Senior Director, Underwriting Strategy & Governance

PML Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company; United States; On-site; USD 175,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Penn Mutual in the United States is seeking a Director of Underwriting Strategy & Governance to lead advanced underwriting initiatives, mentor senior underwriters, and elevate training and governance across the organization.

You will serve as an SME for complex risk decisions, collaborate with Medical, Actuarial, Product, and Compliance teams, and support modernization efforts with new tools and AI-enabled capabilities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent related work experience required.
• Master’s Degree or MBA preferred.
• 10+ years of life underwriting experience.
• Demonstrated underwriting signing authority of $20M, including experience with complex case design and advanced sales.
• Professional designations ACS, ALU, FLMI, FALU, or CLU (or progress toward one or more designations) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Mentor and coach underwriters to strengthen technical expertise, judgment, and consistency in underwriting decisions.
• Develop, enhance, and deliver underwriting training programs in partnership with underwriting leadership and governance teams.
• Reinforce underwriting standards, documentation expectations, and governance discipline through coaching, feedback, and education.
• Support the Associate (VP) Chief Underwriter in executing underwriting strategy, governance standards, and policy changes.
• Participate in underwriting governance initiatives and forums by providing technical input, analysis, and implementation support.
• Participate in underwriting quality review and audit activities, including case reviews and outcomes analysis, to identify trends and improvement opportunities.
• Assist in resolving complex underwriting issues and systemic challenges, escalating insights and recommendations as appropriate.
• Participate in underwriting projects and initiatives supporting the business plan, including process improvements, technology adoption, and vendor solution implementation.
• Support underwriting modernization efforts by helping underwriters adopt new tools, automation, and enhanced workflows.
• Collaborate with internal partners (e.g., Medical, Actuarial, Product, Reinsurance, Distribution, Compliance, Operations) as needed, while not owning operational management.
• Reinforce the responsible use of AI and advanced analytics in underwriting through training support, documentation standards, and quality controls.
• Serve as a senior underwriting SME, providing guidance on complex risk assessments while ensuring adherence to underwriting standards and philosophy.
• Review referrals and provide underwriting decisions and signatures within delegated authority, including large, complex, and jumbo cases.
• Provide limited production underwriting support as needed, without ownership of day-to-day case flow or operational queues.

Skills

Life underwriting

Mentoring & coaching

Training program development

Governance & standards

Stakeholder collaboration

AI in underwriting

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree or MBA preferred

Tools

Underwriting software

AI tools

Job description

Penn Mutual in the United States is seeking a Director of Underwriting Strategy & Governance to lead advanced underwriting initiatives, mentor senior underwriters, and elevate training and governance across the organization.

You will serve as an SME for complex risk decisions, collaborate with Medical, Actuarial, Product, and Compliance teams, and support modernization efforts with new tools and AI-enabled capabilities.