Underwriting Rules and Innovation Lead

About Ladder 

We saw a problem within the life insurance industry: getting covered took too long, involved too much paperwork, and required too many in-person meetings with sales agents. Having lost his father at a young age, our CEO, Jamie, was determined to make it easier for people to get the coverage they needed to provide for their families. So, we got to work. We developed a method of real-time underwriting and, in doing so, reduced the months-long process of applying for life insurance to minutes. Our digital experience is quick (instant decisions!), loved by users (check out our Trustpilot or Google reviews) and prolific ($74 billion+ in coverage provided).

About the role 

We believe life insurance innovation must happen in the context of sound underwriting decisions.

The Underwriter Rules and Innovation Lead will collaborate with engineering, design, data science, actuarial, and marketing in addition to our external case underwriters as we design new marketing campaigns, product features, and data models to help users have the most delightful experience possible. This is a remote role reporting to Ladder's Head of Underwriting.

Responsibilities

• Bring Underwriter expertise to cross-functional Ladder work teams
• Work with world-class engineers, product managers, designers, data scientists, actuaries and marketers maximizing Ladder’s impact
• Collaborate with internal and external production underwriters to build into the strength of those relationships
• Work closely with Customer Experience, Compliance and Engineering to answer underwriting related questions
• Comfortable with both underwriting cases and project based work, applying your knowledge to systems and processes
• Digest audit findings and translate findings into underwriting guidelines, opportunities for improvement and best practices
• Develop and maintain connection with available vendors and data sources to keep Ladder at the forefront of solid underwriting practices.
• Understand our users’ needs deeply and comprehensively

Requirements

• 8+ years of life insurance underwriting experience at a leading carrier or reinsurer required
• Proven success developing underwriting guidelines and process workflows
• Demonstrated interest in innovation and better serving end users
• Experience with accelerated underwriting and third-party evidence providers a plus
• Master of collaboration comfortable working with many cross-functional stakeholders
• An innovator passionate about insurance who wants to help create a new paradigm to make insurance more accessible and affordable for the next generation of buyers
• Strategic thinker and builder who wants to apply their deep life insurance underwriting expertise to help drive Ladder’s success
• Data-driven and structured thinker comfortable with data by translating audit findings into actionable insights and business models
• Great communicator who listens well, asks questions and has a sense of humor

What we offer

Whether you work in our beautiful office in Palo Alto or remotely, Ladder is highly collaborative and fun. To support you in your role, we offer fantastic perks and benefits that reflect our mission of care and support, including:

• Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage | We offer competitive healthcare and dental plans for you and your family.
• Flexible paid time off | Take the time that you need to rest and recharge, including our week-long winter holiday closure. 
• Stock options | We offer competitive stock option packages to participate in the success of building Ladder, including an extended option exercise window of 7 years after two years with Ladder.
• A rewarding 401k match program | We'll match up to 4% of your contributions as you save for your retirement goals.
• Commuter benefits | When you work from the office, you will receive pre-tax benefits for your commute and free parking.
• A stocked, beautiful new office | Located in downtown Palo Alto, our office was specifically designed to accommodate all working styles. We've invested in technology to support our hybrid team, plus we provide office snacks and catered lunches so that team members can work well and have fun together.
• Paid parental leave | We think it's crucial that new parents have time to adjust to their new lives without worrying about work, so we provide all parents inclusive of birthing, adoption, or fostering ten weeks of paid baby bonding.
• Work-from-home flexibility and support | We recognize that everyone's homelife is different and support remote and hybrid work. Upon joining, we provide a one-time $500 remote office stipend for all team members and then a monthly $150 stipend to cover WFH costs such as the internet.
• Fun company-wide events | Whether we work locally or remotely, we genuinely enjoy spending time together. That’s why we plan fun virtual and in-person events to let
  loose and laugh.

The base pay range targeted for this position is $118,000 - $165,000 per year. Base pay is determined by market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. This role is eligible for equity and benefits as shared above.

Ladder is building a diverse team of talented and enthusiastic people. We are an equal opportunity workplace. At Ladder, differences are celebrated and supported to benefit our people, product, and community. Let us know why you're interested in this position and what unique contributions you can make to the Ladder team. We look forward to hearing from you.