Duties and Responsibilities
UW Production & Quality
Own underwriting production output, ensuring volume and quality targets are met
Identify and recommend automation opportunities (straight-through processing, AI-assisted case review) to increase throughput without compromising quality
Partner with Underwriting Auditors to track audit findings and drive corrective action
Ensure decisions align with guidelines, risk appetite, and regulations
People Development
Lead and grow a team of underwriters and supervisors/managers
Oversee onboarding/training programs and build career development pathways
Drive a coaching culture and strong team retention
Performance Management
Establish clear, measurable performance standards for underwriters and supervisors across productivity, set productivity targets, quality standards, TAT, and compliance
Drive performance against TAT/SLA targets across case types
Build reporting to track real-time production and SLA performance
Resolve issues causing breaches; coordinate with Sales/Ops/Claims on escalations
Conduct regular performance reviews, using audit findings and production data to identify trends and root causes of underperformance
Lead structured, constructive conversations on performance gaps, including formal Performance Improvement Plans where warranted
Ensure consistency in performance evaluation standards across teams, especially in distributed/cross-geography setups
Recognize and reward high performers to reinforce a strong performance culture alongside accountability
Team & Org Leadership
Build and scale teams as business needs grow
Manage capacity planning against volume forecasts
Ensure consistency in UW practices across distributed teams
Foster a culture of continuous improvement, experimentation, and openness to new technology
Stakeholder management
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Key UW point of contact for Sales, Operations, Compliance, and Engineering
Represent UW in cross functional meetings; influence stakeholders on process changes using data
Qualifications and Skills
15+ years in Life Insurance Underwriting, with strong people management experience
Proven track record managing production to standards at scale
Proven experience managing large teams (80/100+ members).
Experience building/leading UW teams (direct and/or cross-geography)
Strong technical UW knowledge, data-driven decision-making, and stakeholder influencing and communication skills
Bachelor's degree required; UW certifications (LOMA, FALU) are preferred
#LI-Onsite
#LI-KP2
Don’t meet every single requirement? If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. At Ethos we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace.
We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. Pursuant to the SF Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment for qualified applicants with arrests and conviction records.
To learn more about what information we collect and how it may be used, please refer to our California Candidate Privacy Notice.
Recruitment Notice: Please be aware of recruitment scams. All legitimate communication from our team will only come from email addresses ending in @ethos.com or @getethos.com.
We will never ask for payment, banking details, or sensitive personal information during the hiring process. If you are contacted by someone claiming to represent us from a different email address, please treat it as fraudulent.
