AVP Managing Executive Underwriter (Phoenix)

CopperPoint has an exciting opportunity for an AVP, Managing Executive Underwriter. This leadership role is responsible for driving the underwriting performance, profitability, growth, and retention of the Middle Market portfolio across Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico. The AVP, Managing Executive Underwriter leads and develops a high‑performing underwriting team while serving as the executive underwriting authority for the region's most complex commercial accounts. Working closely with Business Development and agency partners, this position executes strategic underwriting initiatives, fosters strong distribution relationships, and ensures consistent application of CopperPoint's underwriting philosophy to achieve profitable growth.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Leadership & Talent Development

• Leads, coaches, develops, and manages a team of underwriters to achieve individual, departmental, and company objectives.
• Establishes performance expectations and provides ongoing coaching, mentoring, technical guidance, and training to support employee development and succession planning.
• Conducts file reviews to ensure underwriting quality, pricing consistency, and compliance with delegated authority while promoting best practices across the underwriting team.
• Balances workloads and supports effective resource planning to meet production and service objectives.
• Serves as the primary escalation point and technical subject‑matter expert for complex underwriting referrals, coverage interpretation, and risk assessment decisions.

Underwriting & Portfolio Management

• Oversees the profitability, growth, retention, and underwriting quality of the assigned Middle Market portfolio across Arizona, Nevada, Utah, and New Mexico.
• Maintains responsibility for underwriting the region's largest Middle Market accounts.
• Evaluates complex risks using exposure analysis, financial information, loss history, hazard recognition, and underwriting judgment.
• Ensures underwriting and pricing decisions align with company appetite, underwriting philosophy, delegated authority, and profitability objectives.
• Monitors portfolio performance and implements underwriting strategies to optimize results and address emerging risks.

Agency & Business Development

• Partners with Business Development to execute territory strategies and effective agency marketing that support profitable growth, retention, and production objectives.
• Develops and maintains strong relationships with key agency partners and brokers through regular meetings and strategic business reviews.
• Holds agencies accountable for submission quality, production, retention, profitability, and overall portfolio performance.
• Maintains the highest level of customer service while balancing sound underwriting discipline with profitable growth.
• Represents the organization during agency meetings, stewardship discussions, and other strategic business initiatives.

Operational Leadership

• Collaborates with Claims, Product, Actuarial, Loss Control, Compliance, and other business partners to support profitable portfolio management.
• Supports the development and implementation of underwriting initiatives, business strategies, process improvements, and operational best practices.
• Ensures compliance with company underwriting standards, regulatory requirements, and audit expectations.
• Represents regional underwriting leadership on cross‑functional projects and enterprise initiatives.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Risk Management, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 10+ years of commercial underwriting experience, including significant experience underwriting complex Middle Market accounts.
• Prior experience leading, supervising, or developing underwriting professionals.
• Advanced knowledge of commercial insurance principles, rates, rules, forms, procedures, regulations, coverages, and underwriting practices.
• Multi‑line commercial underwriting experience and CPCU, ARM, or other industry designation preferred.

Qualifications/Competencies

• Expert knowledge of commercial underwriting principles, pricing methodologies, and Middle Market risk management.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and employee development skills.
• Strong business acumen with the ability to balance portfolio profitability, growth, and underwriting discipline.
• Advanced analytical, negotiation, problem‑solving, and decision‑making abilities.
• Exceptional communication, relationship management, and collaboration skills with the ability to influence internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to balance strategic leadership with hands‑on underwriting responsibilities.

Leadership Skills

• Models self‑leadership that encourages open, honest dialogue and leverages diverse strengths of self and others.
• Communicates in a clear, relevant, and timely manner that promotes common understanding and engages stakeholders.
• Creates and manages synergistic relationships to achieve shared business objectives.
• Attracts and leverages top talent to create an innovative, high‑performing environment.
• Analyzes complex business problems and assesses decision impacts to determine appropriate solutions.
• Identifies and embraces opportunities to deliver competitive products and exceptional customer service.
• Executes effectively with clearly defined vision and measures of success.

Benefits

• Employees and their families are eligible to participate in CopperPoint Insurance Companies benefit plans including medical, dental, vision, short‑term disability, long‑term disability, life insurance, a health savings account, a flexible spending account, and a 401(k) plan.
• We provide some benefits at no cost to the employee (Basic Life Insurance and AD&D at two times an employee’s annual salary, Short‑ and Long‑term Disability coverage, and Employee Assistant Plan).
• Employees will accrue 0.1269 hours of Paid Time Off (PTO) per paid hour, which may total 33 days a year. In addition, employees will also receive 10 paid holidays throughout the calendar year.

Founded in 1925, CopperPoint Insurance Companies is a leading provider of workers’ compensation and commercial insurance solutions. With an expanded line of insurance products and a growing ten‑state footprint in the western United States, CopperPoint embodies stability for policyholders in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. CopperPoint Mutual Insurance Holding Company is the corporate parent of Arizona‑based CopperPoint Insurance Companies, Alaska National Insurance Company, and other CopperPoint insurance entities.

CopperPoint’s culture of compassion extends to the community through employee volunteerism, corporate matching, board service, program sponsorships, and in‑kind contributions. We empower employees by providing 12 hours of paid volunteer time annually and matching their personal contributions to the charities of their choice up to $500 per year. In 2020, CopperPoint employees reported 3,500 volunteer hours.

CopperPoint offers a competitive compensation package and comprehensive benefits package including major medical, dental, and vision, and a wide range of competitive benefits programs, generous matching contributions to your 401(k) plan, generous paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and other education benefits and business casual dress.

CopperPoint is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, ancestry or citizenship status, genetic information, pregnancy status or any other characteristic protected by state, federal or local law. CopperPoint maintains a drug‑free workplace.