Senior Director, Underwriting & Portfolio Management
Posted Updated 1
view
The work we do has an impact on millions of lives, and you can be a part of it.
We help protect our customers against life’s uncertainties. Regardless of where you work within the company, you’ll be helping provide protection and peace of mind when our customers need it most.
The Senior Director, Underwriting is a strategic leader responsible for driving underwriting excellence, portfolio performance, and disciplined risk management across the Asset Protection Division. This role partners closely with Product, Actuarial, Finance, Sales, and Operations leaders to develop and execute underwriting strategies that support profitable growth while maintaining appropriate risk controls. The leader will leverage data, analytics, market insights, and industry trends to optimize portfolio results, enhance underwriting governance, and ensure alignment between business objectives and risk appetite. The position also serves as a key advisor to executive leadership and is responsible for developing a high-performing underwriting organization.
Key Responsibilities
- Leads enterprise portfolio risk management and performance oversight across multiple products, distribution channels, and geographies. Accountable for interpreting complex data and market trends to inform strategic decisions, influence profitability outcomes, and proactively manage risk exposure at a portfolio level.
- Directs underwriting strategy execution and governance, partnering with leadership to ensure consistent application of pricing, eligibility, and exception frameworks. Exercises independent judgment in ambiguous, high-impact scenarios, leveraging advanced analytics and modeling to guide decision-making and drive disciplined execution.
- Provides thought leadership in analytical integration, overseeing development and application of models, forecasts, and simulations. Translate complex concepts into actionable business strategies, informing reserving, pricing, and risk mitigation decisions across new and existing programs.
- Shapes product strategy through cross-functional leadership, influencing the design, development, and optimization of products in partnership with Product and Actuarial teams. Evaluates financial and risk implications of product changes, guiding strategic initiatives that align growth objectives with portfolio performance and risk tolerance.
- Drives operational excellence and organizational capability, establishing scalable processes, tools, and governance frameworks to enhance consistency and efficiency. Leads, develops, and mentors talent, fostering a high-performance culture while providing executive-level reporting and insights to senior leadership.
Knowledge, Skills, Attributes:
- Deep understanding of underwriting principles, portfolio management, and risk assessment.
- Strong analytical and quantitative capabilities, including forecasting, modeling, and trend analysis.
- Ability to interpret complex financial, actuarial, and underwriting data and translate insights into business strategy.
- Proven ability to balance growth objectives with profitability and risk management goals.
- Strong business acumen and strategic thinking skills.
- Excellent executive communication, presentation, and stakeholder management abilities.
- Demonstrated success leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing organizational outcomes.
- Strong people leadership, coaching, and talent development capabilities.
- Ability to navigate ambiguity and make sound decisions in complex business environments.
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Risk Management, Mathematics, Actuarial Science, or a related field.
- 7 years of progressive experience in underwriting, portfolio management, product management, risk management, actuarial, or related insurance disciplines.
- 4+ years relevant leadership experience.
- Experience managing portfolio performance and profitability across multiple products, programs, markets, or distribution channels.
- Demonstrated leadership experience with direct people management responsibilities.
- Experience partnering with cross-functional stakeholders to drive business strategy and operational execution.
- Proven experience utilizing analytics and performance metrics to support strategic decision-making.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Advanced degree such as MBA, MS, or related discipline.
- 8+ years of progressive experience in underwriting, portfolio management, product management, risk management, actuarial, or related insurance disciplines.
- Experience within automotive F&I, extended service contracts, vehicle protection products, warranty administration, specialty insurance, or adjacent P&C markets.
- Experience supporting product development, pricing strategy, reserving, or predictive analytics initiatives.
- Experience leading enterprise-wide underwriting transformation, governance, or technology modernization efforts.
- Industry certifications relevant to underwriting, risk management, or insurance operations.
About Us – Asset Protection
Protective Asset Protection has been providing finance and insurance (F&I) solutions for the automotive industry for more than 60 years. We proudly serve thousands of dealerships and financial institutions in the automotive, marine, powersports and recreation vehicle industries throughout the U.S. providing innovative vehicle protection products, wealth-building programs, training, and technology. Our portfolio of vehicle protection plans, GAP coverage, limited warranties, and ancillary products provide opportunities to generate revenue with products that help drive customer retention and satisfaction. Protective Asset Protection is part of the financial services holding company, Protective Life Corporation. For more information about Protective Asset Protection visit www.ProtectiveAssetProtection.com.
#ind123 #LI-AP1
Employee Benefits:
We aim to protect the wellbeing of our employees and their families with a broad benefits offering. In addition to offering comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance, we support emotional wellbeing through mental health benefits and an employee assistance program. Work/life balance is important and Protective offers a variety of paid time away benefits (e.g., paid time off, paid parental leave, short-term disability, and a cultural observance day). The financial health of our employees is just as important as physical and emotional health. Some of the financial wellbeing benefits include contributions to healthcare accounts, a pension plan, and a 401(k) plan with Company matching. All employees are encouraged to protect their overall wellbeing by engaging in ProHealth Rewards, Protective’s platform to improve wellbeing while earning cash rewards.
Eligibility for certain benefits may vary by position in accordance with the terms of the Company’s benefit plans.
Accommodations for Applicants with a Disability:
If you require an accommodation to complete the application and recruitment process due to a disability, please email eric.hess@protective.com. This information will be held in confidence and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the application and recruitment process.
Please note that the above email is solely for individuals with disabilities requesting an accommodation. General employment questions should not be sent through this process.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to being inclusive and attracting, retaining, and growing an inclusive workforce.
Skills
As published by lever · 14 questions · 2 written answers
Basics
Which location are you applying for?, Resume/CV, Full name, Email, Phone, Current location, Current company, LinkedIn URL, GitHub URL, Portfolio/video resume URL, Other website
Short answers (1)
- What is your target compensation (salary and bonus)?
Pick from a list (11)
- As part of any recruiting and hiring process, Protective collects and processes personal information relating to job applicants. The Company is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that information and to meeting its information protection obligations. In the recruitment and hiring process the “personal information” we collect includes: General Identifying and Contact Information (e.g., name, mailing address, phone number, email address), Employment History Information, Education History Information. Please be aware that the personal information you provide during the application process may be shared internally with employees of Protective as well as our designated third-party vendors for the purposes of the recruitment and hiring process, including contacting you regarding your application and assessing your qualifications for job openings with Protective. California applicants should review the state-specific notice provided in accordance with the California Privacy Rights Act. By clicking “Consent” below you understand and freely give your consent to Protective and our designated third-party vendors collecting and processing your personal information relating to your potential employment with Protective. Applicant Notice - California: As part of Protective’s commitment to transparency related to personal information, and in order to comply with the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), we are providing you with this disclosure regarding the categories of personal information we may collect from you and the purposes for which that information may be used. Information We Collect: In the recruitment and hiring process the categories of “personal information” we collect include: General Identifying and Contact Information (e.g., name, mailing address, phone number, email address), Employment History Information, Education History Information. Use of Personal Information: The personal information we collect during the application process is used to assess your qualifications for the purposes of the recruitment and hiring process, including contacting your regarding your application and assessing your qualifications for job openings with Protective. The personal information you provide will not be “sold to” or “shared with” a third-party as those terms are defined by the CPRA. The Company will not collect additional categories of personal information or use the personal information we collect for materially different, unrelated, or incompatible purposes without providing you notice. Retention of Information: Each of the categories of information you provide are subject to our internal policies on retaining employee and applicant information. These policies are based on applicable legal retention requirements for retaining personal information of applicants and/or employees. As part of our internal policies, we have a process in place to determine when this information is no longer needed and can be disposed of in a secure manner. Additional Information: For more information on your rights under the CPRA, please see the Company’s California Privacy Rights Act Policy. optional
- Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?
- Do you now, or will you in the future, require immigration sponsorship for work authorization (e.g., H-1B)?
- Have you ever been employed with Protective or one of its affiliates?
- How did you hear about this opportunity? optional
- Do you have a distraction free workspace and consistent access to internet with speeds of 10 Mbps for downloads and 5-10 Mbps for uploads? (you can check it here https://www.att.com/support/speedtest/) optional
- How many years of experience do you have in underwriting, risk management, portfolio management, actuarial, or related insurance disciplines?
- Which best describes your level of responsibility for underwriting or portfolio performance?
- How many years of experience do you have managing direct reports?
- In which of the following industries have you held an underwriting, risk management, portfolio management, product management, or actuarial leadership role? (Select all that apply) optional
- Which statement best describes your experience using analytics to support underwriting decisions?
Written answers (2)
- Do you have any family members who are employed with Protective?
- Please briefly describe your experience managing underwriting strategy, portfolio profitability, or risk performance across multiple products, programs, or distribution channels. optional