SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Salary: USD 350,000 - 425,000 / annual
Shepherd is a Managing General Underwriter (MGU) building an AI-native commercial risk platform for the insurance industry. The company has raised over $67M (Series B led by Intact Private Capital) and is backed by top-tier investors including Spark Capital, Susa Ventures, and Y Combinator. Shepherd currently focuses on construction and energy segments, writing Primary and Excess Casualty, Builder's Risk, and Workers' Compensation through a nationwide broker network.
You will lead the launch and development of Shepherd's new wholesale business unit, reporting to the Chief Insurance Officer. This is a greenfield opportunity to build a dedicated wholesale brand targeting E&S Property, Casualty, and Financial Lines from the ground up.
Key responsibilities include:
- Launching Shepherd's wholesale business and brand
- Defining wholesale strategy: target products, classes, E&S appetite, broker partners, and growth/loss-ratio targets
- Collaborating with Underwriting leadership to establish wholesale-exclusive classes and design new E&S products
- Hiring and developing product underwriting leaders; establishing underwriting guidelines, authority frameworks, referral rules, rating approaches, and forms
- Building a focused distribution strategy with wholesale broker partners; onboarding partners and establishing producer agreements
- Securing and structuring E&S reinsurance capacity with partners
- Partnering with Product, Engineering, and Data teams to design a frictionless wholesale submission-to-bind workflow
- Owning P&L for premium, profit, loss-ratio, retention, and expenses
- Building and coaching a team of wholesale product leaders, underwriters, distribution leaders, and support staff
- Working with Corporate Underwriting on letters of authority and underwriting audits
- Collaborating with Claims, Actuarial, Customer Experience, and Finance for proper underwriting, servicing, and reporting
The role emphasizes an entrepreneurial, builder mindset with a focus on leveraging technology and data to enable fast, informed underwriting decisions. You will travel approximately 25% to meet brokers, partners, and the team.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 12+ years in wholesale and E&S commercial P&C market, with leadership roles at a carrier, MGA/MGU, or wholesale specialty underwriting organization
- Proven track record of building or significantly scaling a wholesale business, product line, or channel with P&L ownership for premium, profit, and loss-ratio results
- Deep relationships with national and regional wholesale brokerage teams that can drive submission flow
- Strong command of E&S business and wholesale channel dynamics, including surplus lines regulation and compliance, wholesale producer agreements, BOR protections, commission structures, and binding authority models
- Experience leading, mentoring, or managing underwriters; ability to set authority and run underwriting audits
- Executive presence to present strategy and results to leadership, capacity partners, and reinsurers
- Comfort with ambiguity; ability to make sound decisions with incomplete information and adapt quickly
- Willingness to travel approximately 25%
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience (background in construction accounting, finance, or law is a plus)
