Assistant Vice President Underwriting

The Carlisle Group has been retained to find an Assistant Vice President, Technical Underwriting Office. Our client is a leading provider of commercial insurance products dedicated exclusively to the construction industry. Their headquarters is located in North Carolina. The company serves markets across the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast and is A-rated by AM Best.
This is an in-office opportunity. Relocation assistance will be provided.

For more than 40 years, our client has maintained a singular focus on the construction industry. With deep ties to the North Carolina Home Builders Association and strong partnerships across industry organizations, the company brings specialized expertise and a consistent commitment to job-site safety and risk management.

As our client enters its next phase of growth, the focus is on strengthening underwriting excellence, enhancing scalability, and driving long‑term performance. Their culture is grounded in teamwork, expertise, inclusion, and community, with clear expectations for leaders to deliver results, develop people, and build systems that support sustainable growth.

Reporting to the VP of Underwriting, the AVP - Technical Underwriting Office (TUO), leads the technical underwriting discipline, governance, and modernization strategy for the underwriting organization. This role drives the evolution of the underwriting strategy by setting underwriting design, standards, tools, and capabilities to ensure consistency, data‑driven execution, regulatory compliance, and scalability that support profitable growth and long‑term performance.

• Lead the design, governance, and continuous improvement of underwriting policies, guidelines, authorities, and overall design to ensure technical excellence, consistency, and regulatory compliance across all lines.
• Lead our staff underwriting function, including underwriting consultants, training, and quality assurance teams, ensuring alignment to strategic objectives.
• Partner with Product, Actuarial, and Finance to assess portfolio performance, rate adequacy, and coverage design; implement technical underwriting and operational enhancements that support profitable growth.
• Set the strategic direction for underwriting training and capability building, designing curricula, learning paths, and tools that strengthen technical skills and support career progression for underwriting staff.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of underwriting manuals, playbooks, and knowledge‑management tools that translate strategies and risk appetite into actionable guidance for underwriters and leaders.
• Serve as executive sponsor for underwriting innovation initiatives, driving adoption of technology, analytics, and automation solutions that improve risk selection, pricing accuracy, and productivity.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally on enterprise initiatives such as product development, reinsurance strategy, and risk governance, representing underwriting’s technical and operational perspective at the leadership level.

The above responsibilities are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by individuals assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required by the position. All employees may be assigned additional duties at any time.

• Up to 25% travel is required. Including travel to corporate events and relevant conferences.

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred in Business, Risk Management, Actuarial Science, or related field.
• Professional designation(s) strongly preferred (e.g., CPCU, ARM, CIC).
• 15+ years of property and casualty insurance experience. Must have experience with underwriting products for the construction industry.
• 10+ years of underwriting leadership experience. 5+ years of experience leading other leaders. Experience leading an underwriting team with a minimum of $350M+ in written premium.
• Deep technical expertise in commercial lines with strong knowledge of construction, forms, pricing, exposure analysis, and regulatory considerations.
• Proven success leading…