Commercial Lines Automated Underwriting Director

At Westfield Small Business, we are committed to leading innovation and excellence in the small business insurance sector. Our goal is to empower independent agents with a broad risk appetite and automated solutions to enable efficient growth and uncover new opportunities. By prioritizing superior customer service and disciplined underwriting, we ensure consistent and stable financial outcomes, making us a reliable partner in our customers' success. We utilize advanced technology and data analytics to streamline our processes and deliver exceptional value to our clients. Join us and be part of a team that is revolutionizing the small business insurance industry through strategic agency partnerships, innovative capabilities and cutting-edge automation.

Job Summary:

The Commercial Lines Automated Underwriting (AUW) Director is responsible for leading the design, execution, and continuous improvement of the AUW strategy. This role is critical in advancing the underwriting agenda by leveraging data, technology, and automation to drive underwriting efficiency, speed, and profitability. This role works cross-functionally with underwriting, IT, product, data science, and operations teams to define automation rules, enhance digital decision engines, and align workflows with evolving risk appetite and business goals.

Job Responsibilities:

• Defines and drives a comprehensive automated underwriting strategy that supports broader Commercial Lines and enterprise objectives. Ensures alignment with risk appetite, underwriting priorities, operational efficiency goals, and customer experience expectations. Translates strategic intent into actionable roadmaps and scalable solutions that drive long-term value.
• Designs, implements, and continuously refines business rules, decisioning logic, and referral thresholds that power straight-through processing (STP) across products and platforms. Ensures automation frameworks are transparent, auditable, and aligned with underwriting quality standards.
• Acts as a strategic partner to underwriting, product, actuarial, and data science teams to co-develop predictive models, risk segmentation strategies, and intelligent automation logic. Balances automation efficiency with underwriting integrity by integrating both quantitative insights and underwriting expertise into decision models.
• Functions as the primary business stakeholder for AUW-related technology initiatives. Collaborates with technology partners on requirement definition, solution design, testing, and deployment. Ensures system enhancements meet business needs, maintain compliance, and deliver measurable performance improvements.
• Develops and manages a robust set of KPIs to assess AUW performance, including STP rates, underwriting cycle time, hit/quote/bind ratios, and impact on loss ratio. Analyzes trends, identifies root causes, and recommends iterative improvements to strengthen system performance and business outcomes.
• Partners with change management, field operations, and training teams to drive adoption and confidence in automated tools and processes.
• Conducts opportunity assessments to identify AUW expansion possibilities across additional lines of business, market segments, or distribution channels. Prioritizes use cases based on risk appetite, technical feasibility, business impact, and alignment with strategic goals.
• Oversees adherence to internal governance protocols and regulatory requirements related to automated decisioning, including model risk management, data privacy, and explainability. Champions responsible AI principles and the ethical use of data in underwriting automation.
• Provides regular updates and business insights to senior leaders on AUW performance, system enhancements, risks, and optimization opportunities. Prepares executive-level communications, dashboards, and business cases that highlight AUW's contribution to broader Commercial Lines performance and strategic priorities.
• Owns accountability for talent management and navigation of employee related issues that impact morale and work environment to ensure a high performing team including hiring and selection, succession planning, performance and compensation management, and employee development and career coaching as required. Manages priorities and workload distribution and removes barriers that impede progress.
• Establishes department budget in accordance with Company guidelines. Manages department expenses throughout the year and provides quarterly reforecasts and variance explanations as necessary.
• Seeks opportunities to improve operations, including internal and external customer experience, employee satisfaction, and corporate performance.

Job Qualifications:

• 10+ years of Commercial Lines P&C experience, with a strong background in underwriting and/or underwriting operations.
• Bachelor's degree in finance, accounting, business administration or related field and/or commensurate experience.