Program Lead, Insurance

Etude; United States; Remote; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Etude is seeking a Program Lead to build and own our specialty program portfolio. You will define strategy, establish relationships with program administrators and MGAs, and guide programs from concept to launch and scaling.

This is a senior hunter role with P&L accountability across commercial property and casualty lines. You will be supported by an AI-enabled platform, engineers, actuarial/insurance product teams, and a fully integrated claims function, with remote work in the US and regular

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in commercial P&C.
• Proven track record launching and scaling multiple programs with premium growth and favorable loss ratios.
• Established senior-level relationships across insurance carriers, fronting carriers, reinsurers, and program admins.
• Proven experience managing P&L for a program or portfolio, incl. budget oversight and profitability targets.
• Deep knowledge of commercial property coverage, risk rating, and underwriting guidelines.
• Executive-level negotiation skills in structuring program agreements, capacity commitments, and profit-sharing terms.
• Proven experience recruiting, managing, and leading program, underwriting, or business development teams.
• Proactive hunter mindset with a commitment to personally prospecting and closing deals.
• Active P&C license preferred.
• Willingness to travel 30% to 40%.

Responsibilities

• Set strategy and win new programs by defining growth strategy, pursuing partners, and evaluating market opportunities.
• Personally source and close major program opportunities through network of administrators, MGAs, wholesalers, and associations.
• Lead executive negotiations on commissions, profit sharing, underwriting authority, and multi-year terms.
• Own program business plans, premium projections, and loss-ratio targets presented to carriers and the board.
• Establish appetite, guidelines, rating structures, and authority levels with underwriting and actuarial teams.
• Oversee due diligence, contract execution, regulatory filings, and launch across legal, compliance, product, and operations teams.
• Manage the program portfolio P&L, including written premium, loss ratio, profit sharing, and expenses.
• Conduct executive business reviews and address performance variances with partners and carriers.
• Drive expansion into new regions and classes, recruit and lead program managers and BD staff.
• Represent the business in the market at panels and industry events; advise on competitor activity and partnerships.

Skills

Commercial P&C

Program leadership

P&L management

Executive negotiations

Carrier network

Risk underwriting

Job description

About the business

Etude operates in insurance, commercial real estate, and industrials. Our insurance business covers more than 5,000 properties with billions of dollars in insured value. Our real estate business owns approximately $1B of commercial property alongside the Kinder Family Office. Our industrial business is developing a multibillion-dollar, 40-acre steelworks to secure the domestic supply chain for electrical infrastructure.

About the team

We are roughly a 100-person team. We hire high-agency people and give them autonomy, responsibility, and diverse problems to work on. We operate with the intensity of a small company where every person’s work is visible and believe responsiveness is a form of respect. If you’re looking for a place to sharpen your craft alongside people who take their work seriously, you’ll fit right in.

About the role

The Program Lead is a senior executive who will build and own our specialty program portfolio. You will define the program strategy and establish relationships with program administrators, MGA agents, and other production sources. You will guide each new program from concept to launch and scaling, owning both its growth and profitability.

This is a senior hunter role with P&L accountability. You will personally source and close the largest opportunities across commercial property and casualty lines, representing our E&S carrier across a variety of business areas. As a new carrier, we are open to exploring various classes of business.

You will be supported by a fully AI-enabled platform, a team of engineers, an actuarial and insurance product department, and a fully integrated claims function.

Location: Remote (US), with regular travel to partners and industry events.

What you’ll do

Set strategy and win new programs

• Define the program growth strategy: determine which classes, states, and partners to pursue or pass on

• Personally source and close major program opportunities through your network of program administrators, MGAs, wholesalers, and industry associations

• Evaluate opportunities based on market size, loss history, distribution reach, and alignment with our risk appetite

• Lead executive-level negotiations regarding commissions, profit sharing, underwriting authority, and multi-year contract terms

Secure capacity and launch

• Own program business plans, premium projections, and loss-ratio targets presented to carriers and the board

• Establish appetite, guidelines, rating structures, and authority levels in collaboration with underwriting and actuarial teams

• Oversee due diligence, contract execution, regulatory filings, and launch execution across legal, compliance, product, and operations teams

Own the P&L and build the team

• Manage the program portfolio P&L, including written premium, loss ratio, profit sharing, and expenses

• Conduct executive business reviews with partners and carriers, proactively addressing performance variances

• Drive expansion into new geographic regions, adjacent business classes, and additional coverage offerings

• Recruit, mentor, and lead program managers and business development staff as the portfolio expands

Represent the business in the market

• Serve as the public representative for the company in the program market, including participating in panel discussions and industry events

• Advise the executive team on competitor activity, market capacity, pricing trends, and potential strategic partnerships or M&A opportunities

What you bring

• 15+ years of experience in commercial P&C, with at least 8 years focused on program business at an MGA, program administrator, carrier program unit, or wholesale broker

• Demonstrated track record of launching and scaling multiple programs with proven premium growth and favorable loss ratios

• Established senior-level relationships across insurance carriers, fronting carriers, reinsurers, and program administrators

• Proven experience managing P&L for a program or portfolio, including budget oversight and achieving profitability targets

• Deep knowledge of commercial property coverage, risk rating, and underwriting guidelines

• Executive-level negotiation skills in structuring program agreements, capacity commitments, and profit-sharing terms

• Proven experience recruiting, managing, and leading program, underwriting, or business development teams

• Proactive hunter mindset with a commitment to personally prospecting and closing deals

• Active P&C license preferred

• Willingness to travel 30% to 40%

Nice to have

• Background in underwriting leadership prior to transitioning into program development

• Experience establishing a new MGA or program unit from inception

• Professional designations such as CPCU, CIC, or ARM

• Board or committee participation in TMPAA, AAMGA, or similar industry associations

• Experience in high-growth environment

Employment at Etude is contingent upon a satisfactory verification of a general and criminal background check.