AVP, Underwriting - Life Sciences

Ategrity Specialty Insurance Company; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

401(k) with employer match

Paid time off

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

Ategrity Specialty Insurance Company is recruiting an AVP, Underwriting – Life Sciences to lead complex Life Sciences risk assessment, pricing, and negotiation with brokers. You will manage a defined book or broker portfolio, drive profitable growth, and provide technical underwriting leadership across pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, and healthcare segments.

You will coach underwriters, collaborate across Claims, Actuarial, Legal, Operations, and Product teams, and stay ahead of market

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Minimum of 7 years of commercial insurance underwriting experience, with significant experience underwriting complex casualty and/or package business.
• Demonstrated expertise in Life Sciences underwriting, including experience with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, clinical research, or related risks.
• Strong technical knowledge of relevant coverages and exposures, which may include products liability, general liability/premises operations, auto, property, workers’ compensation, umbrella/excess liability, and related specialty coverages.
• Experience underwriting products liability, including claims‑made coverage structures.
• Demonstrated track record of underwriting profitable new and renewal business and managing an assigned book or territory.
• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with retail and wholesale brokers.
• Experience managing, coaching, or providing technical guidance to underwriters.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, negotiation, and relationship‑management skills.
• Ability to travel as business needs require.

Responsibilities

• Underwrite and manage Life Sciences business. Underwrite complex new and renewal accounts within established authority, guidelines, and risk appetite, determining appropriate risk selection, pricing, limits, retentions, terms, conditions, and coverage structure.
• Own book performance. Manage an assigned book, territory, or broker portfolio to established premium, profitability, retention, rate, and new business objectives while monitoring performance, trends, exposures, and emerging issues.
• Drive profitable growth. Develop and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified opportunities and execute transactions with wholesale and retail brokers while maintaining disciplined risk selection, pricing, terms, and conditions.
• Provide technical underwriting expertise. Evaluate complex Life Sciences risks and provide technical guidance across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, clinical research, healthcare technology, and related sectors.
• Lead broker and market development. Develop and strengthen relationships with wholesale and retail brokers, proactively market Ategrity’s Life Sciences capabilities and appetite, and identify opportunities to expand relationships, submission flow, and conversion.
• Maintain a strong market presence. Represent Ategrity in broker and client meetings, industry conferences, and market events while staying current on market conditions, competitor activity, pricing trends, and emerging Life Sciences exposures.
• Support portfolio management. Analyze portfolio and account performance to identify trends, concentrations, opportunities, and areas requiring corrective action, and contribute to underwriting and portfolio reviews.
• Advance underwriting capabilities. Contribute to the development and refinement of underwriting guidelines, risk appetite, products, forms, tools, and processes as the Life Sciences business grows.
• Lead and develop underwriting talent. Manage and support underwriters, provide coaching and technical guidance, and share Life Sciences underwriting knowledge and market expertise across the organization.
• Collaborate across the organization. Partner with Claims, Actuarial, Legal, Operations, Underwriting Associates, Product, and underwriting leadership to support sound underwriting decisions, portfolio performance, product development, and service.
• Ensure underwriting and operational excellence. Maintain compliance with underwriting authorities, guidelines, procedures, documentation standards, regulatory requirements, and established workflows.

Skills

Life Sciences underwriting

Broker relationships

Leadership coaching

Analytical skills

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Ategrity Specialty Insurance Company specializes in property and casualty insurance, with a strong emphasis on the excess and surplus ("E&S") lines market, partnering with brokers and wholesale agents throughout the U.S. to provide insurance solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our aim is to establish ourselves as the premier E&S carrier by combining robust technical underwriting, intelligent operational efficiencies, sound risk management, and deep specialization. Central to this strategy is productized underwriting; translating deep underwriting expertise into repeatable, scalable, and data-driven underwriting frameworks that enable consistent decision‑making and disciplined execution.

Ategrity is a proactive, data‑obsessed organization with a culture focused on execution and continuous improvement. By combining technical underwriting with clearly defined appetite, pricing, segmentation, workflows, and technology, we are able to scale underwriting expertise while maintaining discipline and speed. Our team is comprised of individuals who act with determination, accountability, and conviction to establish our “right to win” in the SME market.

The Assistant Vice President (AVP), Underwriting – Life Sciences is a market‑facing underwriting role responsible for underwriting and managing new and renewal Life Sciences business, developing strong broker relationships, and contributing to the profitable growth and performance of the portfolio.

The AVP will combine deep Life Sciences underwriting expertise with strong commercial judgment and production capabilities to identify, evaluate, price, negotiate, and close complex risks. The role will manage an assigned book, territory, or broker portfolio within established underwriting authority and appetite while maintaining accountability for premium, profitability, retention, rate, and new business objectives.

This position will also contribute to portfolio management and the continued development of Ategrity’s Life Sciences capabilities. The AVP will serve as a technical resource, provide coaching and guidance to underwriters, and partner across the organization to strengthen underwriting execution, product capabilities, and market presence.

Key Responsibilities

• Underwrite and manage Life Sciences business. Underwrite complex new and renewal accounts within established authority, guidelines, and risk appetite, determining appropriate risk selection, pricing, limits, retentions, terms, conditions, and coverage structure.
• Own book performance. Manage an assigned book, territory, or broker portfolio to established premium, profitability, retention, rate, and new business objectives while monitoring performance, trends, exposures, and emerging issues.
• Drive profitable growth. Develop and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified opportunities and execute transactions with wholesale and retail brokers while maintaining disciplined risk selection, pricing, terms, and conditions.
• Provide technical underwriting expertise. Evaluate complex Life Sciences risks and provide technical guidance across pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, clinical research, healthcare technology, and related sectors.
• Lead broker and market development. Develop and strengthen relationships with wholesale and retail brokers, proactively market Ategrity’s Life Sciences capabilities and appetite, and identify opportunities to expand relationships, submission flow, and conversion.
• Maintain a strong market presence. Represent Ategrity in broker and client meetings, industry conferences, and market events while staying current on market conditions, competitor activity, pricing trends, and emerging Life Sciences exposures.
• Support portfolio management. Analyze portfolio and account performance to identify trends, concentrations, opportunities, and areas requiring corrective action, and contribute to underwriting and portfolio reviews.
• Advance underwriting capabilities. Contribute to the development and refinement of underwriting guidelines, risk appetite, products, forms, tools, and processes as the Life Sciences business grows.
• Lead and develop underwriting talent. Manage and support underwriters, provide coaching and technical guidance, and share Life Sciences underwriting knowledge and market expertise across the organization.
• Collaborate across the organization. Partner with Claims, Actuarial, Legal, Operations, Underwriting Associates, Product, and underwriting leadership to support sound underwriting decisions, portfolio performance, product development, and service.
• Ensure underwriting and operational excellence. Maintain compliance with underwriting authorities, guidelines, procedures, documentation standards, regulatory requirements, and established workflows.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
• Minimum of 7 years of commercial insurance underwriting experience, with significant experience underwriting complex casualty and/or package business.
• Demonstrated expertise in Life Sciences underwriting, including experience with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, clinical research, or related risks.
• Strong technical knowledge of relevant coverages and exposures, which may include products liability, general liability/premises operations, auto, property, workers’ compensation, umbrella/excess liability, and related specialty coverages.
• Experience underwriting products liability, including claims‑made coverage structures.
• Demonstrated track record of underwriting profitable new and renewal business and managing an assigned book or territory.
• Proven ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with retail and wholesale brokers.
• Experience managing, coaching, or providing technical guidance to underwriters.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, negotiation, and relationship‑management skills.
• Ability to travel as business needs require.
• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match
• Paid time off and company holidays
• Collaborative and inclusive work environment with opportunities for career growth and advancement

Ategrity Specialty Insurance Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity in the workplace. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.