Director of Underwriting

At Navy Mutual our mission is rooted in serving members of the uniformed services and their families with financial strength integrity and care. We are seeking a Director of Underwriting to lead and modernize our Underwriting and New Business functionsdriving both operational excellence and a best-in-class member is a high-impact leadership role responsible for translating strategy into scalable efficient operations while ensuring disciplined risk management strong compliance and sustained Youll DoStrategic Leadership & ExecutionDevelop and execute underwriting and new business strategies aligned to organizational goals risk appetite and service standardsTranslate enterprise strategy into disciplined scalable and measurable operating practicesLead transformation initiatives to modernize underwriting and new business processesOperational ExcellenceOversee end-to-end new business lifecycle: intake underwriting requirements offers reconsiderations and policy activationOptimize workflows case assignment and throughput to improve cycle times productivity and consistencyEstablish and monitor service level agreements (SLAs) and performance standardsUnderwriting Leadership & Risk ManagementProvide technical underwriting guidance on complex life insurance risksEnsure decisions are well-documented compliant and aligned with mortality expectations and reinsurance requirementsReview and approve complex cases within authority and escalate as neededTransformation & InnovationLead adoption of automation accelerated underwriting and third-party data solutionsEvaluate and implement digital tools and workflow enhancements to improve speed and accuracyAdvance real-time decisioning capabilities and member experience improvementsPerformance & AnalyticsDevelop and monitor KPIs and KRIs including:Cycle time and throughputQuality and post-issue audit resultsRequirement aging and placement ratesProductivity and vendor performanceIdentify trends risks and improvement opportunities; drive corrective actionPeople LeadershipLead coach and develop underwriting and new business teams including managers and senior technical staffDrive performance management workforce planning succession planning and talent developmentFoster a culture of accountability continuous improvement and high performanceCross-Functional PartnershipCollaborate with Sales Inforce Claims Finance Legal Compliance and TechnologyPartner with reinsurance carriers on complex cases and program optimizationEnsure alignment across teams to deliver a seamless member-first experienceGovernance & ComplianceMaintain underwriting guidelines SOPs audit readiness and regulatory complianceSupport escalations member complaints and risk-related reviews (e.g. rescissions contestable claims)Manage vendor relationships (e.g. medical exams labs data providers)What You BringRequired QualificationsBachelors degree in a related field8 years of life insurance underwriting experience including complex case reviewProven leadership experience managing teams and/or senior technical professionalsDeep understanding of:Medical underwriting and terminologyMortality risk assessmentReinsurance practicesExperience leading:Process improvement and operational transformationAutomation and accelerated underwriting initiativesKPI/KRI development and performance analyticsStrong working knowledge of underwriting systems workflow tools and policy administration platformsExcellent communication leadership and stakeholder management skillsAbility to operate effectively in a fast-paced production-driven environmentPreferred QualificationsProfessional designations such as CLU FLMI ALU or FALUExperience with vendor management and underwriting data providersAdvanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and reporting tools