President & Chief Operating Officer

About the Role

Our client is a newly licensed property and casualty insurance carrier focused on commercial multi-peril and surety products. Privately capitalized and built around a disciplined, service-driven model, the company is creating its underwriting philosophy, operating infrastructure, distribution strategy, and culture from the ground up. This is a founding leadership opportunity for an experienced insurance executive who wants meaningful ownership of the business and the ability to directly influence its direction and success.

The President & Chief Operating Officer will have broad responsibility for underwriting performance, profitability, operations, distribution, regulatory execution, and organizational development. This is a hands-on leadership role—not simply a position that oversees established teams and infrastructure.

Responsibilities

• Own overall underwriting performance, including loss ratio, expense ratio, and combined ratio.
• Establish underwriting guidelines, risk appetite, pricing discipline, and authority levels for commercial multi-peril and surety.
• Lead surety credit underwriting, including contractor financial analysis, work-in-progress evaluation, and bonding capacity decisions.
• Oversee commercial multi-peril underwriting, including class appetite, catastrophe aggregation, and exposure management.
• Monitor portfolio performance and make timely pricing, appetite, and risk-management adjustments.
• Maintain a growth strategy centered on profitable underwriting rather than premium volume alone.
• Build and manage the company's operating model and infrastructure from the ground up.
• Establish efficient workflows for underwriting, policy issuance, bond execution, billing, claims, reporting, and customer service.
• Select, implement, and govern core insurance technology and policy administration systems.
• Establish high service standards for agents and policyholders, with particular emphasis on surety bond turnaround times.
• Determine the appropriate balance of internal and outsourced functions.
• Manage third-party administrators, actuarial consultants, technology providers, and other strategic vendors.
• Maintain disciplined control of operating expenses during the company's early growth stage.
• Develop and maintain relationships with retail agents, wholesalers, brokers, and surety producers.
• Establish the company's distribution strategy, agency appointment process, and producer network.
• Represent the client in the marketplace and with relevant insurance industry associations.
• Build a sustainable, disciplined growth strategy aligned with the company's underwriting objectives.
• Partner with the CFO and consulting actuaries on reserving, statutory reporting, financial planning, and profitability.
• Ensure compliance with applicable state insurance department requirements, including rate and form filings.
• Support the company's reinsurance strategy and participate in treaty negotiations.
• Manage capital and surplus utilization, premium-to-surplus leverage, and surety net retention.
• Support rating agency, Treasury certification, and other regulatory or financial processes as applicable.
• Maintain a strong understanding of statutory accounting, reserve adequacy, risk-based capital, and insurance-company financial requirements.
• Recruit, build, and lead the company's underwriting, operations, and service teams.
• Establish a culture centered on accountability, performance, discipline, and service.
• Set organizational priorities and performance standards as the company scales.
• Regularly report to the Board of Directors regarding financial performance, underwriting results, operational progress, and risk.
• Serve as an executive officer of the company, subject to applicable regulatory approval requirements.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience within the property and casualty insurance industry.
• Demonstrated accountability for underwriting results, profitability, or a significant insurance profit center.
• Direct experience with surety, commercial multi-peril, or both.
• Proven ownership of a book of business, division, program, or insurance operation with responsibility for loss ratio and profitability.
• Working knowledge of statutory accounting principles, surplus, risk-based capital, and reserve adequacy.
• Experience building or managing insurance operations, systems, workflows, and service delivery.
• Established relationships with agents, brokers, wholesalers, or surety producers.
• Ability to satisfy applicable regulatory requirements for serving as an officer of a licensed insurer, including NAIC Biographical Affidavit and background verification requirements.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience launching an insurance carrier, managing general agency, program, or new insurance division.
• Hands-on surety credit underwriting experience, including General Indemnity Agreements, collateral, and default resolution.
• Experience with reinsurance treaty structuring and negotiation.
• Experience selecting and implementing policy administration or insurance core systems.
• Professional designation such as AFSB, CPCU, or CPA.
• Active participation in relevant insurance industry associations such as SFAA, NASBP, NAMIC, or APCIA.

Benefits

• $200,000-$250,000 base salary
• Performance-based annual incentive
• Meaningful equity participation
• 401(k) with company matching
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Paid time off

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

This is an opportunity for an accomplished insurance executive to build rather than inherit. The successful candidate will help establish the company's underwriting philosophy, operating infrastructure, distribution network, technology environment, leadership team, and culture—while maintaining direct accountability for underwriting profitability and operational performance. If you have the insurance leadership experience, entrepreneurial mindset, and underwriting discipline to help build a carrier from day one, our client wants to hear from you.