The North America Programs team provides underwriting capacity and strategic partnership to leading Program Administrators (MGAs/MGUs) across Property, Casualty and professional lines.

The Program Strategy & Portfolio Development Lead plays a critical role in shaping the composition and direction of the Programs portfolio by leading front-end opportunity triage, portfolio alignment, and strategic deployment of capacity.

This role serves as the initial gateway for all new program opportunities, combining targeted market engagement with disciplined evaluation to ensure alignment with underwriting appetite, risk tolerance, and portfolio objectives.

Beyond origination, the role provides a portfolio-wide lens on opportunity selection, helping guide where and how the organization deploys capital across segments, partners, and structures.

This position works closely with the Head/CUO of Programs and Heads of Property, Casualty, and Professional Programs to ensure consistent, high-quality opportunity selection and strategic coherence across the portfolio.

This position reports to Chief Underwriting Officer, Programs Americas.

What you'll be doing

1. Opportunity Triage & Portfolio Gatekeeping (Core Focus)

• Lead initial evaluation of all new program submissions, acting as the central triage function for the Programs portfolio
• Assess strategic fit, underwriting quality, structure, and economics relative to portfolio needs and risk appetite
• Identify key risks, structural concerns (e.g., CAT aggregation, selection bias, limits, price, compressed layers), and diligence priorities
• Produce concise 1-2 page evaluation memos and deal snapshots for leadership forums
• Establish consistent "go / caution / no-go" frameworks for opportunity filtering

2. Portfolio Strategy & Capacity Deployment

• Evaluate opportunities in the context of portfolio composition, diversification, and accumulation management
• Support disciplined allocation of capacity toward highest-risk-adjusted-return opportunities
• Highlight portfolio gaps, concentration risks, and strategic growth areas
• Provide input into annual and forward-looking portfolio strategy

3. Targeted Origination & Market Engagement

• Drive a focused origination approach aligned to priority segments and strategic themes.
• Build market intelligence across the programs universe.
• Support conference strategy (e.g., Target Markets, WSIA) with a clear targeting framework
• Maintain a structured view of priority partners and target segments

4. Deal Framing & Internal Alignment

• Translate external opportunities into clear internal business cases
• Prepare concise deal summaries outlining structure, economics, key risks, and strategic rationale
• Align early with underwriting, actuarial, and CUO leadership to shape opportunities prior to full diligence
• Act as the central conduit between market-facing activity and underwriting decision-making

5. Pipeline Oversight & Decision Analytics

• Maintain ownership of the new business pipeline with a focus on quality, not just volume
• Track and report key metrics, including:
• Submission quality and strategic alignment
• Conversion rates and hit ratios
• Speed and efficiency of decision-making
• Expected vs. bound premium
• Provide forward-looking pipeline insights, not just reporting

6. Market Intelligence & Strategic Insight

• Develop a forward-looking view of the programs landscape, including:
• Emerging MGAs and new program structures
• Challenging capacity flows and underwriting trends
• M&A and platform consolidation
• Translate insights into actionable recommendations for portfolio positioning and appetite refinement

7. Portfolio Alignment & Strategic Contribution

• Ensure new opportunities support long-term portfolio construction goals, not just near-term growth
• Provide a consistent framework for evaluating risk vs. return across diverse programs
• Contribute to broader Programs strategy across:
• Distribution strategy
• Product development gaps
• Partner selection

8. Governance & Underwriting Discipline

• Reinforce early clarity around:
• Delegated authority scope
• Data/reporting requirements
• Underwriting governance expectations
• Ensure only opportunities that meet minimum standards of transparency, control, and discipline progress forward
• Drive consistency in how opportunities are assessed, documented, and presented

What you will BRING

We're looking for someone who has these abilities and skills:

Required Skills and Abilities:

• Robust experience across Programs, delegated authority, underwriting, or portfolio management
• Robust understanding of MGA/program economics, structures, and risk drivers
• Experience assessing underwriting quality and structural risk at a portfolio level
• Background in underwriting, program management, or strategy within a carrier, MGA, or broker
• Established market relationships preferred, but depth of judgment prioritized over volume of contacts
• Outstanding portfolio mindset ability to evaluate individual deals in a broader strategic context
• Highly effective at triage, prioritization, and structured decision-making
• Ability to synthesize complex underwriting and commercial factors into clear recommendations
• Outstanding commercial judgment balancing growth, risk, and return
• Excellent communication skills, particularly in executive-level summarization
• Strategic thinker with high awareness of market dynamics and positioning

What we OFFER

Inclusion

AXA XL is committed to equal employment opportunity and will consider applicants regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity and origins, marital status, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic. At AXA XL, we know that an inclusive culture and enables business growth and is critical to our success. That's why we have made a strategic commitment to attract, develop, advance and retain the most inclusive workforce possible, and create a culture where everyone can bring their full selves to work and reach their highest potential. It's about helping one another - and our business - to move forward and succeed.

• Five Business Resource Groups focused on gender, LGBTQ+, ethnicity and origins, disability and inclusion with 20 Chapters around the globe.
• Robust support for Flexible Working Arrangements
• Enhanced family-friendly leave benefits
• Named to the Diversity Best Practices Index
• Signatory to the UK Women in Finance Charter

Learn more at Inclusion & Diversity at AXA XL | AXA XL.

Total Rewards

AXA XL's Reward program is designed to take care of what matters most to you, covering the full picture of your health, wellbeing, lifestyle and financial security. It provides enterprizing compensation and personalized, inclusive benefits that evolve as you do.

We're committed to rewarding your contribution for the long term, so you can be your best self today and look forward to the future with confidence.

Sustainability

At AXA XL, Sustainability is integral to our business strategy. In an ever-changing world, AXA XL protects what matters most for our clients and communities. We know that sustainability is at the root of a more resilient future. Our 2023-26 Sustainability strategy, called "Roots of resilience", focuses on protecting natural ecosystems, addressing climate change, and embedding sustainable practices across our operations.

Our Pillars:

• Valuing nature: How we impact nature affects how nature impacts us. Resilient ecosystems - the foundation of a sustainable planet and society - are essential to our future. We're committed to protecting and restoring nature - from mangrove forests to the bees in our backyard - by increasing biodiversity awareness and inspiring clients and colleagues to put nature at the heart of their plans.
• Addressing climate change: The effects of a changing climate are far-reaching and significant. Unpredictable weather, increasing temperatures, and rising sea levels cause both social inequalities and environmental disruption. We're building a net zero strategy, developing insurance products and services, and mobilizing to advance thought leadership and investment in societal-led solutions.
• Integrating ESG: All companies have a role to play in building a more resilient future. Incorporating ESG considerations into our internal processes and practices builds resilience from the roots of our business. We're training our colleagues, engaging our external partners, and evolving our sustainability governance and reporting.
• AXA Hearts in Action: We have established volunteering and charitable giving programs to help colleagues support causes that matter most to them, known as AXA XL's "Hearts in Action" programs. These include our Matching Gifts program, Volunteering Leave, and our annual volunteering day - the Global Day of Giving.

For more information, please see Sustainability at AXA XL.

The U.S. base salary range for this position is USD 132,200 - 257,100.

Actual pay will be determined based upon the individual's skills, experience and location. We strive for market alignment and internal equity with our colleagues' pay.

At AXA XL, we know how important physical, mental, and financial health are to our employees, which is why we are proud to offer benefits such as an enterprizing retirement savings plan, health and wellness programs, and many other benefits. We also believe in fostering our colleagues' development and offer a wide range of learning opportunities for colleagues to hone their professional skills and to position themselves for the next step of their careers. For more details about AXA XL's benefits offerings, please visit US Benefits at a Glance 2026.