Senior Associate, Underwriting Rules Automation

Underwriting Rules Engineer

Designs, tests, and governs rules for New York Life's automated underwriting engine, translating underwriting, medical, and actuarial guidance into executable logic that supports straight-through processing. Requires strong underwriting judgment and comfort with rules platforms, partners across actuarial, data science, technology, medical, and product teams.

What You'll Do:

Rules Design & Authoring

• Design and author underwriting rules across key mortality and morbidity risk categories and non-medical factors (build, lifestyle, financial).
• Convert guidelines and underwriting into structured decision logic in the BRMS and underwriting workbench.
• Build decision trees using available data (Rx, EHR, MIB, ICD-10, labs, third-party scores) for consistent, auditable outcomes.
• Define multi-impairment and co-morbidity rules aligned to company and reinsurance standards.
• Define triage and escalation paths (auto-approve, rate, decline, refer, order requirements).

Rules Governance & Quality Assurance

• Maintain documentation (rationale, logic narrative, data dependencies, versions, clinical/actuarial basis).
• Create and execute test cases (standard and edge) and support UAT before deployment.
• Monitor rule performance (STP, QC, mortality/morbidity) to detect gaps and unintended outcomes.
• Manage change lifecycle (intake, impact, review, approval, release, post-deploy validation).
• Ensure rule design meets MRM standards, regulatory requirements, and privacy/fairness guidance.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with actuarial/data science to incorporate model outputs into rule logic (thresholds, overrides).
• Act as underwriting SME for technology delivery (requirements, review, validation).
• Work with medical directors and senior underwriters to apply evidence and reinsurer guidance.
• Identify segments suitable for more automation and support STP improvement priorities.

Continuous Improvement

• Track emerging evidence and benchmarking to recommend rule enhancements.
• Engage in reinsurer/industry forums to stay current on best practices and data sources.
• Develop training and reference materials to support adoption of automated underwriting.

What You'll Bring:

• 5+ years individual life underwriting experience with broad medical risk assessment expertise.
• Strong mortality/morbidity knowledge; familiarity with reinsurer manuals (e.g., Munich Re, RGA, Gen Re, SCOR).
• Experience with accelerated/automated underwriting and rules-based decision engines.

• BRMS experience (e.g., Corticon, Blaze, Drools, Pega) building decision tables/trees/flows.
• Analytical: break down complex histories into clear, auditable decision pathways.
• Strong writing skills for requirements, rule specs, and test narratives for technical and business audiences.
• Collaborative, able to work across underwriting, actuarial, data science, technology, compliance, and product.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience integrating third-party data into rules (Rx, EHR, MIB/MVR, financial data, wearables).
• Exposure to predictive model scores and how to operationalize them in rules.
• Working knowledge of ICD-10 and clinical terminology used in underwriting.
• Underwriting experience in LTC, IDI, or critical illness a plus.
• Familiarity with analytics tools (SQL, Excel, Tableau, Python) for monitoring rule performance.
• Experience in an MRM framework (documentation and validation for automated decisions).

What We Offer

• High-impact role accelerating automated underwriting and faster decisions for customers and field.
• Work at the intersection of underwriting, data science, and technology.
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits.
• Support for professional development and relevant designations.
• Hybrid/remote flexibility and a culture that values balance and performance

Salary Range: $81,000-$123,000

Overtime eligible: Exempt

Discretionary bonus eligible: Yes

Sales bonus eligible: No

Actual base salary will be determined based on several factors but not limited to individual's experience, skills, qualifications, and job location. Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition to base salary, employees may also be eligible to participate in an incentive program.