AVP, Surety Claims

Sompo; Morristown (NJ); On-site; USD 180,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Two medical plans to choose from

Dental benefits including orthodontia

Vision benefits

401(k) Retirement Savings Plan

Paid time-off and holidays

Parental Leave & Adoption Assistance

Job summary

Sompo is seeking an AVP, Surety Claims to lead complex U.S. surety matters from its North America Insurance Surety Claims team. The role will supervise technical claims handling for performance bonds across coal, oil & gas, and other bond classes, with offices in Morristown, NJ and other major hubs.

You will guide teams, review contracts, and report on large losses, reserves, and trends, while collaborating with underwriting, finance, and actuarial stakeholders to mitigate risk.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of Surety claims experience with leadership responsibilities or mentorship.
• J.D. preferred for legal review of contracts and settlements.
• Proven expertise handling high-exposure Surety claims (>$10M) across common bond types.
• Strong leadership and ability to guide teams and support staff.
• Excellent analytical, negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and manage complex U.S. Surety claims, including coverage, liability, damages, and decisions.
• Develop strategies and lead resolution efforts for performance bonds and high-exposure matters.
• Partner with underwriting, leadership, and cross-functional teams to mitigate risk and deliver solutions.
• Provide large loss, reserve, trend, and collateral reporting in a timely manner.
• Deliver guidance and mentorship to claims staff and support organizational initiatives.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders and travel as needed.

Skills

Leadership experience

Analytical skills

Negotiation

Communication

Relationship-building

Claims systems

Education

J.D. preferred

CPCU preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Claims systems

Job description

Are you looking for your next opportunity?

Sompo has a unique opportunity for an AVP, Surety Claims in our North America Insurance Surety Claims team.

This position will provide technical claim management and guidance for our largest and most complex Surety claims consisting of performance bonds within the classes of business consisting of Coal, Oil and Gas Reclamation bonds, Contract bonds, Commercial bonds, Subdivision bonds, License and Permit bonds, SBA bond program, Closure and Post Closure bonds and other similar types of surety bonds.

Location: This position may be based out of our Mt. Juliet, TN, New York, NY, Morristown, NJ, Houston, TX, Scottsdale, AZ, Seattle, WA or Chicago, IL office. We strive for collaboration which is why we offer a work environment where our employees thrive and develop long lasting careers.

Our Business, Your Impact, Our Opportunity

What you’ll be doing:

• Evaluate and manage complex U.S. Surety claims, including coverage, liability, damages, and substantive claim decisions.
• Develop strategies and lead resolution efforts for performance bond and other high-exposure Surety matters.
• Partner with underwriting, senior leadership, and cross-functional teams to mitigate risk and deliver cost-effective claim solutions.
• Provide timely large loss, reinsurance, reserve, trend, and collateral management reporting.
• Deliver technical guidance, training, and mentorship to claims staff while supporting organizational initiatives and complex projects.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, represent the organization at industry events, and travel as needed.

What You’ll Bring

• 10+ years of Surety claims experience with a demonstrated progression of leadership and technical responsibility; J.D. preferred.
• Proven expertise handling complex, high-exposure Surety claims, including matters exceeding $10M and across all claim types.
• Leadership experience managing teams or providing technical oversight and mentorship to Surety claims professionals.
• Strong legal and contract review capabilities, including experience with settlements, litigation documents, contracts, and surety bonds.
• Excellent analytical, negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills, with success collaborating across underwriting, finance, actuarial, operations, and other functions.
• Professional insurance credentials (e.g., CPCU) preferred, along with proficiency in claims systems and Microsoft Office applications.

Salary Range: $180,000 – $195,000. Actual compensation for this role will depend on several factors including the cost of living associated with your work location, your qualifications, skills, competencies, and relevant experience.

At Sompo, we recognize that the talent, skills, and commitment of our employees drive our success. This is why we offer competitive, high-quality compensation and benefit programs to eligible employees.

Our compensation program is built on a foundation that promotes a pay-for-performance culture, resulting in higher incentive awards, on average, when the Company does well and lower incentive awards when the Company underperforms. The total compensation opportunity for all regular, full-time employees is a combination of base salary and incentives that gets adjusted upfront based on overall Company performance with final awards based on individual performance.

Summary

We continuously evaluate and update our benefit programs to ensure that our plans remain competitive and meet the needs of our employees and their dependents.

• Two medical plans to choose from, including a Traditional PPO & a Consumer Driven Health Plan with a Health Savings account providing a competitive employer contribution
• Pharmacy benefits with mail order options
• Dental benefits including orthodontia benefits for adults and children
• Vision benefits
• Health Care & Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Company-paid Life & AD&DD benefits, including the option to purchase Supplemental life coverage for employee, spouse & children
• Company-paid Disability benefits with very competitive salary continuation payments
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with competitive employer contributions
• Competitive paid-time-off programs, including company-paid holidays
• Competitive Parental Leave Benefits & Adoption Assistance program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Tax-Free Commuter Benefit
• Tuition Reimbursement & Professional Qualification benefits.

Who We Are And What We Stand For

At Sompo, our shared purpose is to create meaningful value for clients, communities, and each other. We strive to foster a workplace where everyone feels respected, included, and empowered to excel. As a global organization, we embrace diversity and champion equal opportunity. Guided by our core values—Accountability, Agility, Collaboration, Development, and Integrity—we build trust and support one another to achieve our goals worldwide.