Director of Underwriting, Ocean Marine

King’s Insurance Staffing has been engaged by a growing specialty insurance carrier to identify a Director of Ocean Marine Underwriting. This newly created leadership position will build and launch an Ocean Marine product operation with the backing, resources, and underwriting paper of an established organization.

This is a rare opportunity for an entrepreneurial Ocean Marine leader to take ownership of a product from the ground up. The Director will help shape the product strategy, underwriting appetite, pricing, coverage forms, broker distribution, and future team structure while personally underwriting and marketing the business during its initial launch.

The position may work remotely from anywhere in the United States. Travel to brokers, reinsurers, networking events, and other business partners as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and launch a specialty Ocean Marine underwriting operation.
• Establish the product strategy, target classes, underwriting appetite, guidelines, and referral standards.
• Review and enhance policy forms, endorsements, exclusions, rates, and pricing methodology.
• Initially focus on marine-related risks that may include marinas, ship repairers, marine contractors, recreational marine, hull, marine liability, and P&I exposures.
• Personally underwrite new and renewal business during the product’s early growth stage.
• Develop relationships with wholesale brokers and establish reliable production sources throughout the United States.
• Market the product to brokers, reinsurers, and other external business partners.
• Manage premium growth, portfolio quality, loss ratio, and overall underwriting profitability.
• Evaluate market feedback and adjust coverage, appetite, and pricing strategies as appropriate.
• Recruit, lead, and develop an underwriting team as production grows.
• Partner closely with executive leadership while operating with considerable autonomy.

Ideal Background

• 10+ years of Ocean Marine underwriting experience.
• Previous underwriting leadership, people-management, or territorial management experience.
• Carrier-side experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience managing an Ocean Marine product, territory, or profitable book of business.
• Strong technical knowledge of Ocean Marine coverages, policy forms, exclusions, pricing, and risk selection.
• Experience contributing to underwriting guidelines, product strategy, and rate development.
• Established relationships within the wholesale broker marketplace.
• Ability to balance product development, technical underwriting, marketing, and business development.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with an interest in building rather than inheriting an established operation.
• Program management experience may be considered when accompanied by meaningful underwriting, product, and profitability responsibility.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This position offers considerably more than responsibility for producing and maintaining an existing book. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to:

• Build and lead a new Ocean Marine operation.
• Influence virtually every aspect of the product and go-to-market strategy.
• Create the underwriting standards and broker distribution model.
• Work directly with an experienced Marine executive.
• Build a team as the business grows.
• Operate with the agility and autonomy often unavailable within a large carrier.
• Establish a lasting professional legacy by putting their experience and vision behind a new product platform.

Compensation & Benefits

• $200,000 – $250,000+ annual base salary, depending on experience
• Additional incentive compensation opportunities; both Short-term and Long-term incentives
• Opportunity to work fully remote
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Lucrative retirement plan
• Paid time off

Qualified candidates may apply confidentially or contact King’s Insurance Staffing directly for additional information.