Retail Commercial Property Underwriting Director

Shepherd; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 250,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Premium Healthcare

Fertility Benefits

Unlimited PTO

Daily lunches

SF, NYC, Dallas–Fort Worth, Chicago &

Professional Development

401(k) Plan

Dog Friendly Office

Job summary

Shepherd is seeking a Commercial Property Underwriting Leader to build and shape a new retail property vertical nationwide. This role leads strategy, risk; partners with Product, Engineering and Data to scale an AI-enabled underwriting platform.

Based in one of our US offices, you will define the production approach, oversee a team of underwriters, and drive profitable growth while maintaining strong broker relationships and executive presence.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of commercial property underwriting with retail middle market and large accounts.
• Proven profitable growth: quoting, binding, and building a property book while managing loss-ratio targets.
• Strong command of risk selection, COPE analysis, valuation, pricing, coverage, and manuscript forms.
• Hands-on CAT modeling experience (RMS / AIR / Verisk) and disciplined exposure management.
• Established retail broker relationships at regional and national levels.
• People leadership experience leading or managing underwriters, including setting authority and audits.
• Executive presence to present strategy and results to leadership and partners.
• Willingness to travel about 25% to meet brokers and partners.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

• Define the production strategy for retail commercial property, including target classes, TIV bands, geographies, appetite, and growth and loss-ratio targets.
• Support in writing the underwriting guidelines, authority framework, referral rules, and rating approach.
• Partner with Product, Engineering, and Data to design the submission-to-bind workflow, pricing tools, and CAT-exposure views.
• Underwrite new and renewal primary and excess property within your authority.
• Own premium, profit, loss-ratio, retention, and expense results for the vertical.
• Use your retail broker relationships to drive submission flow in the first year, and serve as Shepherd's senior property voice with brokers, clients, and other stakeholders.
• Hire, coach, and grow a team of property underwriters and support staff as the book scales.
• Work with Claims, Actuarial, Customer Experience and Finance so the business is underwritten, serviced, and reported well.

Skills

Commercial property underwriting

Leadership

Retail broker relationships

CAT modeling

Underwriting guidelines

Team leadership

Real estate experience

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

RMS

AIR

Verisk

Job description

Shepherd is seeking a Commercial Property Underwriting Leader to build and shape a new retail property vertical nationwide. This role leads strategy, risk; partners with Product, Engineering and Data to scale an AI-enabled underwriting platform.

Based in one of our US offices, you will define the production approach, oversee a team of underwriters, and drive profitable growth while maintaining strong broker relationships and executive presence.