Executive Director - Early Career Programs (INSURANCE)

ARU

Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Published: 6/14/2022

Education

Full Time

Job Description

COMPANY INTRO

ARU, founded in 2016, has quickly risen to become the U.S. leader in specialty property insurance underwriting, product development, loss control, and technology.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR - EARLY CAREER PROGRAMS POSITION INTRO

Recently, ARU announced that founding CEO Will Johnson would be moving into a new role to focus on special projects. One of the initiatives Will J. seeks to execute is the creation of a world-class MGA / MGU Summer Internship program, which will: 1) Introduce rising college seniors to the MGA / MGU business, 2) Educate these individuals about the myriad of professional opportunities available in the specialty insurance space, and 3) Establish a steady pipeline of entry level insurance professionals for ARU and affiliated companies.

The Executive Director - Early Career Programs (EDECP) will work closely with Will J. and will lead the design and execution of the Internship program. The EDECP will work closely with regional colleges and universities (especially UNC, located across the street from company HQ), with the goal of championing the specialty insurance business to college students and growing the next generation of insurance talent.

A few words from ARU's Co-founder Will Johnson:

"I started ARU in 2016 at ground zero, with zero customers, zero revenue, and one big foundational idea: other market participants were operating fundamentally flawed models that were not sustainable. I strongly believed ARU could deliver substantial value by making a clean break from the legacy underwriting methods -- and by building a completely new and innovative approach. But - I must say, believing it and executing it were two very different things, ha!

While it certainly has not been easy, amazing work by the ARU team has generated superlative growth and profitability results, and it continues to be incredibly fulfilling to see ARU's original mission be realized.

Recently I publicly announced that I would be stepping down as ARU CEO in order to pursue other initiatives, and I am keen to take lessons learned from building ARU and develop the best MGA / MGU internship program in the world, to the benefit of all stakeholders. If you are a senior insurance professional with a passion for educating and empowering others, I invite you to reach out to us."

WHAT WE’RE OFFERING TO YOU:

You will work closely with company Co-founder Will Johnson, a nationally-recognized insurance leader. You will lead the development and execution of a world-class educational and professional development program. You will use your powers as a force for good, helping both the overall insurance industry and students / budding professionals.
You will receive a competitive compensation package, with base annual salary, annual bonus, and company-provided benefits. You will have 100% employer-paid health insurance, generous PTO, and a 100% vested retirement plan with company match.
You will have a position in a fast-growing, modern, technology-based company, where your contribution will be critical to the company’s success, and where your contribution will directly improve the lives of others.

PRIMARY DUTIES:

Help ARU be the best in the world at what we do, and do not ever settle for mediocrity. Actively participate in ARU’s culture of collaborative problem-solving.
Treat every assignment as an opportunity to: 1) learn and grow as an insurance professional, and 2) prepare for increased responsibilities in the company.
Perform as a polished and professional representative for ARU, establishing and growing relationships with university leaders, students, and industry partners.
Address internal and external business challenges in a graceful and tactful manner. Complete all duties with a high degree of urgency, thoroughness, and accuracy.
Program Vision & Design
- Architect a “better-than-best-practice” internship program for university rising seniors that demystifies the specialty insurance ecosystem (MGA/MGU, underwriting, claims, loss control, operations, sales, data, GIS, marketing, software, AI, etc).
- Build a modular curriculum that blends classroom-style sessions, simulations (“Underwriter for a Day,” Claims War-Room, Cat Modeling 101), project sprints, and job-shadow rotations across ARU teams.
- Define clear learning outcomes; map each module to on-the-job skills and measurable competencies
University Partnerships & Outreach
- Own relationships with priority schools (with special focus on UNC) and a growing slate of regional/national universities; secure faculty champions and career-services partners.
- Design year-round campus engagement: guest lectures, micro-workshops, student case competitions, and “Risk Studios” hosted at ARU.
- Create easy-access pathways for non-business majors (engineering, comp sci, statistics, geography/GIS, economics, communications / other liberal arts) to discover specialty insurance careers.
Recruiting & Selection
- Build a high-signal recruiting funnel: targeted outreach, portfolio-based applications, structured interviews, work-sample assessments, and reference checks.
- Champion diversity of backgrounds and thought; ensure equitable, consistent selection processes.
Instruction & Talent Development
- Personally teach cornerstone modules (e.g., Intro to MGAs/MGUs, Risk Thinking & Judgment, Insurance as a Data Product).
- Identify opportunities for field instruction (Loss Control, Claims, etc) in collaboration with ARU field resources.
- Coach interns weekly; deliver actionable feedback; cultivate professional polish.
Program Operations & Experience
- Own the end-to-end intern journey: onboarding, schedules, rotations, mentors, events, housing guidance (as applicable), and showcase/demo days.
- Ensure a safe, compliant environment; manage policies, handbooks, and risk protocols.
Brand, Marketing & Storytelling
- Partner with Marketing to build an on-campus brand for ARU that is smart, modern, and unmistakably specialty-insurance.
- Ship high-quality collateral: landing pages, syllabus snapshots, student spotlights, and post-program case studies.
Vendor & Budget Management
- Source, contract, and manage expert third-party instructors, assessment providers, and experiential-learning partners.
- Build and manage the annual budget; track ROI with rigor.
Data, Outcomes & Continuous Improvement
- Define and track success metrics (examples): application volume/quality, offer-accept rate, NPS of 70+, conversion to full-time, time-to-productivity, and hiring manager satisfaction.
- Run after-action reviews; iterate the program each cycle; publish insights back to Will Johnson.
Technology & AI Enablement
- Leverage ARU’s technology orientation to scale the program (ATS/CRM integration, LMS, analytics dashboards, AI-assisted content and assessment).
- Ensure data integrity and privacy standards.
Stakeholder Communication
- Provide concise, data-driven updates to Will J. and senior leadership; surface risks early with solutions.
- Serve as the point of contact for internal teams and external academic partners.
Master the use of ARU standardized hardware, software programs, third party software, and processing procedures.
Other, as assigned.

WHAT WE MINIMALLY REQUIRE - YOUR EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLSET:

Preferred: MBA, JD, or other post-graduate degree. Required: Bachelor's degree from an accredited 4 year college or university.
REQUIRED: P&C INSURANCE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE
8 - 12+ years building early-career, campus, fellowship, or rotational programs or equivalent experience in high-bar recruiting, L&D, and/or academic partnerships.
Excellent instructor presence and gravitas; able to translate complex, technical or analytical topics into engaging, practical learning.
Project/program management excellence: scope, timeline, budget, vendors, and measurable outcomes.
Demonstrable proficiency using AI tools to improve professional output.
Executive-ready communication; proven stakeholder management with senior leaders and deans/faculty.
Demonstrable proficiency in thoroughness, accuracy, organization, resource management, record-keeping, and requirement gathering.
Demonstrable success influencing positive outcomes, driving initiatives, and coordinating efforts across departments without having formal direct authority.
Exceptional leadership and soft skills, with the strong ability to resolve challenging situations with a patient and calm demeanor.
Excellent professional presentation and polish, in the spoken word and written form.
Excellent critical thinker and problem-solver under pressure. High intellectual curiosity, with an enjoyment of learning and self-improvement.

REQUIRED LOCATION: 80% IN-PERSON / 20% REMOTE

The EDECP role requires a strong in-person presence at company HQ, on UNC's campus, and occasionally on other university campuses. HQ is located inside Innovate Carolina Junction in downtown Chapel Hill, NC.
As a requirement of the position, the EDECP must live within a 35 minute commute of Chapel Hill, NC. For candidates who do not currently reside in this geographic area, relocation assistance will be available.
Some remote / work from home will be acceptable in the normal course of business, to be discussed in good faith. Expectation: approximately 1 day per week (20%).

ABOUT ARU’S CULTURE:

We demand excellence from ourselves and those around us; we work accurately and thoroughly, but also with a great sense of urgency; we are excellent critical thinkers and creative problem solvers; we contribute cheerfully to ARU’s environment of collaborative brainstorming and respectful debate; we love to explore and experiment, and we are comfortable occasionally blazing a trail that ends up actually being a “bridge to nowhere” -- just as long as we fail fast, pivot appropriately, and become tougher and smarter as a result; we love to learn, read, and grow as human beings; we believe in science-based truths, and we know there is no such thing as an alternative fact.

MORE ABOUT ARU:

ARU was founded with a goal to use expertise, engineering, and technology to disrupt the legacy marketplace. Our core mission is to deliver a superior experience to our policyholders, while also maintaining sustainability and consistency writing historically-challenging classes of business. To do so, we build and deploy 100% proprietary insurance products, we invest heavily in property loss prevention engineering and research, and we develop home-grown software and other technology. We also focus on collaborative broker and policyholder relationships, which allow us to deliver shared victories for all stakeholders. ARU is part of the Accelerant Insurance family: https://accelins.com/

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