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SVP, Chief Underwriting Officer
Company : Nautilus Insurance Company
Location : Scottsdale, AZ, 85260
Job Type : Full Time / Part Time
Date Posted : 5 January 2026
Company Details
Vela Insurance Services provides specialized Excess and Surplus Lines Casualty and Professional Liability insurance solutions in the following four market segments: Construction, Specialty Casualty, and Professional Liability. We offer national service and local knowledge to our exclusive wholesale broker network and the businesses they serve.
The company is an equal opportunity employer
Responsibilities
The Senior Vice President & Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) is an executive leader responsible for driving underwriting excellence, portfolio performance, and strategic growth at Vela Insurance Services. Reporting to the President, s/he will lead a unified underwriting strategy across all segments, ensuring profitable growth through a “One Underwriting” mindset. This role will oversee the redesign of the CUO role to foster stronger collaboration with MSEs, foster a sales-driven culture, and align underwriting operations with emerging opportunities in technology, data analytics, and market diversification. The CUO will champion a future-focused vision, enhancing leadership capabilities, talent retention, and broker relationships to build a defensible sales flywheel and promote sustainable profitability.
Qualifications
- Four (4) year College Degree, or commensurate experience and training
- Industry designations preferred: CPCU, ASLI, ARM
- Minimum of 15+ years’ commercial lines underwriting experience, with strong foundation in portfolio analytics
- Strong sales acumen and drive – Demonstrated success in building and sustaining a sales-driven culture
- Demonstrated success in product development, innovation, and launching new products
- Excellent communication, interpersonal and leadership skills
- Demonstrated technical expertise in underwriting
- Experience in and understanding the competitive E&S marketplace is a significant advantage
Additional Company Details
We do not accept any unsolicited resumes from external recruiting firms. The company offers a competitive compensation plan and robust benefits package for full time regular employees which for this role include: • Eligible to participate in annual discretionary bonus. • Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, Wellness, Paid Time Off, 401(k) and Profit-Sharing plans. ' The actual salary for this position will be determined by a number of factors, including the scope, complexity and location of the role; the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; and other conditions of employmentSponsorship Details
Sponsorship not Offered for this RoleRelated Jobs
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Frequently asked questions
Scottsdale hosts a competitive insurance hub, especially for executive underwriting positions. Roles like SVP, Chief Underwriting Officer attract seasoned professionals with strong commercial lines expertise, making it essential to demonstrate advanced portfolio analytics skills and sales-driven leadership to stand out locally.
In Arizona's E&S insurance sector, credentials such as CPCU, ASLI, and ARM are highly valued among leadership. These designations signal deep underwriting knowledge and commitment to professional development, boosting credibility for senior roles like Chief Underwriting Officer.
Successful SVPs, Chief Underwriting Officers exhibit visionary strategy, strong sales culture cultivation, and talent retention prowess. They seamlessly integrate underwriting with data analytics and foster broker partnerships, driving sustainable growth and portfolio excellence beyond traditional risk assessment.
Professionals in this executive underwriting role often advance from senior underwriting or product development positions, progressively taking on broader portfolio responsibilities and strategic leadership, eventually moving towards C-suite roles like Chief Risk Officer or President within insurance groups.
Balancing diverse risk appetites, aligning sales-driven culture with underwriting discipline, and integrating emerging technologies are common hurdles. Executives must also navigate broker relationships and market fluctuations while maintaining profitable portfolio performance.
At Nautilus Insurance, this leadership role benefits from a strong broker network and a specialized excess and surplus lines focus, enabling the SVP to innovate underwriting frameworks and influence market expansion with local insights and national reach.
Nautilus’s emphasis on collaboration, innovation, and sales-driven growth means the CUO is expected to be a transformative leader who champions cross-functional alignment and drives underwriting excellence while nurturing talent and broker partnerships.
For an executive underwriting leader in Scottsdale, the salary typically ranges between $210,000 and $280,000 annually, influenced by experience, portfolio size, and company scale. Performance bonuses and profit-sharing often supplement base compensation in this competitive market.
Scottsdale offers a favorable work-life balance with less traffic congestion and a thriving local insurance community. Executives can enjoy outdoor lifestyle amenities which may reduce burnout and foster sustained leadership focus in demanding underwriting roles.
This title signals top-tier strategic responsibility, encompassing portfolio analytics leadership, sales integration, and innovation oversight. Unlike standard senior underwriting jobs, it demands executive decision-making, cross-segment coordination, and a visionary growth mindset.