Underwriting Director/Senior Director: Property - Northeast

Markel; New York (NY); On-site; USD 153,000 - 369,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with employer match

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Paid time off and holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Markel is seeking a seasoned Director/ Sr Director of Underwriting to lead strategic development and execution of underwriting goals across property lines. You will guide risk selection, pricing, and portfolio management, while coaching a team of underwriters and coordinating with actuarial, product, and claims groups.

The role emphasizes leadership, profitability, and relationship building with brokers and internal partners, with travel up to 25% and a focus on Best Practices and high-quality

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; CPCU designation preferred.
• Approximately 15 years of property underwriting experience.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring underwriters and staff.
• Strong technical judgment in risk selection, pricing, and property underwriting decisions.
• Strong broker relationships and communication, analytical, and time-management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, CAT modeling systems, and other underwriting systems; CoPilot/AI is a plus.
• Ability to travel ~25% when appropriate.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute regional underwriting strategies in coordination with leadership.
• Underwrite new and renewal property business within delegated authority.
• Guide risk selection and pricing across small, middle market, and large property risks.
• Lead underwriters and support staff; build a collaborative team culture.
• Monitor underwriting quality and ensure alignment with strategy and standards.
• Build relationships with wholesale brokers and coordinate solutions with cross-functional teams.

Skills

Underwriting leadership

Risk assessment

Pricing decisions

Mentoring underwriters

Broker relationships

Travel readiness

AI/CoPilot familiarity

Education

Bachelor’s degree

CPCU designation

Tools

Microsoft Office

CAT modeling systems

Underwriting systems

CoPilot/AI experience

Job description

What part will you play? If you’re looking for a place where you can make a meaningful difference, you’ve found it.

The work we do at Markel gives people the confidence to move forward and seize opportunities, and you’ll find your fit amongst our global community of optimists and problem-solvers. We’re always pushing each other to go further because we believe that when we realize our potential, we can help others reach theirs. Join us and play your part in something special! The primary purpose of this position is to lead and implement the strategic development and execution of organizational goals and objectives. Exhibit extensive knowledge of the insurance industry and business operations across all product lines with proven success with new product and new business development. Provide leadership, direction and support to underwriting teams and/or direct reports. Is responsible for underwriting, profitability, growth and retention of new and renewal business that is consistent with underwriting strategies. Manage territorial underwriting functions to achieve profit, revenue, loss ratio, and expense targets. Ensure effective execution of Best Practices. In conjunction with the Regional President and PLL Leadership delegate underwriting authority to staff via letters of authority; monitor and revise as appropriate. Ensure a quality underwriting work product is produced consistent with letters of authority, underwriting strategy, standards and process. Provide coaching and training for underwriting staff based on results of underwriting audit review. Works with the Dir, Operations to ensure that all processing and service standards are met. Communicate identified agency production, training or quality issues to Marketing. Develop and maintain relationships with internal resources (PLL, Claim, Premium Audit etc.) to coordinate the services to customers. Demonstrates the ability to build partnerships with other business groups and identifies and delivers agency and product solutions. Maintains an understanding of all Markel products, services and solutions and initiates discussions with other business units as appropriate.

Strategy

• Develop and execute regional business, underwriting, and marketing strategies in coordination with Regional Product Lead and Product Line Leadership.
• Manage underwriting activities to meet profit, premium, production, loss ratio, expense, growth, revenue, and retention objectives.
• Drive practical change and innovation, adjusting priorities as business needs evolve.

Underwriting and Portfolio Management

• Underwrite new and renewal primary and excess property business within delegated authority and established rules, rates, forms, guidelines, and philosophy.
• Guide risk selection and pricing across small, middle market, and large property risks.
• Review unusual or complex risks, identify needed research, consult leadership, and approve risks above an underwriter’s authority when within this role’s authority.

People Leadership

• Lead property underwriters and underwriting support staff, balancing workloads and staffing needs.
• Build a professional, accountable, collaborative team culture.
• Coach and develop associates in underwriting, marketing, broker management, and relationship skills; provide career planning, feedback, training, and performance evaluation.

Quality, Operations, and Service

• Monitor unit performance and underwriting quality through periodic audits.
• Ensure work products align with letters of authority, strategy, standards, and processes and provide targeted coaching based on underwriter results.

Collaboration and Market Relationships

• Build and maintain productive, significant relationships with wholesale brokers and other customers.
• Manage underwriters to achieve required broker results.
• Work with the Regional Product Lead to coordinate solutions with Actuarial, Product Leadership, Claims, Business Development, IT, and other workgroups.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; CPCU designation preferred.
• Approximately 15 years of property underwriting experience required, including significant expertise with all risk segment sizes, wholesale brokers, primary and excess deals, manuscript policies and reinsurance agreements, and CAT modeling.
• Demonstrated experience managing and mentoring underwriters and support staff.
• Strong technical judgment in risk selection, pricing, and property underwriting decisions.
• Strong broker relationships along with customer service, communication, analytical, and time-management skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, CAT modeling systems, and other underwriting systems. CoPilot experience or other AI systems experience is a plus.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a flexible business environment and travel approximately 25% when appropriate.

US Work Authorization

US Work Authorization required. Markel does not provide visa sponsorship for this position, now or in the future.

Pay information~

The salary range for the Director, Underwriter position is $152,600 - $318,00 and the Sr. Director, Underwriter is $177,100-$368,900. The posted salary range reflects the lowest and highest base salary applicable to this role across our U.S. locations. Individual offers are determined based on geographic location, experience, qualifications, internal equity, and other job-related factors. As a result, the salary offered for a specific location will fall within a narrower range than the overall range displayed in this posting. This position may also be eligible to participate in the Company's annual incentive plan.

Who we are~

Markel Group (NYSE – MKL) a fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory and investment operations around the world.

We’re all about people | We win together | We strive for better

We enjoy the everyday | We think further

What’s in it for you~

• We offer competitive benefit programs that help meet our diverse and changing environment as well as support our employees’ needs at all stages of life.
• All full-time employees have the option to select from multiple health, dental and vision insurance plan options and optional life, disability, and AD&D insurance.
• We also offer a 401(k) with employer match contributions, an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, PTO, corporate holidays and floating holidays, parental leave.

Are you ready to play your part?

Markel is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of any protected characteristic. This includes race; color; sex; religion; creed; national origin or place of birth; ancestry; age; disability; affectional or sexual orientation; gender expression or identity; genetic information, sickle cell trait, or atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait; refusal to submit to genetic tests or make genetic test results available; medical condition; citizenship status; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, familial status, or family responsibilities; military or veteran status, including unfavorable discharge from military service; personal appearance, height, or weight; matriculation or political affiliation; expunged juvenile records; arrest and court records where prohibited by applicable law; status as a victim of domestic or sexual violence; public assistance status; order of protection status; status as a smoker or nonsmoker; membership or activity in local commissions; the use or nonuse of lawful products off employer premises during non-work hours; declining to attend meetings or participate in communications about religious or political matters; or any other classification protected by applicable law.