Director, Underwriting Operations & Strategy

Markel; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 163,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with employer match

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

PTO and holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Markel is seeking a Director/Senior Director of Underwriting Operations & Strategy in the United States to lead underwriting operations, drive technology and automation initiatives, and align with PLLs and regional leadership to optimize profitable portfolios and underwriting execution.

The role bridges underwriting, operations, and enterprise support, delivering data-driven insights, improving workflows, and enabling scalable growth across claims, actuarial, finance, IT, and distribution.

Qualifications

• 10-15+ years of insurance industry experience with underwriting operations, portfolio management, product leadership, or business strategy.
• Deep understanding of underwriting processes, risk management principles, and portfolio performance metrics.
• Proven experience leading cross-functional initiatives involving underwriting, technology, actuarial, claims, finance, and operations.
• Strong analytical, strategic planning, and organizational leadership skills.
• Demonstrated success driving operational transformation, process improvement, and technology adoption.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management abilities, including executive-level presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead underwriting operations and support functions to improve efficiency, consistency, service delivery, and operational performance.
• Establish and monitor key operational metrics, service standards, and workflow performance indicators.
• Drive process improvement initiatives that enhance the underwriting experience and reduce operational friction.
• Identify opportunities for automation, simplification, and scalability across underwriting workflows.
• Act as the primary liaison between underwriting teams and technology organizations.
• Partner with IT and digital teams to develop and implement underwriting tools, workflow solutions, analytics, automation, and AI-enabled capabilities.
• Prioritize technology investments that improve underwriting effectiveness, decision quality, and customer responsiveness.
• Support system enhancements, platform modernization, and data governance initiatives.
• Partner with Product Line Leaders and regional underwriting leaders to execute underwriting strategies and portfolio objectives.
• Facilitate portfolio reviews, performance monitoring, and business planning activities.
• Deliver actionable insights regarding growth opportunities, risk selection, pricing trends, capacity deployment, and profitability.
• Support governance frameworks that align underwriting decisions with risk appetite and business objectives.
• Serve as the primary operational liaison among Underwriting, Claims, Actuarial, Finance, Compliance, Distribution, and IT.
• Coordinate enterprise initiatives requiring cross-functional alignment and execution.
• Ensure underwriting priorities are reflected in strategic planning, operational initiatives, and resource allocation.
• Drive transparency and communication across stakeholder groups.
• Leverage operational and portfolio analytics to identify trends, opportunities, and areas for improvement.
• Develop executive reporting and dashboards to support leadership decision-making.
• Monitor portfolio performance metrics, operational KPIs, and strategic initiative outcomes.
• Promote data-driven decision-making throughout the underwriting organization.
• Support organizational change management and adoption of new processes and technologies.
• Mentor leaders and team members to strengthen operational and strategic capabilities.

Skills

Underwriting operations

Portfolio management

Strategic planning

Executive communication

Data analytics

Leadership

Job description

Markel is seeking a Director/Senior Director of Underwriting Operations & Strategy in the United States to lead underwriting operations, drive technology and automation initiatives, and align with PLLs and regional leadership to optimize profitable portfolios and underwriting execution.

The role bridges underwriting, operations, and enterprise support, delivering data-driven insights, improving workflows, and enabling scalable growth across claims, actuarial, finance, IT, and distribution.