Director of Underwriting Appetite and Standards

The Jacobson Group; United States; On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The Jacobson Group seeks a Director of Underwriting Appetite and Standards to lead enterprise-wide underwriting excellence. This senior role reports to the VP of Underwriting Appetite and Standards and shapes risk selection and decision quality across all lines of business.

You will develop guidelines for Small Business, Middle Market, and Large Commercial portfolios, oversee high-severity referrals, and drive QA programs to improve consistency and training through governance and performance

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field; master’s preferred; CPCU strongly preferred.
• 8+ years of progressive underwriting experience across commercial lines.
• Strong knowledge of risk assessment, regulatory compliance, and governance.

Responsibilities

• Develop, review, and update underwriting guidelines across all portfolios.
• Oversee complex and high-severity referrals using advanced technical judgment.
• Lead enterprise-wide QA assessments including file reviews and trend analysis.
• Partner with underwriting training to deliver technical training modules.
• Establish underwriting governance, referral levels, and documentation standards.

Skills

Leadership

Analytical thinking

Regulatory knowledge

Governance

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

CPCU designation

Job description

The client is seeking a Director of Underwriting Appetite and Standards to strengthen its underwriting leadership team. This senior leadership role reports directly to the Vice President of Underwriting Appetite and Standards and provides enterprise-wide technical underwriting expertise. The Director will serve as a key technical authority to support profitable growth through consistent risk selection, high-quality underwriting decisions, and efficient referral workflows across all lines of business.

Key responsibilities include developing, reviewing, and updating underwriting guidelines to ensure clarity and alignment across Small Business, Middle Market, and Large Commercial portfolios. The role also oversees complex and high-severity underwriting referrals by applying advanced technical judgment, and it conducts enterprise-wide quality assurance assessments, including file reviews and targeted initiatives, to evaluate accuracy, consistency, and adherence to underwriting standards. Findings are analyzed to identify trends, gaps, and training opportunities, which are then communicated to underwriting leaders and teams; the Director will partner with underwriting training to create and deliver technical training modules informed by QA insights, appetite considerations, and growth initiatives.

The Director supports strategic initiatives by providing technical underwriting expertise for new products, market expansion, and process improvements, while monitoring market conditions, industry trends, and regulatory updates to help ensure practices remain compliant and competitive. Additional duties include assisting in establishing and maintaining underwriting governance structures such as referral authority levels, exclusion criteria, and documentation standards, and leading and developing a team of underwriting professionals to foster technical growth and operational excellence. The role requires a bachelor’s degree in a related field, with a master’s degree preferred, and a CPCU designation strongly preferred, along with 8+ years of progressive underwriting experience across relevant commercial insurance lines, strong technical knowledge of risk assessment and regulatory compliance, demonstrated governance of underwriting standards and appetite, strong analytical decision-making skills, and leadership experience managing and mentoring underwriting teams.