Underwriting Manager

Underwriting Manager

Do you want to lead a high-performing life underwriting team and help shape our digital-first future? As an Underwriting Manager, you will oversee day-to-day case adjudication and quality standards while accelerating adoption of automated underwriting, data-driven insights, and fluidless programs. You will guide underwriters to deliver fast, accurate, and ethical decisions that enhance the customer experience and align with our values of We do the right thing, We believe people count, We courageously shape our future together, and We go above and beyond for the people we serve.

You are a leader who excels at balancing operational discipline with innovation. You inspire underwriters to embrace analytics and modern tools, coach for judgment and consistency on complex cases, and collaborate across product, distribution, and technology teams to improve turnaround time, mortality outcomes, and customer satisfaction.

You have:

• Extensive life underwriting expertise, including authority to adjudicate complex, high-value cases and provide guidance on escalated decisions.
• Working knowledge of automated underwriting platforms and programs (e.g., Random Holdouts (RHO), Post-Issue Audits (PIA)); experience managing quality control.
• Familiarity with Electronic Health Record (EHR) data, GenAI-enabled tools, wearable data, and behavioral economics concepts applicable to underwriting.
• Experience using advanced analytics and visualization tools to monitor underwriting performance, uncover patterns, and inform continuous improvement initiatives.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills; ability to collaborate with reinsurers and vendors.
• Commitment to ethical decision-making, regulatory compliance, and sustainable practices.
• Minimum 5 years of life underwriting experience, with demonstrated ability to lead teams and manage complex case decisions.

You will:

• Provide expert judgment and oversight on highly complex and escalated cases, ensuring consistency with underwriting guidelines and mortality objectives; manage facultative referrals when appropriate.
• Oversee complex case adjudication during peak volumes, ensuring accuracy and consistency while promoting the use of analytics and modern underwriting platforms.
• Lead and develop a team of underwriters, set daily priorities, and ensure service-level adherence, consistency, and quality.
• Own rules maintenance and monitoring for automated underwriting; partner with tech teams to refine decisioning pathways.
• Own and advance underwriting monitoring programs (RHO, PIA), ensuring robust governance, accurate risk assessment, and continuous improvement informed by analytics and emerging technologies.
• Leverage analytics dashboards to track mortality, placement, cycle time, and referral rates; implement targeted improvements.
• Pilot and validate new underwriting technologies and vendor solutions; document business cases and measure outcomes.
• Coach, develop, and upskill underwriters in analytical thinking, digital tools, and customer-centric practices.

Reporting Relationship: As our Underwriting Manager, you will report to our Life Underwriting Lead.

Location: This position is a remote position.

Travel: Less than 10% Travel required for this position.

Salary Range: $86,210.00 - $141,635.00 The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Our Promise: At Guardian, you'll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill-building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Equal Employment Opportunity: Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations: Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship.

Visa Sponsorship: Guardian is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment visas. In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship.