About this role
Job Requisition ID: 95359
Location Designation: Fully Remote
Role Overview
The Head of Morbidity Underwriting provides strategic and operational leadership for Individual Disability Income (IDI) and Long-Term Care (LTC) Underwriting. Accountable for the performance and results of these related underwriting teams, the role leads through IDI and LTC underwriting officers, develops underwriting talent and leaders, and ensures underwriting decisions and practices support morbidity underwriting objectives, customer and agent expectations, and broader business priorities. The role executes functional business plans, contributes to functional strategy, and makes significant decisions affecting underwriting performance and direction.
What You'll Do:
Strategic and Operational Leadership
- Lead IDI and LTC underwriting teams through underwriting officers and other leaders, with accountability for underwriting performance, operational results, and execution of business priorities.
- Translate company and functional strategies into annual and longer-range underwriting plans, priorities, and initiatives; contribute to the development of functional strategy.
- Apply broad industry awareness and internal and external best practices to improve financial and operational performance, underwriting quality, efficiency, service, and business outcomes.
- Exercise judgment and drive significant decisions affecting morbidity underwriting strategy, policies, practices, and performance.
Underwriting Governance and Complex Decisions
- Provide leadership on complex medical and non-medical risk assessment issues and direct resolution of the most challenging underwriting problems and strategic business issues.
- Use sophisticated analysis, critical thinking, and sound judgment to define problems, evaluate alternatives, and develop effective or innovative solutions.
- Consider the implications of product forms, riders, distribution, regulation, claims management, and pricing for underwriting rules, practices, and decisions.
- Collaborate with Medical Directors, Legal, and Compliance as needed to support sound underwriting practices and decisions.
People Leadership and Resource Stewardship
- Develop underwriting officers, managers, advanced professionals, and future leaders; build strong teams and support underwriting talent development.
- Lead directly and indirectly across multiple related teams, establishing accountability, priorities, and performance expectations.
- Own significant underwriting projects, processes, and applicable vendor relationships, including planning, policy development, and stewardship of associated staffing and financial resources.
Cross-Functional Partnership and Change
- Partner with senior leaders and cross-functional stakeholders, including Product Solutions and Third Party Administrators, to align underwriting practices with business needs.
- Influence business and functional decisions; communicate complex underwriting matters, recommendations, and tradeoffs clearly to senior management and other stakeholders.
- Lead change and apply underwriting expertise to emerging technologies, data, processes, and evolving business challenges.
What You'll Bring:
- Bachelor’s degree preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and relevant professional experience.
- Minimum of 10 years of experience in life, long-term care, and/or disability income underwriting, including at least five years of people management experience.
- Advanced underwriting or insurance designations (e.g., AHIP, FLMI, RHU, LTCP, CLTC, FALU).
Required Skills and Capabilities
- Significant underwriting experience in life, disability income, or long-term care, with advanced knowledge of medical and non-medical risk assessment, underwriting practices, and insurance products.
- Demonstrated leadership of underwriting professionals and other leaders, including team building, talent development, performance accountability, and delivery of operational results.
- Strong strategic, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to resolve complex issues and make consequential decisions.
- Strong business acumen and execution skills; ability to convert objectives into plans, manage priorities, and drive improvement and change.
- Broad understanding of industry practices and the business implications of underwriting decisions.
- Excellent written and verbal communication, collaboration, and influencing skills, including preparation and presentation of materials for senior management.
- Ability to work effectively with senior leadership and cross-functional teams, as well as independently, in an evolving environment.
#LI - EM1
#LI - REMOTE
Job Level: LEVELMG3
Pay Transparency
Salary Range: $160,000-$228,500
Overtime eligible: Exempt
Discretionary bonus eligible: Yes
Sales bonus eligible: No
Actual base salary will be determined based on several factors but not limited to individual’s experience, skills, qualifications, and job location. Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition to base salary, employees may also be eligible to participate in an incentive program.
Our Benefits
We provide a full package of benefits for employees – and have unique offerings for a modern workforce, including leave programs, adoption assistance, and student loan repayment programs. Based on feedback from our employees, we continue to refine and add benefits to our offering, so that you can flourish both inside and outside of work. Click here to discover more about our comprehensive benefit options or visit our NYL Benefits Site .
Our Commitment to Inclusion
At New York Life, fostering an inclusive workplace is fundamental to who we are and how we serve our communities. We have a longstanding commitment to creating an environment where individuals can contribute their best and succeed together. This foundation is rooted in our core values of humanity and integrity, ensuring that every employee feels valued and supported. By embracing a broad range of perspectives and experiences, we achieve greater success and fulfill our promise of providing financial security and peace of mind to families across all communities. Click here to learn more about New York Life’s leadership in this space.
Recognized as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, New York Life is committed to improving local communities through a culture of employee giving and volunteerism, supported by the Foundation . We're proud that due to our mutuality, we operate in the best interests of our policy owners. To learn more about career opportunities at New York Life, please visit the Careers page of www.NewYorkLife.com .
Job Requisition ID: 95359
