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Salary: USD 137,000 - 196,000 / annual
Nirvana Insurance is seeking an Underwriting Program Leader to build and own a new insurance program on its AI-native platform. The company has raised $270+ million (Series D in December 2025) and is backed by top-tier VCs including Lightspeed, General Catalyst, and Valor. Leadership includes veterans from Samsara, Glassdoor, Flexport, Nationwide, The Hartford, and RLI.
You will be accountable for the program's full P&L (top line and bottom line) and will build it in close partnership with Nirvana's leadership. You bring deep underwriting expertise in a profitable niche and market relationships; Nirvana provides an AI-native platform, data science, engineering, capacity relationships, and capital. The role comes with meaningful financial upside tied to program success.
Key responsibilities:
- Develop a focused market thesis into the program's strategy, risk appetite, underwriting guidelines, and operating rhythm in partnership with senior leadership.
- Serve as the program's lead line underwriter initially, evaluating and pricing risks, owning new business and renewals.
- Own brokerage relationships and build the wholesale and retail distribution network; set production goals and represent the program in the market.
- Work closely with senior leadership, engineering, product, and data science to shape platform, underwriting workflows, and operating procedures for technology-driven scaling.
- Own relationships with reinsurers and capacity partners; be accountable for portfolio performance, reporting, and renewals.
- Build and lead the program team (underwriting, distribution, operations) as the program scales.
Requirements:
- 10+ years of underwriting in a specialty or commercial line with deep expertise in a defined niche.
- Track record of managing a large portfolio profitably and at scale, ideally $50M+ in premium.
- Clear program thesis: ability to explain the target niche, why it's profitable, why now, and how data and technology provide an edge.
- Proven underwriting discipline; experience writing underwriting guidelines and appetite with demonstrated adherence to them.
- Proven distribution ownership: built and run broker relationships that drive production; comfortable meeting partners in the field.
- Entrepreneurial mindset; think like an owner, comfortable with ambiguity, use AI and technology to underwrite smarter and scale faster.
- Desire to build something new rather than repeat traditional playbooks; excited to challenge conventional underwriting practices and work with leadership and technologists.
- Nice to have: experience launching a program or new segment, working directly with reinsurers or capacity partners, or leading an underwriting team.
