Director of Underwriting - Statutory Insurance Products

The work we do has an impact on millions of lives, and you can be a part of it.We help protect our customers against life’s uncertainties. Regardless of where you work within the company, you’ll be helping provide protection and peace of mind when our customers need it most.
Protective Insurance Company is seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Underwriting to lead underwriting operations within our Employee Benefits Division, with a focus on statutory benefit programs. This role is responsible for overseeing risk evaluation and pricing for state‑mandated programs such as Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), Disability Benefits Law (DBL), and Paid Family Leave (PFL) across multiple jurisdictions.   The Director of Underwriting will lead a team of underwriters and support staff, ensure compliance with evolving state regulations, and develop underwriting strategies that support profitable growth and competitive positioning. In addition to managing daily underwriting operations, this role plays a key role in process modernization, digital transformation, and cross‑functional initiatives, partnering closely with actuarial, product, sales, legal, compliance, claims, and operations teams.   This position combines technical underwriting expertise, people leadership, and strategic project leadership to help shape the future of statutory benefits underwriting in a fast‑evolving regulatory landscape.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership & Talent Development
• Lead, coach, and develop a team of statutory benefits underwriters and support staff
• Mentor and cultivate team members to support succession planning and future leadership development
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and professional growth
Underwriting Oversight & Strategy
• Oversee underwriting for new and renewal statutory benefits business, including complex and high-exposure cases
• Ensure underwriting decisions align with Protective’s risk appetite, pricing guidelines, and regulatory requirements
• Develop and execute underwriting strategies to support profitable growth and competitive positioning in statutory markets (e.g., NY, NJ, MA, CT)
• Monitor portfolio performance, identify emerging trends, and recommend adjustments to pricing, guidelines, or underwriting approaches
Subject Matter Expertise & Collaboration
• Serve as the escalation point and SME for statutory benefits underwriting matters
• Collaborate with actuarial, product, sales, legal, compliance, claims, and operations teams to support end-to-end delivery
• Represent underwriting in internal committees, broker discussions, audits, and regulatory reviews, as needed
Operational Excellence & Modernization
• Lead or co-lead enterprise and divisional initiatives, including:
• New statutory product launches or market expansion
• System enhancements, workflow optimization, and underwriting tool development
• Readiness for legislative and regulatory changes
• Identify process gaps and inefficiencies; lead re-engineering efforts to streamline workflows and reduce manual touchpoints
• Partner with technology and operations teams to drive automation, optimize underwriting systems, and enhance scalability
• Support development and maintenance of underwriting guidelines, tools, rules engines, and documentation
Performance & Governance
• Develop, implement, and maintain underwriting performance metrics and quality assurance standards
• Ensure consistent underwriting practices and adherence to compliance requirements
• Manage vendor relationships where applicable (e.g., BPOs, MGAs), including performance and compliance oversight
Additional
• Occasional travel for internal meetings, training, industry events, or broker/client engagements

Skills & Competencies:

• Deep expertise in underwriting state‑mandated benefit programs, including PFML, DBL, and PFL, with strong knowledge of multi‑state regulatory environments and compliance requirements
• Ability to develop and execute underwriting strategies that balance risk, profitability, and competitive positioning while monitoring portfolio performance and identifying emerging trends
• Proven leadership capability to lead, coach, and mentor underwriting teams; develop future leaders; and foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and professional development
• Demonstrated strength in identifying underwriting process gaps and leading modernization efforts that streamline workflows, reduce manual touchpoints, and improve scalability
• Experience partnering with technology and operations teams to optimize underwriting systems, workflow tools,