VP, Program Underwriting Audit & Quality Assurance Leader

VP, Program Underwriting Audit & Quality Assurance Leader About MS Transverse

MS Transverse is a Property & Casualty insurance company whose admitted and non-admitted A+ XV-rated paper gives industry-leading MGAs access to capacity and gives carriers and reinsurers access to distribution. We have grown to over $3B in gross written premium, managing 70+ active programs across 22 MGA partnerships spanning personal and commercial lines.

MS Transverse is seeking a VP, Program Underwriting Audit & Quality Assurance to build and lead a new enterprise-wide underwriting audit function. Reporting to the Chief Underwriting Officer, this role will establish a risk-based audit framework, oversee MGA/MGU underwriting compliance, and drive governance, quality assurance, and continuous improvement across a growing program portfolio.

Design and own the end-to-end PUA-QA program: audit universe, risk-based prioritization, annual calendar, and multi-year schedule aligned to the 120-day renewal cycle and MST's risk appetite. Build the PUA-QA Audit Framework covering five domains — Delegated Authority Compliance, Underwriting Risk Selection & Documentation, Pricing Compliance, Policy Forms & Endorsement Compliance, and Escalation & Referral Adherence — with testing procedures, evidence requirements, and exception protocols.

Develop a weighted scoring methodology producing a composite rating, flagging systemic deficiencies, and driving corrective action (management letters, remediation plans, authority restriction, or escalation to CUO/CRO/CPO). Establish statistically defensible file-selection and 100% review criteria for outlier accounts/programs.

Operate PUA-QA as MST's second line of defense — distinct from MGA quality controls (first line) and Internal/external audit (third line) — with clear boundary documentation. Integrate scope and findings with the full authority hierarchy (BAA/PAA, program UW Rules, MST Guidelines/LOAs, MS&AD Handbook). Ensure traceability to pre-binding Due Diligence, creating a continuous risk control loop. Produce a quarterly PUA-QA Dashboard for senior leadership and present at board-level risk committees.

Lead/supervise all audits, coordinating with PUMAs, POMs, Program Directors, and MGA/MGU teams through scoping, fieldwork, findings, exit conference, and reporting. Set frequency standards: annual minimum, semi-annual for programs >$25M GWP or on remediation, and triggered reviews for material events. Produce scored reports with root-cause analysis and corrective action tracking; maintain a findings register. Manage MGA relationships professionally while preserving second-line independence.

Build a multi-year resource plan (headcount, skills, hiring roadmap). Identify and engage third-party vendors/contractors to supplement capacity, with urgency around Q4 2026–Q1 2027 priorities. Establish vendor qualification standards and quality review protocols. Manage the PUA-QA budget and report utilization quarterly.

Synchronize audit cadence with the 120-day renewal process so findings and corrective actions inform renewal decisions and authority adjustments. Provide pre-renewal audit summaries (compliance history, scoring trend, open findings, risk-tiered recommendation) to Program Underwriting leadership. Collaborate with Program Operations to reflect findings in MGA scorecards and governance calendars.

Select and implement the PUA-QA tech stack (audit management, workpaper repository, findings tracker, dashboard). Lead adoption of AI-assisted capabilities — NLP for file review, ML for anomaly detection, generative AI for workpaper prep and report drafting. Drive continuous improvement via benchmarking against NAIC MGA Act, AM Best, and CPCU/IIA standards. Candidates with demonstrated AI experience in audit/underwriting governance strongly preferred.

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