VP, Commercial Surety

If you’re passionate about helping people protect what matters most to them at a Fortune 100 company with nearly $70 billion in annual sales, as well as innovating and simplifying processes and operations to provide the best customer value, then Nationwide’s Property and Casualty team could be the place for you! At Nationwide®, “on your side” goes beyond just words. Our customers and partners are at the center of everything we do and we’re looking for associates who are passionate about delivering extraordinary care.

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Job Description Summary

Responsible for providing leadership and strategic direction for the Commercial Surety business, driving underwriting excellence, profitable growth, portfolio performance, and market competitiveness. Serves as the senior underwriting executive accountable for establishing and executing underwriting strategy, risk appetite, product direction, and distribution objectives across the business. Leads a geographically dispersed team of underwriting leaders and directs the development of talent, succession strategies, and organizational capabilities to ensure long-term business success.

Oversees portfolio management, underwriting governance, capacity deployment, and emerging risk assessment to optimize profitability, growth, and operational effectiveness. Maintains key relationships with distribution partners, reinsurance stakeholders, and industry leaders while ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements, underwriting standards, and enterprise risk management practices. Acts as the principal subject matter expert and strategic advisor for the Commercial Surety business, influencing business outcomes through data-driven decision-making, market insight, and disciplined underwriting execution.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Business Leadership & Distribution Management

Provides executive leadership for the Commercial Surety line of business, establishing and executing long-term strategies that drive profitable growth, market expansion, and sustainable competitive advantage.

Leads a team of Home Office and Regional Directors, creating alignment between underwriting, distribution, and business objectives across the operating territory.

Develops and maintains executive-level relationships with key agencies, brokers, producers, and industry stakeholders, influencing distribution strategy and optimizing market presence.

Directs agency and broker appointment strategies, ensuring alignment with growth objectives, risk appetite, and profitability goals.

Underwriting Strategy, Portfolio Management & Risk Governance

Establishes and maintains underwriting philosophy, risk appetite, authority structures, guidelines, and governance frameworks for the Commercial Surety portfolio.

Serves as the senior underwriting authority and principal subject matter expert, ensuring consistent underwriting discipline and portfolio management practices across the organization.

Oversees portfolio performance, capacity utilization, emerging risk assessment, and underwriting results to achieve profitability and growth objectives.

Collaborates with internal business partners on underwriting audits, quality assurance processes, and compliance activities to ensure adherence to underwriting standards and regulatory requirements.

Engages with reinsurance partners and executive stakeholders to communicate portfolio performance, strategic initiatives, and risk management outcomes.

Financial Performance & Product Management

Accountable for achieving financial objectives for the Commercial Surety business, including premium growth, profitability, retention, and expense management targets.

Oversees pricing strategy, risk selection practices, and portfolio optimization efforts to maximize underwriting performance and return on capital.

Provides strategic direction for product development, policy form enhancement, rate adequacy initiatives, and regulatory filings.

Partners with enterprise leadership to evaluate market opportunities, competitive trends, and business performance, adjusting strategies as needed to achieve desired results.

Talent Leadership & Organizational Development

Provides leadership, coaching, and development for underwriting leaders and teams, fostering a caring, high-performance culture focused on accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement.

Establishes organizational capability strategies, including workforce planning, succession management, talent retention, talent acquisition, and leadership development.

Maintains full management accountability for performance management, compensation decisions, employee engagement, and workforce effectiveness.

Develops future underwriting leaders and strengthens organizational bench strength to support long-term business objectives.

Operational Excellence & Business Transformation

Provides executive sponsorship and strategic direction for underwriting technology, workflow optimization, and business transformation initiatives.

Partners with technology, analytics, and operations leaders to enhance underwriting platforms, predictive modeling capabilities, and portfolio management tools.

Drives continuous improvement efforts that improve underwriting efficiency, decision quality, scalability, and customer experience while supporting enterprise objectives.

May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Reporting Relationships: Reports to VP – Head of Surety, leads a team of professionals.

Typical Skills and Experiences:

Education: Bachelor’s degree in risk management, Insurance, Finance, Business Administration, Accounting, Economics, or related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Master’s degree in business administration (MBA), Finance, Risk Management, Economics, or related discipline is preferred.

License/Certification/Designation: Completion of CPCU and AFSB helpful.

Experience: Minimum of 15 years of Underwriting/Marketing/Leadership experience in the surety bond marketplace. Prior-related experience will be considered but most recently in surety marketplace with key broker contacts. Significant experience leading Commercial Surety underwriting operations with responsibility for profitability, growth, and portfolio performance. Experience managing large accounts, complex surety programs, and significant underwriting authority. Experience developing and executing underwriting strategies, risk appetite frameworks, and portfolio management initiatives. Demonstrated success leading geographically dispersed underwriting teams and developing underwriting leaders. Experience working with brokers, agents, producers, and key distribution partners. Experience presenting business results and strategic initiatives to executive leadership. Experience leading a national or multi-regional Commercial Surety business. Experience managing reinsurance relationships and negotiating treaty structures. Experience overseeing product development, pricing strategies, regulatory filings, and form development. Experience leading underwriting transformation, technology implementation, predictive modeling, or analytics initiatives. Experience managing P&L or direct financial accountability for a product line or business segment.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: Knowledge of the surety bond marketplace, general, retail, broker and agency systems, state and local filing systems, underwriting and marketing principles and techniques. Strong agency and broker relationships throughout the United States. Strategic planning and business leadership. Executive decision-making and judgment. Financial and business acumen. Organizational leadership and change management. Data-driven decision-making and analytical thinking. Negotiation and influencing skills. Executive communication and presentation skills. Cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder management.

Other criteria, including leadership skill