Commercial Lines Strategy & Underwriting Leader

Selective Insurance; Short Hills (NJ); On-site; USD 184,000 - 238,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care plans

Retirement savings plan with company 1

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Tuition assistance and reimbursement

20 days of paid time off

Job summary

Selective Insurance in New Jersey seeks an experienced underwriting leader to oversee four strategic business unit portfolios within standard commercial lines. You will guide a team of subject matter experts, work with regional leaders, and shape underwriting strategies to drive growth and profitability.

All duties comply with legal requirements. The role emphasizes cross‑department collaboration, external engagement with segment customers, and partnership with product, actuarial, legal, and

Qualifications

• Managing small projects and driving results.
• Excellent customer service, networking and relationship building.
• Strong sales, negotiation and presentation skills.
• Proven leadership capability and ability to drive teams.

Responsibilities

• Set and advance underwriting strategy for each unit's market segments.
• Generate insights to drive growth and profitability across segments.
• Monitor external factors and mitigate risk while staying competitive.
• Identify opportunities for expansion and collaborate with product teams.
• Lead a team of subject matter experts and coach them daily.
• Provide underwriting expertise on complex, high-exposure risks.
• Maintain field presence to gather input from regional teams and agents.
• Partner with actuarial, analytics, claims, legal and compliance teams.

Skills

Project management

Customer service

Networking

Relationship building

Sales

Negotiation

Problem solving

Presentation skills

Leadership

Education

College degree preferred

Job description

Selective Insurance in New Jersey seeks an experienced underwriting leader to oversee four strategic business unit portfolios within standard commercial lines. You will guide a team of subject matter experts, work with regional leaders, and shape underwriting strategies to drive growth and profitability.

All duties comply with legal requirements. The role emphasizes cross‑department collaboration, external engagement with segment customers, and partnership with product, actuarial, legal, and