Corporate Vice President, Underwriting Modernization

Location Designation: Hybrid - 3 days per week 

Our New York Life culture has laid the foundation for over 180 years of commitment to our employees, agents, policy owners, and the communities where we live and work. Here you become a valued part of a welcoming, inclusive, and caring organization with a long-standing legacy in stability and growth. The strength revolves around our diversified, multi-dimensional business portfolio that goes beyond life insurance.

As a Fortune 100 company and industry leader, we provide an environment where you can explore your career ambitions, offering opportunities to tackle meaningful challenges and stretch your skills while balancing work and life priorities.  You will be part of an inclusive team guided by our belief to always be there for each other–providing the support and flexibility to grow and reach new heights while making an impact in the lives of others.

You are our future, and we commit to investing in you accordingly.

Role Overview:

The Corporate Vice President, Underwriting Modernization plays a critical role shaping the future of Underwriting at New York Life.   We are seeking a visionary and execution-focused Corporate Vice President to lead modernization efforts in morbidity underwriting across our life, disability, and hybrid product portfolios. This leader will drive strategic initiatives that transform underwriting practices through automation, data analytics, digital experience enhancements, and process reengineering, ensuring sustainable growth and competitive advantage.

What You'll Do:

Underwriting Modernization & Innovation
• Analyze underwriting data and processes to identify opportunities for automation, efficiency, and improved risk selection
• Lead and implement innovation projects focused on modernizing underwriting, from ideation to execution including automation of evidence collection, risk assessment tools, and decision engines.
• Develop, maintain, and enhance underwriting rules engines and predictive models specific to morbidity/ mortality risk.
• Collaborate cross-functionally; Partner with product, actuarial, and technology teams to redefine underwriting workflows and digital customer experiences.
• Identify and implement innovative tools and data sources (e.g., electronic health records, predictive analytics, third-party data) to improve underwriting speed, accuracy, and user experience.
• Oversee agile delivery and vendor teams working on digital underwriting projects, ensuring alignment to business priorities and compliance standards.
• Develop underwriting governance models that balance risk management with efficiency.
• Create business cases for modernization initiatives, including ROI estimates, resource requirements, and success metrics.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs) and industry trends in morbidity underwriting.
• Serve as a thought leader internally and externally; stay current with medical advancements, regulatory changes, and market trends impacting underwriting.

Executive Communications & Collaboration
• Analyze complex data and business metrics to synthesize actionable insights and guide strategic decision-making at the leadership level.
• Collaborate with senior leaders and product teams to gather input, shape discussion topics, and ensure follow-through on key action items to drive progress of business priorities.
• Provide oversight of agile and vendor delivery teams to deliver on strategic initiatives. Partner and collaborate with/communicate effectively with operations teams.
• Track and monitor the execution of high-priority decisions, providing regular updates to leadership on progress and outstanding action items.

Strategy Execution & Business Metrics:
• Lead the reporting and communication of Underwriting OKR progress, ensuring business priorities remain on track.
• Work closely with cross-functional partners to surface roadblocks, identify solutions, and drive execution of strategic initiatives.
• Support the development, execution, and ongoing refinement of the Underwriting Modernization PX roadmap  

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree or professional designations (e.g., FLMI, FALU) preferred.
• Extensive experience (7+ years) in underwriting, with a strong focus on health/morbidity risk.
• Proven track record in leading underwriting innovation or transformation projects.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and project management skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration abilities, with experience presenting to senior leadership.
• Familiarity with rules engines, predictive modeling, and data-driven underwriting practices.

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Pay Transparency

Salary Range:  $135,000-$180,000 

Overtime eligible: Exempt 

Discretionary bonus eligible: Yes 

Sales bonus eligible: No 

Actual base salary will be determined based on several factors but not limited to individual’s experience, skills, qualifications, and job location. Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition to base salary, employees may also be eligible to participate in an incentive program.

Our Benefits

We provide a full package of benefits for employees – and have unique offerings for a modern workforce, including leave programs, adoption assistance, and student loan repayment programs. Based on feedback from our employees, we continue to refine and add benefits to our offering, so that you can flourish both inside and outside of work. Click here to discover more about our comprehensive benefit options or visit our NYL Benefits Site.

Our Commitment to Inclusion
At New York Life, fostering an inclusive workplace is fundamental to who we are and how we serve our communities. We have a longstanding commitment to creating an environment where individuals can contribute their best and succeed together. This foundation is rooted in our core values of humanity and integrity, ensuring that every employee feels valued and supported. By embracing a broad range of perspectives and experiences, we achieve greater success and fulfill our promise of providing financial security and peace of mind to families across all communities. Click here to learn more about New York Life’s leadership in this space.​

Recognized as one of Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Companies, New York Life is committed to improving local communities through a culture of employee giving and volunteerism, supported by the Foundation. We're proud that due to our mutuality, we operate in the best interests of our policy owners. To learn more about career opportunities at New York Life, please visit the Careers page of www.NewYorkLife.com.

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Job Requisition ID: 91977