Head of Commercial Surety Underwriting

Polikov Recruitment Solutions; United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Polikov Recruitment Solutions is partnering with a leading global specialty insurer to build a scalable Commercial Surety platform. The leader will shape strategy, drive underwriting execution, and foster a culture of autonomy and high performance.

The role emphasizes coaching, talent development, and building regional hubs with trusted decision-making authority. Travel to develop relationships and execute a long-term growth plan is expected.

Qualifications

• Over 10 years in Commercial Surety with progressive leadership roles.
• Proven ability to coach, mentor, and retain underwriting talent.
• Experience building or scaling regional underwriting platforms or teams.
• Strong understanding of bond forms, underwriting risk, portfolio management, and accounting.
• Strategic thinker comfortable with tactical execution and business context.
• Influence-based leadership focusing on autonomy, accountability, and development.
• Excellent communication with underwriters, brokers, clients, and senior leaders.
• Ability to transfer knowledge to grow junior underwriters and teams.
• Judicious delegation, coaching, and timely intervention when needed.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with disciplined underwriting foundation.
• Willingness to travel to build teams and relationships.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Commercial Surety line and shape long-term growth strategy.
• Build multiple regional Commercial Surety hubs over several years.
• Recruit, mentor, and develop high-caliber underwriting talent.
• Foster a culture of trust, authority, and disciplined underwriting.
• Coach underwriters through complex risks and broker/client scenarios.
• Delegate authority to empower regional underwriters to decide.
• Develop and execute a profitable growth plan for the portfolio.
• Maintain profitability, risk quality, and long-term performance.
• Partner with regional leaders and offices to support growth.
• Serve as a senior technical resource on complex accounts and programs.
• Support portfolio reviews, underwriting procedures, and risk tools.
• Collaborate with leadership, home office, reinsurers, and stakeholders.
• Refine guidelines, workflows, and operating procedures as the platform scales.
• Balance growth with underwriting discipline, service, and profitability.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Talent development

Strategic thinking

Team building

Underwriting expertise

Risk assessment

Portfolio management

Stakeholder management

Travel willingness

Job description

Polikov Recruitment specializes in the Surety Bond and Commercial P&C industry. We are partnering with an A+ rated global specialty insurance organization that is making a significant investment in the long-term growth of its Commercial Surety platform.

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for someone who wants to build something the right way.

We are looking for a true Commercial Surety leader and builder. Someone who knows how to coach, mentor, delegate, empower, and attract talented underwriters who want to be part of a modern surety platform.

This role is not simply about producing business or bringing a book of broker relationships.

Those things matter, but they are not the main event.

The right person will be responsible for helping build out multiple regional commercial surety hubs over the next several years. That means identifying the right talent, creating the right structure, developing underwriting confidence across the team, and building a culture where underwriters are trusted to make decisions.

The organization is looking for a leader who believes in field authority, autonomy, accountability, and coaching.

If your leadership style is built around micromanagement, heavy approval chains, or needing to be involved in every decision, this will not be the right fit.

If you believe talented underwriters should be trained well, trusted with authority, coached through mistakes, and empowered to grow, this could be a very compelling opportunity.

About the Opportunity

This person will lead the Commercial Surety line of business with responsibility for strategy, underwriting execution, portfolio management, risk management, profitability, and long-term growth.

The organization is intentionally building a structure that allows regional underwriters to operate with meaningful field authority and a streamlined decision-making process. The goal is to create a better experience for brokers, agents, clients, and internal teams by reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and giving experienced underwriters the ability to make informed decisions closer to the business.

This leader will work closely with senior surety leadership to develop the Commercial Surety strategy, build out regional hubs, support regional leaders, and create a high-performing underwriting culture.

What Makes This Role Different?

This is a people-first leadership role inside a serious Commercial Surety buildout.

The organization is not looking for someone who only wants to sit at the top of the pyramid and approve deals.

They need someone who can build the pyramid.

That means:

• Finding and attracting the right underwriters
• Building regional hubs with the right leadership and underwriting talent
• Creating a culture of trust, authority, and accountability
• Teaching underwriters how to think through risk
• Coaching people through tough decisions
• Delegating authority instead of hoarding it
• Helping the team learn from mistakes without creating fear
• Building a scalable Commercial Surety platform that can grow profitably over time

This is the type of opportunity that should excite a Commercial Surety leader who enjoys building teams, developing people, and creating a culture where strong underwriters can do the best work of their careers.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Commercial Surety line of business and help shape the long-term growth strategy
• Build out multiple regional Commercial Surety hubs over the next several years
• Recruit, attract, mentor, and develop high-caliber Commercial Surety underwriting talent
• Create a culture built around trust, field authority, disciplined underwriting, and accountability
• Coach underwriters through complex risks, underwriting decisions, and broker/client situations
• Delegate authority appropriately and empower regional underwriters to make decisions
• Develop and execute a strategic business plan for profitable Commercial Surety growth
• Maintain responsibility for the profitability, risk quality, and long-term performance of the Commercial Surety portfolio
• Partner with regional bond leaders and field offices to support broker relationships and regional growth
• Serve as a senior technical resource on complex Commercial Surety accounts, bond forms, contracts, referrals, and larger program opportunities
• Support portfolio management, book reviews, underwriting procedures, and risk management tools
• Collaborate with senior surety leadership, home office teams, field offices, reinsurers, and other key stakeholders
• Help refine underwriting guidelines, workflows, authority structures, and operating procedures as the platform scales
• Maintain a strong balance between growth, underwriting discipline, service, and long-term profitability

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 10+ years of progressive Commercial Surety experience
• Strong leadership experience within Commercial Surety or a closely related surety leadership role
• Proven ability to coach, mentor, develop, and retain underwriting talent
• Experience building or scaling teams, regions, territories, or underwriting platforms
• Strong understanding of Commercial Surety underwriting, bond forms, financial analysis, risk selection, portfolio management, and account structure
• Ability to think strategically while still being close enough to the business to support tactical execution
• Comfortable leading through influence, trust, and accountability rather than control and micromanagement
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage underwriters, brokers, clients, senior leaders, and internal partners
• Ability to transfer technical knowledge to the team in a way that helps underwriters grow
• Strong judgment around when to delegate, when to coach, and when to step in
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a disciplined underwriting foundation
• Willingness to travel as needed to build teams, support regional hubs, and develop key relationships

This Role Could Be a Fit If You Believe:

• Great underwriters want authority, not endless layers of approval
• Leaders should coach and develop talent, not control every decision
• Mistakes should become learning opportunities, not reasons to take authority away
• A strong Commercial Surety platform is built through people, culture, underwriting discipline, and trust
• The best teams are built when leaders are willing to transfer knowledge and empower others
• Bureaucracy slows down good underwriters and creates a poor broker/client experience
• Long-term profitability comes from good judgment, strong talent, and clear accountability

Keywords

Surety, Commercial Surety, Underwriting, Underwriter, Leadership, Senior Vice President, Assistant Vice President, Chief Underwriting Office, Regional Vice President, AFSB, Associate in Fidelity and Surety Bonding, Accounting, Finance, Renewable Energy, Data Centers, License and Permit, Commercial Contract Surety, Bond, Bonds, Bonded Programs