Managing General Agent (MGA), is at the forefront of transforming property insurance in climate-affected regions. Delos is currently active in California, writing policies in areas that other insurance providers are avoiding for wildfire exposure. Traditional insurance models have proven inadequate in an era marked by the impacts of climate change. Delos has embarked on a groundbreaking approach, integrating climate and catastrophe modeling expertise at every level of an insurance provider. Delos' innovative programs leverage proprietary AI risk models (patented) developed by world-renowned professors within our team. Beginning with wildfire risk, these models have consistently outperformed industry standards, allowing Delos to underwrite policies profitably in areas where legacy carriers are swiftly withdrawing. This enables Delos to provide insurance coverage to millions of homes that would otherwise have limited options.
Offices: San Francisco, CA 94123, US
