VP, Property & First Party Lines

MS Transverse; New Jersey; On-site; USD 205,000 - 320,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

401(k) with employer match

Wellness program

Paid time off

Paid parental leave

Tuition reimbursement

Job summary

MS Transverse seeks an Enterprise Underwriter to lead property and first party underwriting authority across admitted and E&S lines from our New Jersey or New York offices, with remote option for the right candidate.

You will develop and publish underwriting guidelines, LOA templates, and governance frameworks; adjudicate complex risks from program partners; coordinate with risk, actuarial, and MGA/MGU partners to optimize pricing, exposure, and portfolio results.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive underwriting experience in Commercial Property, Specialty Property, and/or First Party lines.
• Demonstrated experience building or reshaping a corporate underwriting function.
• Hands-on experience on both sides of the carrier-MGA relationship — carrier underwriting authority and MGA/MGU operator.
• Underwriting authority across admitted and E&S markets; proficiency with a major CAT modeling platform.
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills; experience designing underwriting guidelines, LOA frameworks, and QA programs.
• Bachelor's degree required; CPCU, ARe, AFSB, or equivalent designation a plus.

Responsibilities

• Adjudicate complex, non-standard risks from program partners and provide binding technical opinions on coverage and endorsements.
• Develop, publish, and maintain corporate underwriting guidelines and rules libraries.
• Represent the company's technical underwriting position with MGA/MGU partners, senior brokers, reinsurers, and industry professionals.
• Design and maintain LOA delegation templates spanning Property and First Party lines of business.
• Maintain E&S vs. admitted guidelines and coordinate filings with compliance and product development.

Skills

Underwriting

Leadership

Property underwriting

Risk assessment

Quantitative analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree

CPCU/ARe/AFSB designation

Job description

MS Transverse is a subsidiary of MSIG USA and part of MS&AD Insurance Group Holdings, one of the 10 largest P&C insurance companies in the world.

MS Transverse Continues to Grow!

MS Transverse is dedicated to the global program market and partners with MGAs, program administrators, and general agents to offer a full suite of insurance services. We believe that by aligning the interests of all parties involved in our programs – distribution partners, MS Transverse, and the reinsurance community – we can deliver outsized results to a market in need of responsible actors with experience and expertise.

Job Description

Location: This position can be based out of our New Jersey office or our New York City office. For the right candidate, this position can be remote.

Enterprise Underwriting Authority & Standards

• Serve as the top underwriting authority on all Property and first party lines — Commercial Property, Inland Marine, Builder's Risk, DIC, Ocean Marine cargo, Equipment Breakdown, and related specialty covers.
• Adjudicate complex, non-standard risks referred from program partners; provide binding technical opinions on coverage, manuscript policy language, and endorsements.
• Develop, publish, and maintain corporate-wide underwriting guidelines: risk appetite, class eligibility, coverage terms, exclusions, deductibles, and maximum line sizes. Govern approved policy forms libraries (ISO, AAIS, proprietary, manuscript) and update underwriting rules matrices aligned to actuarially supported rating plans.
• Represent the company's technical underwriting position with MGA/MGU partners, senior brokers, cedents, reinsurers, and in the industry.

Letter of Authority & Delegated Authority Framework

• Design and maintain a standardized, tiered LOA delegation template as respects all Property and First Party lines of business/products spanning Program Underwriting — including Head of Program Underwriting, Program Directors, and PUMAs — and a companion framework for MGA/MGU program partners defining binding authority limits, referral thresholds, and prohibited classes consistent with MST guidelines – specific to the Property LOB and all first party products.
• For Property and First Party products define authority tiers by policy limit, TIV, risk complexity, CAT‑exposed territory, and coverage breadth (admitted vs. E&S). Conduct semi‑annual LOA reviews; maintain a centralized authority register in compliance with state MGA Act requirements.

E&S and Admitted Channel Management

• Maintain expert command of E&S regulations, stamping office requirements, diligent search documentation, and surplus lines tax filings in partnership with Risk & Compliance.
• Develop and monitor distinct underwriting guidelines and form sets for E&S vs. admitted placements; collaborate with Compliance and Product Development on admitted rate and form filings in partnership with MGA/MGU partners.

CAT Modeling, Pricing Governance & Portfolio Analytics

• In partnership with Risk and the CUO, set and enforce CAT accumulation limits by peril and zone — Named Windstorm, Earthquake, Wildfire, Flood, Winter Storm, Severe Convective Storm, and Cyber‑Physical. Oversee secondary peril modeling for hail, tornado, freeze, landslide, subsidence, and marine surge.
• Review in partnership with Risk and Actuarial the PML, AAL, and TVaR metrics quarterly.
• Partner with Actuarial on pricing models; monitor rate, exposure, and pure price change monthly. Establish minimum premium adequacy thresholds and oversee loss ratio forecasting across the portfolio.

Reinsurance Strategy & Coordination

• Ensure MGA/MGU reinsurance arrangements are vetted, documented, and aligned with ceding company requirements. Maintain current knowledge of reinsurance market capacity, pricing trends, and creditworthiness.

MGA/MGU Underwriting Audit & Quality Assurance

• As part of the CUO's office and in partnership with Program Underwriting and Program Operations, build and lead an enterprise MGA Underwriting Audit Program — tailored for Property & First Party products -defining scope, frequency (annual minimum; semi‑annual for programs >$25M GWP or on remediation plans), and a standardized scoring methodology. Lead or supervise audits; produce reports with scored findings, root‑cause analysis, and corrective action plans specific to the Property LOB and all first party products.
• Maintain an internal UQA program: peer file reviews, referral‑to‑authority tracking, and premium‑to‑exposure reasonableness testing. Report results to the CUO, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Programs Officer, Head of Program Underwriting, and Head of Program Operations quarterly specific to the Property LOB and all first party products.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive underwriting experience in Commercial Property, Specialty Property, and/or First Party lines; 7+ years in a leadership role with enterprise‑wide or portfolio‑level responsibility.
• Demonstrated experience building or materially reshaping a corporate underwriting function. Hands‑on experience on both sides of the carrier‑MGA relationship — as a carrier underwriting authority and as an MGA/MGU operator.
• Underwriting authority across admitted and E&S markets; proficiency with a major CAT modeling platform (RMS, AIR, ELEMENTS, or equivalent). Deep knowledge of property reinsurance structures (XL, QS, Aggregate, Facultative) and alternative market structures (fronting, captives, RRGs, hybrid models).
• Strong quantitative and analytical skills; experience designing underwriting guidelines, LOA frameworks, and quality assurance programs. Comfortable exercising governance authority within a matrixed, high‑accountability environment.
• Bachelor's degree required; CPCU, ARe, AFSB, or equivalent designation a plus

Job Requirements/Qualifications

Salary: The base range is $205-320k. Salary determination is based on various factors, including but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications and location.

Additional Benefits

• Healthcare and Retirement Benefits
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• 401(k) with a generous employer match and profit‑sharing contribution
• Wellness incentive program
• Life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance
• Flexible spending programs
• Short-term and long-term disability plans

Additional Benefit Programs

• Paid time off program
• Paid charitable leave
• Paid parental leave
• Tuition reimbursement program
• Personal insurance (auto/homeowners) discounts

It is an exciting time for our company and a great opportunity to join a financially sound and growing global insurance group!

It is the policy of MS Transverse to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, MS Transverse will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.