Mortgage Underwriter

The Senior Underwriting Manager is responsible for leading underwriting operations, managing underwriting staff, and ensuring underwriting decisions support profitable growth, risk management objectives, and compliance requirements. This position oversees complex underwriting decisions, portfolio performance, underwriting strategy, operational improvements, and relationships with brokers, agents, distribution partners, and key clients. The role also serves as a subject matter expert and contributes to business planning, product development, and overall underwriting strategy.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and develop underwriters and underwriting support staff.
• Establish and maintain underwriting guidelines, procedures, and best practices.
• Review and approve complex or high-value underwriting decisions within assigned authority limits.
• Ensure consistent application of underwriting standards and organizational risk appetite.
• Conduct quality assurance reviews and provide coaching to improve underwriting performance.
• Evaluate complex risks and determine appropriate coverage, pricing, and terms.
• Monitor portfolio profitability, loss ratios, retention, and growth metrics.
• Identify emerging risks and recommend adjustments to underwriting strategies.
• Analyze market conditions, trends, and competitive factors affecting portfolio performance.
• Build and maintain relationships with brokers, agents, distribution partners, and key clients.
• Participate in client meetings, renewal negotiations, and strategic account planning.
• Collaborate with sales, claims, actuarial, legal, and compliance teams.
• Drive process improvements to improve underwriting efficiency and service levels.
• Monitor team productivity and workload distribution.
• Develop and implement underwriting performance metrics and reporting tools.
• Support underwriting technology initiatives and system enhancements.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, company policies, and audit standards.
• Contribute to underwriting strategy, product development, and market planning.
• Prepare and present portfolio analyses, performance reports, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Participate in budgeting, forecasting, and business planning.
• Lead special projects and strategic initiatives as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Directly supervises:

• Closing Coordinator
• Post Closing Coordinator
• Loan Support Administrator
• Loan Processor

Minimum Education & Experience Requirements

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Risk Management, Insurance, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of underwriting experience within the insurance industry.
• 3+ years of leadership or people-management experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex underwriting portfolios and achieving profitability goals.
• Experience working with brokers, agents, and key clients.