Director, Personal Insurance, Underwriting Practices

The Hartford; Hartford (CT); Hybrid; USD 126,000 - 189,000; Full time

Job summary

The Hartford Personal Insurance is seeking an experienced leader to head our Underwriting Practices Team. This role leads a team of five responsible for guidelines, policies and general practices across Auto, Home and Personal Umbrella to drive consistent underwriting decisions.

The successful candidate will show talent management, thought leadership, and execution excellence, with a proven ability to implement change, balance growth with profitability, and partner across functions to raise the

Qualifications

• 10+ years of Property & Casualty (P&C) Insurance Underwriting experience with portfolio, profitability and risk assessment.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience including coaching and developing underwriting professionals.
• Bachelor's degree preferred; professional designations encouraged (CPCU/AU/ARM).
• Experience in Personal Lines and/or Small Commercial/Small Business lines.
• Proven ability to deliver against strategic and operational objectives.
• Strong change leadership and transformation experience.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and process improvements.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Underwriting Practices team (5 people) overseeing guidelines and policies for Auto, Home, and Personal Umbrella.
• Translate strategic plans into underwriting practices and operational decisions.
• Ensure guideline adherence, manage regulatory requirements, and deployment via internal systems.
• Partner with stakeholders to balance growth, profitability, and service quality.
• Develop training and talent pipelines for underwriting staff.

Skills

Leadership

Talent management

Strategic thinking

Change management

Project management

Communication

Analytical

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Industry certifications (CPCU/AU/ARM)

Job description

Dir Underwriting - UA06DE

We’re determined to make a difference and are proud to be an insurance company that goes well beyond coverages and policies. Working here means having every opportunity to achieve your goals – and to help others accomplish theirs, too. Join our team as we help shape the future.

The Hartford Personal Insurance is seeking an experienced leader to lead our Underwriting Practices Team. This leader will lead a team of 5 responsible for the guidelines, policies, and general practices of all underwriting across Auto, Home, and Personal Umbrella.

A successful candidate will need to demonstrate a strong history of successful talent management, thought leadership in Underwriting contexts, and execution excellence.

Financial Performance

• Direct Underwriting appetite, processes, and procedures to target annual financial plan goals.
• Translate strategic plans into Underwriting Practices.
• Respond to business needs to balance growth and profitability.
• Consult with all levels of internal partners regarding underwriting policy and practice.
• Evolve practices to reflect changing external environment.
• Enable growth through targeted revisions to practices.

Underwriting Strategy

• Develop strategy that guides Underwriting Practices, operational decisions, and underwriting perspective to underwriting team and internal partners.
• Contribute to Invest agenda to achieve business unit goals.
• Responsible for a high level of service to all customers, emphasizing customer centricity in all practices.
• Ensure that underwriting practices and guidelines are understood and adhered to, specifically focusing on price, risk selection, mix of business, flow management and quality analysis.
• Execution oversight for publishing of guidelines, managing regulatory requirements, and deployment of guidelines through internal systems.
• Contribution to the development of appetite that guides all underwriting decisions.

Leadership And Talent Development

• Determine and ensure delivery of training and development based on individual and department needs.
• Coach, develop and provide feedback to Underwriting Practices team members.
• Performance management, coaching, and development for Underwriting Practices talent.
• Establishes pipeline of talent to support the attraction, selection and development of high caliber, diverse talent from within and/or outside the organization.
• Participates in creation of strategic staffing plans to support the profitable growth of the business while also providing development opportunities for employees.
• Responsible for managing and developing direct reports as well as working closely with the leadership team to ensure completion of meaningful development opportunities for employees.
• Executes on Employee Survey Action Items as a result of annual survey outcomes.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of Property & Casualty (P&C) Insurance Underwriting experience with a demonstrated track record of success in underwriting operations, portfolio management, risk assessment, profitability management, and agency/broker relationship development. Candidates should possess deep industry knowledge and a strong understanding of underwriting principles, market trends, regulatory considerations, and business performance drivers.
• 3+ years of people leadership experience, including leading, coaching, mentoring, and developing underwriting professionals and/or cross-functional teams. Proven ability to build high-performing teams, drive accountability, foster employee engagement, and create a culture focused on collaboration, execution, and continuous improvement.
• Bachelor's degree preferred, but not required, in Business, Finance, Risk Management, Insurance, Economics, or a related field. Equivalent professional experience within Property & Casualty Insurance, Underwriting, Operations, or Leadership roles will also be considered. Candidates with relevant industry certifications such as CPCU, AU, ARM, or similar professional designations are encouraged to apply, as these credentials demonstrate a commitment to continued professional development and expertise within the insurance industry.
• Experience in Personal Lines and/or Small Commercial/Small Business Insurance preferred. Candidates should bring a strong understanding of product strategy, underwriting performance metrics, distribution channels, and customer needs within these segments.
• Demonstrated record of delivering against strategic and operational objectives. Proven ability to establish priorities, execute business plans, manage competing demands, and consistently achieve key performance, growth, profitability, and service objectives.
• Strong change leadership and organizational transformation experience. Ability to successfully lead teams through periods of change, influence stakeholders at multiple levels, drive adoption of new processes and technologies, and effectively communicate vision, expectations, and outcomes.
• Project management experience preferred, including leading cross-functional initiatives, process improvement efforts, operational transformation projects, technology implementations, or business process redesign efforts. Ability to manage timelines, stakeholders, risks, and deliverables while ensuring successful execution and measurable business impact.
• Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and influence skills, with the ability to partner effectively across underwriting, product, claims, operations, technology, and executive leadership teams to drive business results and strategic initiatives.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities, with the ability to leverage data, performance metrics, and market insights to make informed business decisions and identify opportunities for growth, efficiency, and continuous improvement.

Additional Information

This role can have a Hybrid or Remote work schedule. Candidates who live near one of our office locations will have the expectation of working in an office 3 days a week (Tuesday through Thursday).Candidates who do not live near an office will have a remote work schedule, with the expectation of coming into an office as business needs arise.

Compensation

The listed annualized base pay range is primarily based on analysis of similar positions in the external market. Actual base pay could vary and may be above or below the listed range based on factors including but not limited to performance, proficiency and demonstration of competencies required for the role. The base pay is just one component of The Hartford’s total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include short-term or annual bonuses, long-term incentives, and on-the-spot recognition. The annualized base pay range for this role is:
$126,000 - $189,000

Equal Opportunity Employer/Sex/Race/Color/Veterans/Disability/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity or Expression/Religion/Age