How to hire a senior underwriter

How to hire a senior underwriter, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior underwriter hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a senior underwriter job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior underwriter
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior underwriter do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your senior underwriter job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a senior underwriter for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a senior underwriter to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a senior underwriter that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of senior underwriters and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Senior Underwriter	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Underwriter	Insurance underwriters decide whether to provide insurance and under what terms. They evaluate insurance applications and determine coverage amounts and premiums.	$21-51
   Loan Administrator	A Loan Administrator is a person that takes care of all the documentation part of the loan process. Loans require a lot of documents and requirements, and a loan administrator is a person that helps the client accomplish all these requirements... Show more	$14-28
   Loan Originator	A Loan Originator is a potential liaison between borrowers and lenders. They help borrowers complete loan applications and evaluate which loans are most appropriate for the customers.	$13-28

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Portfolio
   • Underwriting Guidelines
   • Strong Analytical
   • SR
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Loan Products
   • Renewal Business
   • Strong Negotiation
   • Excellent Organizational
   • Financial Statements
   • Financial Analysis
   • FHA
   • Va

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage AUS findings and analyze approvals and results accordingly.
   • Perform underwriter approval/declines on FHA, VA, FmHA and conventional loan applications providing financing for one-to-four family residential properties.
   • Fix and n variable annuities.
   • Check for the accuracy and proper recording of UCC filings and mortgages.
   • Order and review flood searches, title reports, UCC searches, appraisals, insurance policies and binders, and contracts.
   • Review preliminary HUD-1 for accuracy.

   More senior underwriter duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior underwriter job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior underwriter can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior underwriters' average salary in hawaii is 52% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior underwriters 59% less than senior-level senior underwriters.
   • Certifications. A senior underwriter with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior underwriter's salary.

   Average senior underwriter salary

   $69,375yearly

   $33.35 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior underwriter salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior underwriter salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$95,512	$46
   2	Massachusetts	$85,086	$41
   3	District of Columbia	$80,309	$39
   4	New Jersey	$78,893	$38
   5	California	$78,432	$38
   6	Pennsylvania	$76,196	$37
   7	Washington	$76,031	$37
   8	Connecticut	$74,636	$36
   9	Colorado	$72,797	$35
   10	Illinois	$72,336	$35
   11	Indiana	$72,167	$35
   12	Virginia	$71,476	$34
   13	Maryland	$69,273	$33
   14	Georgia	$68,756	$33
   15	Kansas	$67,969	$33
   16	Minnesota	$67,689	$33
   17	Texas	$67,301	$32
   18	Arizona	$66,007	$32
   19	North Carolina	$65,953	$32
   20	Maine	$64,679	$31

   Average senior underwriter salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Capital Group	$112,978	$54.32	2
   2	BGC Partners	$112,443	$54.06
   3	BNP Paribas	$105,427	$50.69
   4	W. R. Berkley	$105,131	$50.54	51
   5	CVS Health	$103,768	$49.89	1
   6	First Foundation	$101,695	$48.89
   7	BNY Mellon	$99,886	$48.02
   8	AIG	$99,106	$47.65	69
   9	Chubb	$98,045	$47.14	217
   10	Citi	$97,039	$46.65	6
   11	Berkshire Hathaway	$96,547	$46.42	20
   12	XL America Inc	$96,347	$46.32
   13	BERKLEY TECHNOLOGY SERVICES	$95,981	$46.14	129
   14	Axis	$95,532	$45.93	6
   15	Odyssey Re	$92,384	$44.42
   16	Swiss Reinsurance America Corporation	$92,179	$44.32	5
   17	CyberCoders	$91,387	$43.94
   18	Berkley Fire & Marine	$91,087	$43.79
   19	Voya Financial	$90,993	$43.75
   20	Ryan Specialty Group	$90,884	$43.69	29

4. Writing a senior underwriter job description

   A senior underwriter job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a senior underwriter job description:

   Senior underwriter job description example

   Who Are We?Solid reputation, passionate people and endless opportunities. That's Travelers. Our superior financial strength and consistent record of strong operating returns mean security for our customers - and opportunities for our employees. You will find Travelers to be full of energy and a workplace in which you truly can make a difference.
   Job Category
   Underwriting
   
   Target Openings
   1
   
   What Is the Opportunity?
   The Bond & Specialty Insurance (B&SI) group at Travelers provides a broad array of competitive management liability, professional liability and surety products and coverages to businesses of all sizes. This Account Executive Officer (AEO), Bond & SI role will partner with brokers to provide Commercial Surety, Construction Services, Financial Institutions, Private/Non-Profit, Professional Liability, Public Company Liability coverage for new and renewal business based on customers' needs. This role is seen as a technical resource. As an AEO, you are decisive, detail-oriented, and have the ability to build relationships internally and externally to drive results. Your ability to independently assess complex risk and promote our products in challenging markets will contribute to the profitability and success of Travelers.
   What Will You Do?
   Responsible for the profitability, growth, and retention of an assigned book of business through advanced knowledge and understanding of Travelers risk appetite to make appropriate decisions within own underwriting authority.Underwrite and skillfully negotiate complex customer accounts to minimize risk and maximize profitability.Develop and maintain relationships with internal partners within the business unit and across the enterprise to create sales plans and identify cross-selling opportunities.Develop, foster and maintain relationships with external partners by regularly meeting with brokers to market and promote Travelers products, leveraging a full range of product knowledge, with a goal of writing and retaining accounts consistent with our risk appetite.Identify and capture new business opportunities using consultative marketing and sales skills.Independently develop and execute sales plans, and partner with your Managing Director (MD) to develop group sales plans, to ensure retention and new business targets are met.May assist in the training and mentoring of less experienced Account Executives.Other duties as assigned.Perform other duties as assigned.
   What Will Our Ideal Candidate Have?
   Bachelor's degree in a finance-related discipline preferred.Six to eight years of finance-related experience or management liability underwriting experience preferred.Deep knowledge of management liability, the regulatory environment, and the local insurance market preferred.Relevant experience interacting with brokers preferred.Strong financial acumen, including the ability to analyze financial statements and client's operational history preferred.Strong critical thinking skills with the ability to proactively identify underwriting, marketing or financial challenges and analyze available information to make timely decisions in alignment with our risk appetite preferred.Excellent communication skills, with the ability to successfully negotiate with brokers in difficult situations preferred.
   
   What is a Must Have?
   Four years of finance-related experience or relevant insurance or underwriting experience required.Valid driver's license or alternative means of transportation required.Travel 10-25% of time required.
   
   What Is in It for You?
   
   Health Insurance: Employees and their eligible family members - including spouses, partners, and children - are eligible for coverage from the first day of employment.Retirement: Travelers provides a core contribution of 3% of your total eligible earnings to your Deferred Profit Sharing Plan (“DPSP”). Travelers also matches your savings plan contribution dollar-for-dollar up to 5% of base pay.Paid Time Off: Start your career at Travelers with a minimum of 20 days Paid Time Off (“PTO”) annually, plus the opportunity to purchase additional days to allow for up to a total of 36 PTO days per year. You will also receive twelve paid company Holidays.Wellness Program: The Travelers wellness program is comprised of tools and resources that empower you to achieve your wellness goals. In addition, our Life Balance program provides access to professional counseling services and other resources to support your daily life needs. Through Life Balance, you're eligible for free counseling sessions with a licensed therapist.Volunteer Encouragement: We have a deep commitment to the communities we serve and encourage our employees to get involved. Travelers has a Matching Gift and Volunteer Rewards program that enables you to give back to the charity of your choice.
   
   Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
   Travelers is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing accommodation to persons with disabilities. If you require accommodation during the recruitment or interview process we will work with you to accommodate your needs.
   
   If you are a candidate and have specific questions regarding the physical requirements of this role, please send us an email so we may assist you.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right senior underwriter for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with senior underwriters they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit senior underwriters who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior underwriter job on Zippia to find and recruit senior underwriter candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as efinancialcareers, financialjobsweb.com, careerbank, financial job bank.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior underwriters, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new senior underwriter

   Once you have selected a candidate for the senior underwriter position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior underwriter. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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