Vice President, Underwriting Strategy and Portfolio Insights (Hybrid)

Selective Insurance Company of America; Short Hills (NJ); On-site; USD 206,000 - 266,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care plans

Retirement plan with match

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Tuition assistance

20 days paid time off

Job summary

Selective Insurance Company of America is seeking a senior leader to partner with the SVP of Underwriting Strategy to shape enterprise underwriting strategy. This role blends portfolio analytics with cross-functional leadership to identify risks and opportunities and guide performance improvements.

Responsibilities include leading portfolio reviews, translating data into actionable insights, and mentoring a high-performing strategy team while collaborating with underwriting, product, actuarial,

Qualifications

• 10+ years of P&C insurance experience in underwriting, actuarial, portfolio management, pricing, or strategy.
• Strong ability to translate complex data into clear insights.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders across functions.
• Proficient in Power BI, SQL, Python, or R.
• Familiarity with predictive modeling, AI, and ML applications in insurance.

Responsibilities

• Shape and execute enterprise underwriting strategy with SVP.
• Analyze portfolio performance across lines, segments, geographies.
• Identify trends, profitability issues, and risk concentrations.
• Develop strategic recommendations on portfolio mix and pricing.
• Lead portfolio reviews and executive-level reporting.
• Translate performance data into actionable underwriting insights.
• Build analytical frameworks and leading indicators for portfolio health.
• Collaborate across Underwriting, Product, Actuarial, Claims, Finance, Analytics.
• Support strategic initiatives and accountability measures.
• Recruit and develop a high-performing strategy team.

Skills

P&C economics

Portfolio analytics

Strategic leadership

Executive stakeholder management

Analytical communication

Ambiguity tolerance

Underwriting strategy

Portfolio management

Data-driven insights

AI/ML in insurance

Education

Actuarial/Statistics/Economics/Finance/Business/Risk Mgmt degree

10+ years P&C insurance experience

CPCU/FCAS/ACAS/ARM preferred

Tools

Power BI

SQL

Python

R

Job description

About Us

At Selective, we don't just insure uniquely, we employ uniqueness. Selective is a midsized U.S. domestic property and casualty insurance company with a history of strong, consistent financial performance for nearly 100 years. Selective's unique position as both a leading insurance group and an employer of choice is recognized in a wide variety of awards and honors, including listing in Forbes Best Midsize Employers in 2025 and certification as a Great Place to Work® in 2025 for the sixth consecutive year. Employees are empowered and encouraged to Be Uniquely You by being their true, unique selves and contributing their diverse talents, experiences, and perspectives to our shared success. Together, we are a high-performing team working to serve our customers responsibly by helping to mitigate loss, keep them safe, and restore their lives and businesses after an insured loss occurs.

Overview

The Underwriting Strategy & Portfolio Insights Leader is a senior strategic partner to the SVP, Underwriting Strategy, responsible for helping build and lead Selective’s underwriting strategy function. This role combines portfolio analytics, strategic planning, and cross-functional leadership to identify emerging risks and opportunities, guide underwriting strategy, and improve portfolio performance across the enterprise.

All job duties and responsibilities must be carried out in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• 1. Partner with the SVP to shape and execute enterprise underwriting strategy.
• 2. Analyze portfolio performance across lines, segments, geographies, and risk characteristics.
• 3. Identify trends, profitability issues, growth opportunities, concentration risks, and shifts in risk quality.
• 4. Develop strategic recommendations related to portfolio mix, pricing direction, appetite, and performance improvement.
• 5. Lead portfolio reviews, strategic analyses, and executive-level reporting.
• 6. Translate internal performance data and external market intelligence into actionable underwriting insights.
• 7. Build analytical frameworks, leading indicators, and tools to monitor portfolio health.
• 8. Partner across Underwriting, Product, Actuarial, Claims, Finance, Analytics, and regional leadership.
• 9. Support strategic initiatives, execution tracking, and accountability measures.
• 10. Help recruit, mentor, and develop a high-performing strategy team.

Qualifications

Knowledge and Requirements

• Strong understanding of commercial P&C economics, pricing, loss trends, profitability drivers, and underwriting performance.
• Demonstrated ability to turn complex data into clear business insights and strategic recommendations.
• Experience influencing senior stakeholders across functions.
• Strong analytical, communication, and presentation skills.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and building new processes or frameworks.
• Experience with underwriting strategy, portfolio management, enterprise planning, or executive-level strategy support.
• Experience with external market data sources and analytics tools such as Power BI, SQL, Python, or R.
• Familiarity with predictive modeling, AI, and machine learning applications in insurance.
• People leadership and talent development experience.

Education and Experience

• College degree in a relevant field such as Actuarial Science, Statistics, Economics, Finance, Business, or Risk Management preferred.
• 10+ years of P&C insurance experience in underwriting, actuarial, portfolio management, claims analytics, pricing, strategy, or a related field.
• Professional designation such as CPCU, FCAS, ACAS, or ARM preferred.

Total Rewards

Selective Insurance offers a total rewards package that includes a competitive base salary, incentive plan eligibility at all levels, and a wide array of benefits designed to help you and your family stay healthy, achieve your financial goals, and balance the demands of your work and personal life. These benefits include comprehensive health care plans, retirement savings plan with company match, discounted Employee Stock Purchase Program, tuition assistance and reimbursement programs, and 20 days of paid time off. Additional details about our total rewards package can be found by visiting our benefits page.

Pay Range

USD $206,000.00 - USD $266,000.00 /Yr.

Additional Information

Selective is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. That means we respect and value every individual’s unique opinions, beliefs, abilities, and perspectives. We are committed to promoting a welcoming culture that celebrates diverse talent, individual identity, different points of view and experiences – and empower employees to contribute new ideas that support our continued and growing success. Building a highly engaged team is one of our core strategic imperatives, which we believe is enhanced by diversity, equity, and inclusion. We expect and encourage all employees and all of our business partners to embrace, practice, and monitor the attitudes, values, and goals of acceptance; address biases; and foster diversity of viewpoints and opinions.

For Massachusetts Applicants

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.