Founding Underwriter

Hedge Specialty; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Equity

Job summary

Hedge is seeking a founding underwriter in San Francisco to blend risk judgment with disciplined product thinking to scale. You will guide agency appetite, improve submission quality, structure placements, and turn underwriting knowledge into repeatable systems.

Base salary ranges $125K–$250K with equity 0.25%–1.50%. Final placement reflects underwriting depth, line expertise, authority, and scope you own.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3+ years of commercial underwriting or related placement experience.
• You can explain decisions clearly and handle ambiguity without reducing underwriting to a checklist.
• Ability to convert tacit knowledge into repeatable processes.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate commercial risks, exposures, controls, and submission quality.
• Match risks to appropriate carrier, MGA, and program appetite.
• Work with agencies and brokers to close information gaps and structure strong submissions.
• Negotiate terms and clearly communicate coverage, conditions, and tradeoffs.
• Build underwriting guidelines, decision tools, and feedback loops into Hedge's platform.
• Track outcomes and improve risk selection, turnaround time, and placement quality.

Skills

Underwriting

Risk assessment

Agency collaboration

Negotiation

Submission quality

Process thinking

Job description

THE OPPORTUNITY

Hedge is hiring a founding underwriter to combine sound risk judgment with the operating discipline and product thinking required to scale. You will help agencies understand appetite, improve submission quality, structure placements, and turn underwriting knowledge into repeatable systems.

COMPENSATION AND OWNERSHIP

Base salary is $125K-$250K. Equity is 0.25%-1.50%. Final placement reflects underwriting depth, line expertise, authority, and the operating scope you can own.

WHAT YOU WILL OWN

• Evaluate commercial risks, exposures, controls, and submission quality




• Match risks to appropriate carrier, MGA, and program appetite




• Work with agencies and brokers to close information gaps and structure strong submissions




• Negotiate terms and clearly communicate coverage, conditions, and tradeoffs




• Build underwriting guidelines, decision tools, and feedback loops into Hedge's platform




• Track outcomes and improve risk selection, turnaround time, and placement quality

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

• First 30 days: master Hedge's current markets, appetite, workflows, and quality gaps




• By day 60: own underwriting and placement decisions for a defined segment




• By day 90: improve submission quality or turnaround time in a measurable way




• In 12 months: help build a scalable underwriting function with trusted judgment and clear economics

WHO THRIVES HERE

You have at least three years of commercial underwriting or closely related placement experience. You can make and explain decisions, handle ambiguity, and turn tacit knowledge into process without reducing underwriting to a checklist.

WHY HEDGE

Hedge is building the operating system for commercial insurance distribution. You will work directly with the founders, own a consequential part of the company, and help define how the function works as we scale. We offer health benefits and meaningful equity.

WORK MODEL

This role is based in San Francisco and works in person with the team six days a week.

INTERVIEW PROCESS

1. Application review




2. A focused introductory conversation




3. A role-specific deep dive




4. A practical underwriting case discussion based on a realistic Hedge scenario




5. Final conversation with the founders

Hedge is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate candidates based on ability, judgment, and potential, and we do not discriminate based on protected characteristics.