Title:  Director of Underwriting Operations

Location: Palo Alto, Austin, Bedminster, NJ

Reporting to: Chief Underwriting Officer

About Hippo

Hippo is modernizing home insurance by putting customers at the center of everything we do. Using innovative technology and a data-driven approach, we strive to provide homeowners with the best policies, best value, and best customer service in the industry. And as if that wasn’t enough, it’s really just the beginning. Hippo’s true ambition lies in helping prevent people from experiencing problems with their homes, to begin with. Because, at the end of the day, the best home insurance policy is the one you never have to use.

The Position:

We are looking for an experienced Underwriting Operations leader to develop and maintain an underwriting process that balances a superior customer experience with underwriting efficiency and effectiveness.  In this position you will examine and improve the underwriting workflow to find and achieve efficiencies through improved best practices and innovation.  This is a newly created position.  

What You’ll Do:

• Collaborate closely with Innovation to test, develop, and employ new technologies into the Underwriting process.
• Maintain a highly efficient quote process for the customer working closely with IT Product Management.
• Optimize the use of third party data sources and innovative technologies to maximize automation at each step in the underwriting process.
• Establish and maintain underwriting operations reporting structure
• Manage the inspection process from end to end including:
• Monitor execution of inspections.
• Manage vendor contracts and SLAs.
• Create and monitor the audit process of third party vendors.
• Optimize the use of inspections in the underwriting workflow.
• Maintain process for establishing replacement cost and maintaining Insurance to Value in the portfolio including point of sale process, renewal maintenance, inspection contribution, change in exposure monitoring, and vendor methodology.
• Partner closely with Technical Underwriting, Innovation, Insurance Product Management, IT Product Management, IT Data Science, Sales and Distribution, and Customer Support on cross department interactions.
• Maintain and monitor underwriting rules implemented in Pod to ensure they are effective and efficient in directing business through the organization.

Must Haves:

• At least five years of personal lines insurance experience
• Bachelors Degree
• Desire to challenge the “way we’ve always done things”
• Experience with underwriting operations

Nice to Haves:

• Experience with home replacement valuations and inspection processing
• Experience with vendor management

Compensation and Perks

• Healthy Hippos Benefits- 100% Employer paid medical, dental & vision plan options for our team members AND their families (yes, you read that correctly). As well as 401K, long & short term disability, EAP and flexible spending accounts
• Flexible Paid Time Off - Uncapped PTO policy
• Little Hippos Program - We offer 12 weeks parental leave for primary caregivers and 8 weeks for secondary caregivers
• Hippo Habitat - Fast-paced, close-knit, office located in Bedminster, NJ; Beautiful, historic offices in downtown Austin at the corner of 6th & Congress; Fun offices located in downtown Palo Alto, less than a 5 minute walk from Caltrain. We also offer commuter benefits including free parking pass. Stocked kitchen and BBQ Friday’s for all!

Hippo is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a team culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion.

Hippo’s applicants are considered solely based on their qualifications, without regard to an applicant’s disability or need for accommodation. Any Hippo applicant who requires reasonable accommodations during the application process should contact the Hippo’s People Team to make the need for an accommodation known.