Lead Disability Underwriter

The Opportunity

:

This role will primarily lead and support the modernization of MassMutual’s Disability Income underwriting manual, including evaluation, redesign, and ongoing maintenance of evidence-based medical underwriting guidelines. This is a high-impact, strategic role shaping the future of DI underwriting at MassMutual and an opportunity to build next-generation underwriting guidelines that will support digital transformation and long-term risk performance. Ideal candidate will be a highly experienced Disability Underwriter.

This position is not generally attainable by all incumbents.

The Team:

You'll join a collaborative and forward-thinking team of underwriters from various backgrounds and product expertise, who are motivated to shape the underwriting landscape at MassMutual. As a team, we demonstrate accountability, agility, a dedication to being inclusive, a strong business acumen, and show courage and professionalism when advocating for a particular project or presenting a healthy challenge to the status quo.

The Impact:

• Lead the modernization and ongoing evolution of MassMutual’s Disability Income medical underwriting manual, ensuring it remains innovative, evidence-based, and aligned with business objectives.
• Develop and maintain medical underwriting guidelines using clinical research, claims experience, emerging trends, and industry best practices.
• Partner with Claims, Pricing, Medical Directors, Compliance, and Product teams to ensure underwriting guidance is competitive, effective, and appropriately aligned with risk objectives.
• Translate complex medical, actuarial, and claims insights into clear, actionable underwriting guidance that promotes consistent risk assessment and decision-making.
• Assess current underwriting frameworks and identify opportunities to improve guideline structure, usability, consistency, and scalability.
• Support the development of digital and automated underwriting capabilities, including rules-based decisioning tools, knowledge bases, and future underwriting technologies.
• Champion the adoption of new underwriting practices through training, change management, and ongoing engagement with underwriting teams.
• Serve as a subject matter expert and strategic partner to underwriting leadership, helping strengthen risk governance, underwriting quality, and profitable growth.

The Minimum Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant work experience in DI Insurance Underwriting
• Experience with research and writing guidelines
• Mastery knowledge of individual DI insurance practices, underwriting standards, and operations
• Demonstrated ability to research and interpret medical literature and translate into underwriting action
• Must have an established approval limit without second signature

The Ideal Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Have an established approval limit
• Industry exams/designations completed, e.g., ALU 101, 201, 202, LOMA, ALMI, FMLI, ALU, FALU, DIA, DIF, RHU, CLU
• Direct experience developing or maintaining medical underwriting manuals or formal guideline frameworks
• Familiarity with impairment-based underwriting frameworks and clinical risk stratification
• Experience supporting automated / digital underwriting rule implementation

What You Can Expect at MassMutual

MassMutual offers the opportunity to do meaningful work within a purpose-driven organization that values long-term impact over short-term outcomes. In this role, you can expect:

• Clear areas of ownership and accountability, with work that connects directly to company and customer outcomes
• A collaborative environment where perspectives are welcomed
• Access to learning, development, and internal networks that support continuous growth and skill-building over time
• Employee-led communities and forums that foster connection, learning, and inclusion across the organization
• A culture grounded in integrity, responsibility, and stewardship—supported by a company with a strong legacy and a future-focused mindset

#LI-MC1

Salary Range:

$163,900-$215,000

At MassMutual, we focus on ensuring fair equitable pay, by providing competitive salaries, along with incentive and bonus opportunities for all employees. Your total compensation package includes either a bonus target or in a sales-focused role a Variable Incentive Compensation component.