Product Lead - Pest Control Program

Ryan Specialty; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 168,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Ryan Specialty in Chicago seeks a Product Head for Pest Control Program to lead underwriting strategy, portfolio performance, and growth. You will align capital, governance, and partnerships while driving profitability and operational excellence.

Reporting to the MGU President/Managing Director, you will build teams, mentor underwriters, and collaborate with actuarial, analytics, and distribution partners to position the program for sustainable expansion across markets.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Risk Management, Insurance, Finance, or related field.
• 10+ years of commercial property and casualty underwriting experience.
• Experience managing specialized program business and MGA/MGU portfolios.
• Proven track record of profitable underwriting portfolios and growth initiatives.
• Experience with carrier, reinsurance, and capital provider relationships.
• Experience leading underwriting teams.
• Experience in pest control, environmental services, or related niche programs preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute underwriting strategy for Pest Control Program.
• Own portfolio performance: premium growth, retention, pricing, and loss ratio.
• Establish guidelines, authorities, referral structures, and governance.
• Monitor market conditions and refine underwriting strategy.
• Lead underwriting execution and talent development.
• Manage carrier and capital provider relationships.

Skills

Commercial underwriting

Leadership

Portfolio management

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Risk Management, Insurance, Finance, or related field

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Position Summary

The Product Head, Pest Control Program is responsible for the overall underwriting, portfolio, and business performance of Ryan Specialty's Pest Control Program. This leader develops and executes the underwriting strategy, aligns talent and capital resources, and oversees portfolio performance to drive sustainable growth and profitability. Working closely with the MGU President/Managing Director, the Product Head serves as the strategic owner of the product, ensuring underwriting discipline, data integrity, profitability, and operational excellence. This role builds and maintains key internal and external partnerships, provides transparency through robust reporting and portfolio management, and supports the continued growth and evolution of the program. The successful candidate combines deep commercial insurance underwriting expertise with strong business acumen, market insight, leadership capability, and an entrepreneurial mindset to deliver exceptional results while fostering a culture aligned with Ryan Specialty's values.

What will your job entail?

Product Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Develop and execute the underwriting strategy for the Pest Control Program, ensuring alignment with carrier and capital provider appetite, growth objectives, profitability targets, and loss ratio expectations.
• Own overall product portfolio performance, including premium growth, retention, new business production, loss ratio results, geographic distribution, class mix, and underwriting quality.
• Establish and maintain underwriting guidelines, authorities, referral structures, and governance processes.
• Monitor market conditions, competitive trends, emerging exposures, and loss drivers to refine underwriting strategy and product positioning.
• Identify opportunities for product enhancements, geographic expansion, coverage innovation, and profitable growth.
• Partner with actuarial and analytics teams to develop and enhance pricing methodologies, rating tools, and portfolio performance monitoring.
• Serve as the first line of defense for underwriting compliance, portfolio oversight, and underwriting governance.

Underwriting Performance & Talent Leadership

• Lead underwriting execution and ensure adherence to underwriting strategy across the portfolio.
• Drive accountability for production, pricing adequacy, profitability, and service standards.
• Recruit, develop, mentor, and retain top underwriting talent.
• Establish underwriting authorities and succession plans that support sustainable growth and operational scalability.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.

Capital & Carrier Relationships

• Partner with carrier and reinsurance partners to ensure alignment on portfolio performance, underwriting appetite, and strategic objectives.
• Present portfolio results, performance trends, and business plans to capital providers and executive leadership.
• Help identify and secure bespoke capital arrangements or program structures when appropriate.
• Support stewardship activities and maintain strong relationships with carrier, reinsurance, and capital partners.

Business & Strategic Partnership Management

• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with third‑party administrators (TPAs), inspection vendors, technology providers, data partners, and other service providers critical to program success.
• Collaborate with shared service partners across Ryan Specialty, including actuarial, compliance, legal, finance, operations, claims, and technology teams.
• Share insights, market intelligence, portfolio trends, and best practices across the broader Ryan Specialty platform.

Reporting, Analytics & Governance

• Establish and maintain key portfolio metrics that provide transparency into product performance and portfolio health.
• Ensure data quality, reporting integrity, and consistency across underwriting, operational, and financial reporting.
• Monitor production activity, renewal retention, loss trends, and forecast performance.
• Provide timely and accurate reporting to executive leadership, capital providers, and other stakeholders.
• Support strategic planning, forecasting, and annual operating plan development for the business.

Distribution & Market Development

• Partner with distribution leaders, brokers, and key producers to support profitable growth initiatives.
• Act as a subject matter expert and market‑facing representative for the Pest Control Program.
• Lead product‑specific marketing and business development efforts.
• Support agency, broker, and carrier relationship management activities as needed.
• Represent the program at industry events, conferences, and client meetings.

Qualifications

• Education Bachelor's degree in Risk Management, Insurance, Business Administration, Finance, or a related field required. Master's degree preferred.
• Experience 10+ years of commercial property and casualty underwriting experience.
• Significant experience managing specialized program business, MGA/MGU portfolios, or niche commercial insurance products.
• Proven success leading profitable underwriting portfolios and driving growth initiatives.
• Experience working with carrier, reinsurance, and capital provider relationships.
• Experience leading underwriting teams and developing underwriting talent.
• Experience within pest control, environmental services, contractors, service industries, or related specialty program business strongly preferred.

Ryan Specialty is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building and sustaining a diverse workforce throughout the organization. Our vision is an inclusive and equitable workplace where all employees are valued for and evaluated on their performance and contributions. Differences in race, creed, color, religious beliefs, physical or mental capabilities, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation and many other characteristics bring together varied perspectives and add value to the service we provide our clients, trading partners, and communities. This policy extends to all aspects of our employment practices, including but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, discipline, firing, promoting, transferring, compensation, benefits, training, leaves of absence, and other terms, conditions, and benefits of employment.

How We Support Our Teammates

Ryan Specialty seeks to offer our employees a comprehensive and best‑in‑class benefits package that helps them — and their family members — achieve their physical, financial, and emotional well‑being goals. In addition to paid time off for company holidays, vacation, sick and personal days, Ryan offers paid parental leave, mental health services and more.

The target salary range for this position is $168,000.00 - $210,000.00 annually. The wage range for this role considers many factors, such as training, transferable skills, work experience, licensure and certification, business needs, and market demands. The pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. Full‑time roles are eligible for bonuses and benefits. For additional information on Ryan Specialty Total Rewards, visit our website https://benefits.ryansg.com/.

We provide individuals with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment in accordance with applicable law. Please contact us to request an accommodation at [e-mail].

A multi‑time winner of Newsweek’s Most Loved Workplaces and Insurance Business’s Top Insurance Employers, Ryan Specialty is home to some of the brightest talent in the insurance industry. Join our team and help provide innovative solutions for insurance brokers, agents and carriers.

Talent Network

Not seeing the right job opening? To learn more about future opportunities Introduce yourself and join our talent network Benefits Curious about Ryan Specialty’s benefits? Explore our employee benefits here! Ryan Specialty, LLC and its affiliates (“Ryan Specialty”) do not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles submitted by any staffing agencies, placement services or professional recruiters (“Agencies”), including any submissions made through our website or to email accounts of Ryan Specialty employees. Agencies must be registered in Ryan Specialty’s agency portal and have a fully executed contract for service between the Agency and the Agency. Agency fee agreements will only be valid if provided in such fully executed contract between the Agency and the Agency. Any unsolicited resume or candidate profile received from an Agency without prior approval from Ryan Specialty’s HR department and in compliance with Ryan Specialty’s candidate submission process shall be considered unsolicited, gratuitous and property of Ryan Specialty for recruiting purposes and, as such, is not subject to payment of any Agency fees.