Head of Claims (Europe)

Stoïk; Madrid; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Direct CERT access

Autonomous leadership team

Competitive salary & benefits

Office flexibility to meet at the HQ

Regular travel across Europe

Job summary

Stoïk is seeking an European Claims Leader to manage our cyber claims function across Europe, handling the most complex losses from notification to settlement. You will lead a team of claims professionals and work closely with Underwriting, Product Development, and CERT.

You will supervise a growing, multilingual team across multiple countries and ensure high-quality, timely settlements while maintaining governance and regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• At least 5 years managing upper-middle-market and large corporate claims across Europe or internationally.
• Proven experience interpreting policy wordings and leading settlements.
• Proven cyber claims experience is required; other commercial lines are a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead the team of cyber claims handlers across European markets.
• Oversee claims through adjustment, set quality/speed/consistency standards.
• Conduct performance reviews, coaching and strategic planning.

Skills

Cyber claims experience

Team leadership

Policy interpretation

Regulatory awareness

Education

Law degree or legal practice

Tools

Incident response coordination

Forensic collaboration

Job description

About Stoïk

Stoïk is a European cyber insurer that combines insurance with prevention. Our policyholders get cover, continuous monitoring and an in-house CERT that responds when an incident happens. We are tech-driven, human at heart, and growing fast across Europe with a challenger spirit.

The role

As European Claims Leader, you will lead our cyber claims function across Europe, for all segments we operate in, up to companies with €1bn in revenue. You will lead a team of claims professionals and handle the most complex losses yourself, from first notification through to settlement.

• Reports to: the VP Insurance, directly

• Works closely with: the Underwriting department, the Product Development team, our CERT and other teams across Stoïk

• Location: based in one of our offices in Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Munich or Brussels

• Current team: 3 claims handlers across 3 countries

Responsibilities

Lead the team

• Manage and develop a team of cyber claims handlers across our European markets.

• Oversee the team's claims through every stage of adjustment, setting standards for quality, speed and consistency.

• Run performance reviews, coaching and training, and shape the team's strategy and structure as we grow.

Handle complex claims

• Handle a personal portfolio of the largest and most complex cyber claims, across all segments.

• Analyse policy wordings and take coverage positions on complex or disputed claims.

• Lead settlement negotiations with insureds, brokers, co-insurers and reinsurers.

• Appoint and manage loss adjusters, forensic experts and external counsel, and challenge their findings.

• Build and manage our panel of incident response providers and external experts, monitoring their quality, speed and cost.

• Calculate and validate quantum, including business interruption, incident response costs and third-party liability.

• Set and review reserves, and approve payments within your authority.

Work across Stoïk

• Work closely with our in-house CERT on incident response and on lessons learned from claims.

• Share claims trends and wording issues with underwriting and product teams to improve our risk selection and policies.

• Report, update and present on claims developments, large losses and portfolio trends to internal and external stakeholders, including senior management, reinsurers and brokers.

• Take part in audits and support broker relationships.

• Present at internal meetings and external events, and support underwriters in broker and client meetings.

Requirements

Experience

• At least 5 years managing upper-middle-market and large corporate claims across Europe or internationally, in-house at an insurer, at a law firm or as a loss adjuster.

• Proven experience interpreting policy wordings, leading settlements, working with loss adjusters and calculating quantum.

• Proven cyber claims experience is required; experience in other commercial lines (D&O, PI, FI, property) is a plus.

• Experience leading or mentoring claims professionals.

• Working knowledge of the regulatory framework around cyber incidents, including GDPR breach notification and NIS2 / DORA requirements for larger clients.

Background and languages

• A legal background (law degree or legal practice).

• Fluent English, plus fluency in at least one other European language, ideally French, Spanish or German. Any additional language is a plus.

How you work

• A team player who builds trust with colleagues, brokers and partners.

• Strong organisational skills, able to run a demanding portfolio and a team at the same time.

• Pragmatic and decisive: you make the right call quickly, and you own it.

• Accountable for your results and your team's.

• A confident presenter, at ease with senior management, brokers and industry audiences.

What we offer

• A senior leadership role shaping cyber claims at one of Europe's fastest-growing cyber insurers.

• Direct access to our in-house CERT and claims data, and the tools to use them.

• A senior, autonomous team that values ownership and clear decisions.

• A competitive salary and benefits package. We share the pay range with candidates before the first interview.

• Full working flexibility with the willingness to meet at the office on a regular basis.

• Regular travel across Europe to meet brokers, insureds, our local teams, and to attend industry events.

Stoïk is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from everyone, whatever their gender, age, origin, disability, sexual orientation or background, and we build our teams on skills and potential.