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Vela Insurance Services (a Berkley Company) · 1 day ago

SVP, Chief Underwriting Officer

Scottsdale, AZ

Full-time

Onsite

Director/Executive

15+ years exp

Vela Insurance Services is a provider of specialized Excess and Surplus Lines Casualty and Professional Liability insurance solutions. The Senior Vice President & Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) will drive underwriting excellence, portfolio performance, and strategic growth, while overseeing a unified underwriting strategy and fostering a high-performance sales culture.

Commercial InsuranceConsultingInsurance

No H1B

Responsibilities

Lead and Manage Underwriting Strategy Across All Segments: Develop and execute a comprehensive underwriting strategy that ensures profitability, optimizes portfolio performance, and aligns with Vela’s three-year strategic vision. Drive cross-functional collaboration to address gaps in vision, alignment, and execution, particularly in an E&S market with intensifying competition. Work closely with SLT constituents to form and execute optimal profitable growth strategies, track portfolio performance and adjust plans to ensure success

Foster a High-Performance Sales Culture: Integrate underwriting with sales and marketing to create a unified “One Team” approach. Support the redesign of the CUO role to include additional MSEs, ensuring consistency in best practices and capabilities, and clearly defining shared accountability for results

Drive Product Development and Innovation: Lead the identification and development of new insurance products, leveraging data analytics and AI to meet emerging market needs. Oversee the upgrade of product development (PMO) and analytics into the Underwriting Operations Group, focusing on digitization, STP, and predictive analytics to enhance decision-making and upstream risk selection

Enhance Leadership and Talent Development: Address leadership gaps by recruiting industry leaders with proven experience to introduce complementary business segments. Implement a robust recruitment, retention, and performance management program, including a UA role Internship and Trainee Program, to build a pipeline of talent and promote career laddering

Build a Defensible Sales Flywheel: Establish and collaborate with a newly formed Distribution Strategies Group to develop a market-competitive hybrid technology, sales, marketing, and relationship-driven engine. Promote success for underwriters (UWs) through sales oriented mindset, equipped with tools to drive territory growth, full integration of Kalepa into workflows, additional AI tools, and dashboards to support decision-making at all levels

Strengthen Broker Relationships: Through Distribution Strategies Group formation, work closely with MSEs to redesign the role of a production underwriter to include goals for assigned regions and teams, creating an incentive-based compensation plan for production UWs. Design sales and underwriting acumen training with a career laddering approach, including territory responsibility and reviews. Organize an annual broker qualification trip and establish a Producer Council to strengthen ties with key brokers

Promote Entrepreneurial Mindset: Encourage individual contributors to drive product diversification and sustainable profit growth through select product initiatives. Support the “One Team” model with Broker Specialists at the forefront, assigning underwriters to the same brokers for renewal UWs and underwriting operations support

Leverage Data and Analytics: Invest in data and analytic tools to maximize accuracy, efficiency, and speed. Oversee pricing model upgrades, and underwriting analytics/AI investments through the Underwriting Operations Group

Address Legacy Business Challenges: Surgically address legacy operating activities to ensure continuity and stability in profitability

Develop Future Value Propositions: Work closely with the President and SLT to create a clear, ambitious vision for employees and brokers, emphasizing entrepreneurial contribution, leadership accountability, and a “One” mindset. Play a key role in the development and execution of Vela’s new strategic vision

Other duties as assigned

Qualification

CPCUASLIARMCommercial lines underwritingPortfolio analyticsSales acumenProduct developmentTechnical expertise in underwritingE&S marketplace understandingLeadership skillsCommunication skillsInterpersonal skills

Required

Four (4) year College Degree, or commensurate experience and training

Minimum of 15+ years' commercial lines underwriting experience, with strong foundation in portfolio analytics

Strong sales acumen and drive – Demonstrated success in building and sustaining a sales-driven culture

Demonstrated success in product development, innovation, and launching new products

Excellent communication, interpersonal and leadership skills

Demonstrated technical expertise in underwriting

Experience in and understanding the competitive E&S marketplace is a significant advantage

Preferred

Industry designations preferred: CPCU, ASLI, ARM

Benefits

Eligible to participate in annual discretionary bonus.

Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, Wellness, Paid Time Off, 401(k) and Profit-Sharing plans.

Company

Vela Insurance Services (a Berkley Company)

Vela Insurance Services, a Berkley Company, is a leading insurance provider that specializes in excess and surplus lines business in Vela’s three market segments: Construction, Specialty Casualty, and Professional Liability.

Founded in 1996

Chicago, Illinois, USA

51-200 employees