Sr. Director, Head of Product & Underwriting

Branch is on a mission to make insurance less expensive, so more people can be covered. We innovate using data, tech, and automation to simplify insurance from start to finish—we eliminated inaccurate quotes in favor of real prices, created a better way to bundle, and cut unnecessary costs in the traditional insurance process. Then we pass those savings along to our members. Basically, we’re doing insurance the way it was meant to be.

But we didn’t just create the insurance we’ve always wanted, we also created the company we’ve always wanted to work for. As we redefine insurance, we also want to redefine what it means to work in insurance. Find out for yourself.

Branch is open to candidates located in AL, AZ, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS. MO, NE, NV, NJ, NC, ND, OH, OK, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, and WI. 

Branch is remote first, with most Branchers choosing to work from home. Our headquarters are located in Columbus, Ohio, where we come together from time to time to build relationships and connect with each other in real life. Once a year, the entire company gathers for “BranchFest”, a highlight of the year for many Branchers.

About the role

If you're passionate about making sure a company's process gets their customers’ backs by ensuring quality and profitability keep our products contemporary and affordable as well as innovating and simplifying processes and operations to support profitable growth, then Branch’s Product team is the place for you! At Branch, “we have your back” goes beyond just words. Our collective team and members are the center of everything we do and we’re looking for leaders who are passionate about increasing the value we provide to our members through innovation, collaboration, and execution.  We are looking for leaders who are passionate about delivering these outcomes.  We are a fully remote team environment, who meet in Columbus a few times per year.  

This team is essential to driving Branch’s future value proposition to our members: great insurance at affordable prices. Success leading this team requires a blend of product knowledge, underwriting savvy, and analytical prowess. You will be the senior leader responsible for the underwriting and product strategy, governance, effectiveness and outcomes of Branch’s Personal Lines. Reporting to the President of the Branch Insurance Exchange, you will work cross-functionally inside the business unit and with our broader corporate shared services teams to meet key business goals measured by profitability, DWP growth, and expense efficiency. You will be responsible for defining processes, resource investments, best practices, talent development, staffing, and expense management in Product & Underwriting coupled with unique technology to achieve P&C insurance objectives no other insurer can. You will lead how we define our underwriting risk appetite, product line performance, territory performance, execution and quality standards that deliver on both financial and member satisfaction targets.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive Personal Lines Product and Underwriting plan through your Product and Underwriting teams that values Product Development and Innovation, and Project & Program Delivery excellence.

• Optimize pricing and product decisions in the local markets to drive profitable growth through competitive analysis and collaboration with our Sales, Pricing, and Claims teams  

• Manage the P&L by developing and executing profit and growth focused Product and Underwriting tactics, innovation, prioritization, and direction to the organization.

• Stay abreast of market cycles, trends and future developments in the PL market and underwriting to guide decisions and strategy development.

• Collaborate with our Data and Finance teams to provide critical and complex underwriting performance data analytics and business insights solutions to support the Personal Lines profitability goals.

• Ensure our advanced technical capabilities are optimizing data, analytics and insights, procedures and rules automation as an integrated part of strategic underwriting risk decisioning.

• Build strong internal processes for effective product management to ensure compliance with state and industry regulatory entities and leverage our exceptionally short speed to market to compete more effectively.

• Ensure the underwriting system supports short term profit and long term profitable growth by outperforming our competitors and improving our competitive position. 

• Contribute as an active member of the Leadership Council and model thought leadership and engagement across the organization.

Skills, Knowledge, and Expertise

• Undergraduate degree required in Business, Finance, Insurance, Economics, Statistics, Actuarial or related field; graduate degree preferred.

• CPCU and / or MBA is a plus.

• 10+ years of experience in Personal Lines underwriting and product management, analytics, and book of business profitability management preferred.

• Proven leader who is effective with their direct reports / organization and can effectively influence across the organization 

• Expert knowledge of P&C insurance underwriting (Personal Lines Auto and Property), risk and regulatory / DOI management.

• Technical underwriting, product, and insurance carrier value chain expertise with systems thinking approach to driving results.

• Understands potential ability and is conversant in Advanced analytics, modeling, and leveraging data.

• Ability to break down complex problems into component parts, articulate the issues, and solve and communicate through rapid iteration. 

• Strong written and verbal communication, negotiation, influencing and interpersonal skills.

• Highly adaptable and effective in dynamic organizations and has a healthy dislike for bureaucracy 

Why join us at Branch? 

We’re all about getting back to getting each other’s back—that means Branchers, too. So we provide benefits that let you work and live to your fullest.

• Above-market salary—Branch is a data-driven company, so we do the math on salaries, too. If you get an offer from Branch, you can expect compensation that hits above the mark.

• Pay equity and transparency—Our pay isn’t just above market, it’s equitable. We let experience and performance drive your success, never your gender, race, orientation, or beliefs. 

• Remote-first (with perks)—Work from where you’re most comfortable. We’ll take care of your work from home set-up and monthly internet. We also have a Columbus headquarters and Chicago hub if you’d like to join us in an office. 

• Flexible YouTime—We don’t just let you control your own time off.  We actually encourage you to use it. After your first year at Branch, we’ll give you $1000 toward your next vacation. 

• Employee stock options—You’re not just an employee. If you’re full-time, you’re also a part-owner. You’ll have stock options so you can invest in the company you’re helping to grow. 

• Medical, vision, dental—Get all the coverage you need for a healthy, happy life. We’ll also contribute $150 per month to a health savings account (HSA), administered by Branch.

• 401k and contribution matching—Invest in your future. Branch helps you get to retirement on time with a portion of your contributions matched each month. 

What to expect

In light of recent hiring scams across the United States, here’s what the process will look like with Branch (so you know it’s us):

• Please apply to open positions directly through our site. If you don’t see it here, then it shouldn’t exist on another job board. If you’re ever unsure about the legitimacy of a Branch  job posting found on another site, please check the listings here to verify.

• If you're selected to move onto the next phase of the hiring process, a member of our Branch talent team will reach out to you directly from the email domain @ourbranch.com to guide you through our process.

• The process will include a number of interviews, which will all happen either over the phone or on video calls. 

• We will never ask for personal payment or require you to purchase equipment during our interview process. Always be sure to protect your personal information.

Equal Employment Opportunity Employer 

At Branch, we are deeply committed to community. Branch is an Equal Employment Opportunity 

employer – All qualified applicants and/or employees will receive consideration for employment without regard to the individual’s age, race, color, religion or creed, national origin or ancestry, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, veteran status, genetic information, ethnicity, citizenship, or any other characteristic protected by law.