Vice President of Corporate Underwriting

Company Details

"Our Company provides a state of predictability which allows brokers and agents to act with confidence."

 

Founded in 1967, W. R. Berkley Corporation has grown from a small investment management firm into one of the largest commercial lines property and casualty insurers in the United States.

 

Along the way, we’ve been listed on the New York Stock Exchange, become a Fortune 500 Company, joined the S&P 500, and seen our gross written premiums exceed $10 billion.

 

Today the Berkley brand comprises more than 50 businesses worldwide and is divided into two segments: Insurance and Reinsurance and Monoline Excess. Led by our Executive Chairman, founder and largest shareholder, William. R. Berkley and our President and Chief Executive Officer, W. Robert Berkley, Jr., W.R. Berkley Corporation is well-positioned to respond to opportunities for future growth.

 

The Company is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Responsibilities

This position leads, coordinates, and participates in Enterprise, Segment or multiple Operating Unit underwriting and technical initiatives for the purpose of improving results and efficiencies, in addition to addressing trends, opportunities and issues. Reporting to this position are the Line of Business Leaders and the Head of Enterprise Product Support Services. The underwriting and technical initiatives assist in supporting Operating Units’ strategic plans, and key initiatives within the context of corporate, legal and regulatory guidelines.

This position is also responsible for ensuring product administration and governance across the enterprise by leading the resources responsible for supporting the Operating Units’ product development needs. This includes facilitating the sharing and rationalization of products, where possible and expanding the suite of products as needed by the operating units.

This position works closely with and regularly collaborates across the enterprise maintaining effective partnerships with the Operating Units, Segment Heads and other Corporate Departments (e.g., Actuarial, Enterprise Risk Management, Reinsurance, Claims, Legal, Compliance, and Internal Audit).

 

1. Lead, coordinate, and participate in underwriting and technical initiatives for the purpose of improving results, and efficiencies, in addition to addressing trends, opportunities and issues.2. Facilitate the sharing of underwriting best practices and fostering of innovative processes and protocols across the Operating Units, including cross selling initiatives.3. Encourage communication among Operating Unit Chief Underwriting Officers and product line experts by creating working groups, ongoing meetings, and forums to share information and ideas. 4. Lead the planning and content development for Underwriting Executive Meetings.5. Work with Corporate Actuarial to develop and lead State of the Line presentations, including identification of underwriting actions needed.6. Establish regular communication channels to share information and work with Corporate Actuarial, Enterprise Risk Management, Claims, and Reinsurance on issues and initiatives that intersect with underwriting or where participation among areas would yield better outcomes.7. Assist Reinsurance with underwriting information to assist with the placement or cost of our ceded reinsurance.8. Work with ERM on initiatives and issues involving management of CAT and non-CAT exposures, concentration of risk and valuation. 9. Work with Claims to understand adverse development, emerging issues, concerns, effective strategies that mitigate exposures or lessons learned that should be communicated to Chief Underwriting Officers, Presidents and Segment Heads.10. Create line of business communities attended by underwriting, claims, actuarial and risk engineering.11. Serve as a resource for the Operating Units by assisting with solutions to address obstacles and implement new opportunities. 12. Maintain knowledge of the Operating Units’ strategies, products, risk appetite, underwriting methods, coverages, terms, conditions, and pricing. Participate in the review of changes in strategy, products and /or risk appetite.13. Assist Corporate Compliance, Claims and Internal Audit with communicating issues and findings across the enterprise as “lessons learned” to mitigate the potential for repeatable or similar issues.14. Lead and manage enterprise initiatives related to changes in products as a result of emerging issues.15. Lead and support product administration and governance responsibilities working with the Operating Units (and Legal and Claims when needed) on product development needs to foster reuse where possible and mitigate claims leakage from poorly constructed forms.16. Participate in the development and maintenance of systems and data initiatives to provide underwriting and product knowledge expertise.17. Serve as a resource to the CEO, including providing information on specific requests or handling projects as assigned

18. Staff: Yes

Qualifications

1. Minimum of 15 years of technical underwriting experience in the P&C insurance, including field and staff experience across multiple lines of business, products, industries, sizes of accounts (small, middle market and national accounts) on a nationwide geographical scale.2. Minimum of 10 years of effective leadership of technical staff experience working in an entrepreneurial environment.3. In-depth experience working in a staff position supporting multiple operating / business units.4. In-depth experience working with other functional areas, including Actuarial, Claims, Enterprise Risk Management, Legal, and Reinsurance5. Experience with handling U.S. domiciled companies with foreign exposures and foreign subsidiaries. 6. In-depth product development experience, including the review and development of coverage forms, rules and rating plans.7. Substantial knowledge and experience developing and implementing underwriting best practices and procedures, and portfolio management guidelines.8. In-depth experience providing requirements and interpreting products assisting information technology to develop underwriting systems, including policy administration, underwriting pricing and underwriting analytical tools.9. Ability to effectively collaborate, work in a decentralized environment and influence people under direct supervision and not under direct supervision.10. Ability to work in an environment with shifting and multiple high priorities when at times all the information desired for decision making is not readily available.11. Adept at conflict management and relationship building across functional areas12. Strong results orientated leader, manager and mentor13. Effective project management and organizational skills14. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills 15. Superior critical thinking and analytical skills16. Strong work ethic and works well under pressure

 

Education Requirement

 

• Bachelor’s Degree (ideally in areas such as Mathematics, Bus. Adm, Economics, Finance, Risk Management, etc.)

 

Travel is required. The overall amount of travel will be project dependent.

Additional Requirements

For Greenwich, CT based employees, must have received COVID-19 vaccination* defined as receiving either (1) two doses of a two-dose vaccine, or (2) a single-dose vaccine, either authorized for emergency use or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and a COVID vaccine booster*unless prohibited by law.