The Opportunity:
As a Senior Life Underwriter, you will play a critical role in evaluating complex life insurance risks, making sound mortality and financial assessments, and partnering with distribution and account management teams to deliver first-offer, best-offer outcomes. This is an opportunity to leverage your expertise while influencing underwriting strategy, supporting field partners, and helping families secure their financial futures.
The Team:
The team here at MassMutual is composed of experienced underwriters supporting our MassMutual Financial Advisors (MMFA) and MassMutual Strategic Distributor (MMSD) channels. These organizations provide a variety of customer, advisor, and risk management services. The team culture is collaborative, cross-functional, and uses old and new technologies.
The Impact:
- Evaluate and handle all underwriting aspects of formal & informal life insurance applications
- Determine whether to accept, modify, or decline a risk through evaluation of an individual's medical history or physical condition, occupational hazard, and financial background.
- Deliver the best offer first to drive the sale and not just a decision.
- Provide efficient, quality service to third party firms, their staff and their advisors.
- Communicate effectively with customers to explain underwriting decisions and facilitate placement of business.
- Understand underwriting policies, guidelines, practices, and procedures.
- Influence and champion changes to improve processes while maintaining mortality expectations.
- Tailor communication style to fit a variety of target audiences, i.e. agency and new business personnel. Foster relationships with advisors and brokerage partners.
- Provide consultations with third party firms to resolve rate-related questions and discrepancies or risk-related concerns.
The Minimum Qualifications: - High school diploma or GED.
- 5+ years life insurance underwriting experience.
- $5+ million life insurance underwriting authority.
The Ideal Qualifications:- 10+ years underwriting experience.
- $10+ million dollar life insurance underwriting authority.
- Expert knowledge of all aspects of risk selection (medical, non-medical, financial).
- Mastery of key underwriting concepts, best practices, and procedures including identifying exposures to loss, material hazards, and implementation of necessary risk management controls.
- Strong knowledge of UW administrative systems, product rules, Underwriting Guidelines and medical factors impacting mortality and the keen ability to position with agents, brokers, and sales partners.
- Experience underwriting both term and permanent life insurance.
- Agency, brokerage distribution, banks or wire house underwriting experience.
- Reinsurance experience.
- Industry designations: FMLI, FALU, CLU, ChFC, etc.
- Demonstrated track record of working with minimal supervision, being a self-starter, and working with others in a team environment.
- Ability to think critically, problem solve using data to drive toward resolution.
- Positive, inclusive, agile, and collaborative mindset.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
What You Can Expect at MassMutual: MassMutual offers the opportunity to do meaningful work within a purpose-driven organization that values long-term impact over short-term outcomes. In this role, you can expect:
Clear areas of ownership and accountability, with work that connects directly to company and customer outcomes
A collaborative environment where perspectives are welcomed
Access to learning, development, and internal networks that support continuous growth and skill-building over time
Employee-led communities and forums that foster connection, learning, and inclusion across the organization
A culture grounded in integrity, responsibility, and stewardship-supported by a company with a strong legacy and a future-focused mindset
#LI-SB1Salary Range:$115,900-$152,100
At MassMutual, we focus on ensuring fair equitable pay, by providing competitive salaries, along with incentive and bonus opportunities for all employees. Your total compensation package includes either a bonus target or in a sales-focused role a Variable Incentive Compensation component.
