The posting
Title: Program Business Director
Location: Morristown, NJ / Dallas, TX / Austin, TX / San Jose, CA
Reports To: Chief Program & Underwriting Officer, Spinnaker
About Hippo:
Hippo was built on a promise: make homeownership effortless. Nearly a decade later, that mission still drives us. We use technology and data to help our customers stay ahead of problems and protect what matters most.
Today, that same tech-native approach powers our work beyond homeowners. Hippo operates as a diversified carrier platform, partnering with MGAs to deliver tailored program solutions that help them grow and deliver better customer experiences. Behind that work is a team that values ownership, curiosity, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
If you're energized by building what's next, we'd love to meet you.
About You:
We are seeking a committed, experienced, and energetic individual to join our team. This is a collaborative leadership role accountable for program management and underwriting of a sub-portfolio of programs within Spinnaker. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, a change leader that challenges and continuously improves existing processes and procedures, as well as a subject matter expert in personal lines, commercial lines, program management and compliance.
What You'll Do:
As a Program Business Director at Spinnaker, you will act as “CEO” of a number of Spinnaker programs. You will have primary P&L responsibility for the book of business, and you will be responsible for setting program annual goals which will include strategies and tactics for profit, growth, expense management, and allocation of catastrophe capacity. A key strategic part of the role is relationship management, and you will act as the primary interface with each program, to include their Claims TPA, reinsurers and the brokers.
Day-to-day responsibilities include:
- Represent your assigned programs as a member of the Spinnaker senior leadership team
- Accountable for ensuring your programs are in compliance with our contractual terms and follow all regulatory compliance requirements
- State filing review/signoff along with broader program-specific teams
- Quality and accuracy of the deal-specific business terms
- Responsibility for each program meeting strategic objectives as stated by the CEO and senior leadership team
- Oversight of onboarding checklist(s) for new programs assigned to you
- Oversight of renewal strategy in collaboration with Finance and Operations
- Collaborate with Finance and Operation to ensure monthly reinsurer reporting are done correctly
- Collaborate with Finance and Operation to ensure account reconciliation, including review and approval of account balances due MGAs/reinsurers
- Collaborate with Finance and Operation to ensure claims and treaty reporting, including review and approval of program-specific claims and IBNR are done correctly
- As needed, participate in the new business development process, in collaboration with the broader team
- Review of potential new business opportunities
- Collaborate with the Hippo Reinsurance team to ensure:
- Specific reinsurance placements are done correctly and timely
- Participate in industry conferences/events; marketing and reinsurer visits as needed
As owner of each program, and in addition to the broader duties outlined above, program specific responsibilities include:
- Overall P&L responsibility for programs in your portfolio. Implement action steps to improve underwriting results of programs as necessary
- Develop annual growth and profit plans for the program
- Develop and/or amend underwriting guidelines specific to each program
- Plan, manage, and evaluate work of program administrators/MGAs
- When applicable, develop and manage CAT management objectives including PML management in conjunction with Hippo risk management department
- Direct responsibility for portfolio management of assigned programs including but not limited to, management/allocation of limit accumulations, remediation or culling of unprofitable business, and oversight of remediation of MGAs with unsatisfactory audit results
- Work with program brokers and MGAs to place reinsurance specific to the program and coordinate with Hippo risk management department. Responsible for ensuring signed reinsurance agreements are loaded to contract database (Lexion)
- Collaborate with Spinnaker Claims department to monitoring claim activity on program and act where appropriate (e.g. underwriting guidelines, forms development, claims operations)
Key Program Audit responsibilities include:
- Conduct underwriting audits and quality reviews to validate compliance with all underwriting guidelines and quality standards are met
- Conduct termination and run-off processes for discontinued programs
Must Haves:
- 7+ years of risk management experience in personal and/or commercial insurance positions of increasing responsibility required
- Bachelor’s degree required
- Proficient with setting and negotiating Reinsurance Programs
- Contract Drafting experience
- Experience with coverage analysis
- Understanding of technical claims proficiency and execution of best claim practices
- Understanding of insurance concepts such as contracts, policy forms, reinsurance, state regulation, and claims coverage
- Strong business acumen and ability to collaborate with other departments and stakeholders
- Demonstrated success in exercising independent decision-making, problem-solving, and negotiation competency
- Strong organizational and analytical skills with ability to conduct analysis on unstructured data
- Intermediate Excel skills are required
- Customer-service and relationship oriented
Nice to Have:
- Professional designations desired (CPCU, ARM, AIC, SCLA, etc.)
Benefits and Perks
Hippo treats its team members with the same level of dedication and care as we do our customers, which is why we’re fortunate to provide all of our Hippos with:
- Healthy Hippos Benefits - Multiple medical plans to choose from and 100% employer covered dental & vision plans for our team members and their families. We also offer a 401(k)-retirement plan, short & long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for health and dependent care, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Equity - This position is eligible for equity compensation
- Training and Career Growth - Training and internal career growth opportunities
- Flexible Time Off - You know when and how you should recharge
- Little Hippos Program - We offer 12 weeks of parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers
- Hippo Habitat - Snacks and drinks available for onsite employees
The Morristown, NJ base pay range for this role is $150,000 - $235,000. Exact compensation may vary based on several job-related factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to: skill set, experience, education/training, location, business needs and market demands.
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.
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