Assistant Vice President of Underwriting

Be Here. Be Great. Working for a leader in the insurance industry means opportunity for you. Great American Insurance Group's member companies are subsidiaries of American Financial Group. We combine a "small company" culture where your ideas will be heard with "big company" expertise to help you succeed. With over 30 specialty and property and casualty operations, there are always opportunities here to learn and grow.

At Great American, we value and recognize the benefits derived when people with different backgrounds and experiences work together to achieve business results. Our goal is to create a workplace where all employees feel included, empowered, and enabled to perform at their best.

Great American’s Fidelity/ Crime Division is a market-leading specialty insurance business with deep expertise in protecting organizations against financial loss arising from employee dishonesty, forgery, and other crime-related exposures. With deep underwriting and claims expertise, the division delivers customized coverage solutions to a diverse portfolio of public and private companies, financial institutions, and government entities. In addition to Crime, the division specializes in Kidnap & Ransom (K&R) and Fine Art coverage.

We are seeking an Assistant Vice President (AVP) of Underwriting to lead one of our largest profit centers and sustain the strong momentum of a highly tenured, high-performing team. Great American’s culture is built on connection, shared learning, and strong relationships. To support this, employees in this role are expected to be on‑site three days a week, with the flexibility to work 2 days remotely.

This position will oversee day-to-day underwriting operations, planning and strategy, and team leadership for a complex book of business with a heavy emphasis on Financial Institutions (FI), alongside commercial crime exposures. The territory includes NYC boroughs, Westchester County, and Northern New Jersey.

Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:

• Lead and develop an experienced underwriting team, fostering accountability, engagement, and continued strong performance.
• Drive underwriting strategy for a large, established Fidelity/ Crime profit center, ensuring disciplined risk selection and profitability.
• Oversee day-to-day underwriting operations, including workflow management, file quality, adherence to authority, and service standards.
• Underwrite and/or provide hands-on guidance on complex Fidelity/ Crime accounts.
• Drive premium and profitable growth in alignment with annual plan, leveraging market insights and targeted broker engagement.
• Build and deepen broker and client relationships, with a strong focus on identifying opportunities.
• Utilize personal market connections to generate new business opportunities and strengthen distribution partnerships.
• Collaborate with divisional colleagues and peers across other divisions to support cross‑sell opportunities and coordinated client and broker strategies.
• Monitor portfolio performance, including rate adequacy, retention, loss trends, and exposure management; recommend corrective actions as needed.
• Lead planning, forecasting, and reporting for the territory; communicate results and insights to divisional leadership.
• Develop and execute annual plan, aligning strategic priorities with financial discipline.
• Oversee operational expenses to ensure performance within established budget.
• Ensure consistent execution of underwriting guidelines, pricing discipline, documentation standards, and regulatory/compliance requirements.
• Coach and mentor team members through referrals, account reviews, training, and talent development.
• Represent the division internally and externally at industry and broker events; travel locally within the city and for divisional meetings as needed.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with claims and other internal partners to support underwriting decisions and customer experience.

Qualifications:

• Generally,15–20+ years of underwriting experience in Fidelity/ Crime preferred; however, candidates with substantial experience in Financial Institutions or closely related specialty P&C lines are strongly encouraged to apply.
• Generally, 7+ years of people leadership experience, with demonstrated success of building, coaching, and managing high-performing teams.
• Strong technical underwriting capability with experience handling complex accounts and larger risks.
• Proven track record of portfolio management, including profitability, growth planning, and performance analytics/reporting.
• Established broker relationships and demonstrated ability to originate and expand business through market connections.
• Strong strategic, communication, and stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence at multiple levels.
• Ability to work hybrid in NYC and travel locally/occasionally for divisional needs.

Business Unit:

Fidelity / Crime

Salary Range:

$210,000.00 -$255,000.00

Benefits:

We offer competitive benefits packages for full-time and part-time employees*. Full-time employees have access to medical, dental, and vision coverage, wellness plans, parental leave, adoption assistance, and tuition reimbursement. Full-time and eligible part-time employees also enjoy Paid Time Off and paid holidays, a 401(k) plan with company match, an employee stock purchase plan, and commuter benefits.

Compensation varies by role, level, and location and is influenced by skills, experience, and business needs. Your recruiter will provide details about benefits and specific compensation ranges during the hiring process. Learn more at http://www.gaig.com/careers.

*Excludes seasonal employees and interns.