Casualty Vertical Director

TRIOS Intermediary; Walnut Creek (CA); Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Heffernan is seeking a Casualty Vertical Director to lead and scale the casualty practice from a remote location. You will shape strategy, align underwriting focus, and drive growth through carrier and broker relationships while expanding access to specialty casualty markets.

The role requires 10+ years in casualty insurance with strong leadership, negotiation, and market development skills. You will work with cross‑functional teams to ensure compliant, efficient operations and impactful thought

Qualifications

• 10+ years of casualty insurance experience in underwriting, brokerage, or wholesale distribution.
• Deep expertise in primary casualty, excess liability, umbrella, and specialty liability products.
• Proven ability to drive business growth and market development.
• Strong understanding of casualty underwriting, liability exposures, and complex coverage structures.
• Demonstrated leadership, negotiation, and relationship management skills.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute the strategic direction for the Casualty vertical.
• Define the vertical's value proposition, market positioning, and growth roadmap.
• Establish underwriting focus, target industries, and casualty product offerings.
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert on liability exposures and market developments.
• Develop specialized casualty strategies across key sectors.
• Drive new business growth through strategic relationships with brokers, carriers, MGAs, and program administrators.
• Partner with brokers to identify, pursue, and close complex casualty placements.
• Support high-hazard and difficult-to-place liability accounts and renewals profitability.
• Monitor pipeline activity, production metrics, and vertical performance.
• Develop and maintain relationships with casualty carriers and excess liability markets.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, limits, and capacity for complex placements.
• Expand access to specialty casualty markets and monitor regulatory trends.
• Educate producers on coverage forms, market conditions, and placement strategies.
• Develop casualty-focused training content and sales materials.
• Mentor producers and support casualty business development.
• Collaborate with Operations, Marketing, and Leadership to expand the vertical.
• Contribute to casualty-focused marketing campaigns and thought leadership.
• Improve workflows and submission quality to ensure compliance and efficiency.
• Represent the firm at casualty industry events and conferences.
• Produce white papers, webinars, and educational resources for brokers and clients.

Skills

Casualty insurance

Underwriting

Brokerage

Wholesale distribution

Leadership

Negotiation

Relationship management

Strategic leadership

Market development

Industry knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Job description

Compensation: $180,000 - $240,000 / year

Department: Commercial Lines

Location: Remote

Compensation: $180,000 - $240,000 / year

Description

The Casualty Vertical Director is responsible for leading, developing, and scaling the firm's Casualty practice. This role combines strategic leadership, market expertise, broker enablement, and revenue growth within wholesale brokerage operations. Working closely with the executive team, the Casualty Vertical Director will define the vertical's vision, drive carrier and retail broker engagement, develop differentiated casualty solutions, and position the firm as a market leader in primary, excess, umbrella, and specialty casualty risks.

Key Responsibilities

Vertical Strategy & Leadership

• Own and execute the strategic direction for the Casualty vertical.
• Define the vertical's value proposition, market positioning, and growth roadmap.
• Establish underwriting focus, target industries, and casualty product offerings.
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert on liability exposures, litigation trends, and casualty market developments.
• Develop specialized casualty strategies across construction, transportation, manufacturing, energy, real estate, and other key sectors.

Revenue Growth & Business Development

• Drive new business growth through strategic relationships with retail brokers, carriers, MGAs, and program administrators.
• Partner with brokers to identify, pursue, and close complex casualty placements.
• Support key accounts involving high-hazard and difficult-to-place liability risks.
• Manage renewal production and profitability objectives.
• Monitor pipeline activity, production metrics, and vertical performance.

Carrier & Market Management

• Develop and maintain relationships with casualty carriers and excess liability markets.
• Negotiate pricing, terms, limits, and capacity for complex casualty placements.
• Expand access to specialty casualty and excess liability markets.
• Monitor social inflation, verdict trends, regulatory changes, and underwriting shifts.

Producer Enablement & Training

• Educate producers on casualty coverage forms, market conditions, liability exposures, and placement strategies.
• Develop casualty-focused sales materials and technical training content.
• Serve as a resource for complex submissions and layered liability placements.
• Mentor producers and support casualty business development efforts.

Operational & Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Marketing, and Leadership to expand the Casualty vertical.
• Support the development of casualty-focused marketing campaigns and thought leadership.
• Improve workflows, submission quality, and operational effectiveness.
• Ensure compliance with carrier and regulatory requirements.

Market Intelligence & Thought Leadership

• Monitor emerging liability exposures, social inflation, nuclear verdicts, and regulatory trends.
• Represent the firm at casualty-focused industry events and conferences.
• Develop white papers, webinars, and educational resources for retail brokers and clients.

Success Metrics

• Casualty vertical revenue growth and profitability.
• Growth in carrier relationships and casualty market access.
• Increase in complex casualty placements.
• Producer training effectiveness and engagement.

  Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

  Required

  • 10+ years of experience in casualty insurance, underwriting, brokerage, or wholesale distribution.
  • Deep expertise in primary casualty, excess liability, umbrella, and specialty liability products.
  • Proven ability to drive business growth and market development.
  • Strong understanding of casualty underwriting, liability exposures, and complex coverage structures.
  • Demonstrated leadership, negotiation, and relationship management skills.

  Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience building or leading a casualty practice.
  • Wholesale brokerage or specialty casualty background.
  • Established relationships with casualty carriers and excess liability markets.
  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.

  Why Choose Heffernan?

  At Heffernan, our culture is guided by the Heffernan Habits, prioritizing communication, respect, fun, community impact, and celebrating what makes each of us unique. We’re proud of our strong commitment to philanthropy and giving back, and we support our employees with a comprehensive benefits package designed to promote well-being, growth, and long‑term success.

  Heffernan Habits:

  These are core values that represent our unique culture.

  • Answer The Phone (And Email): Communication is the foundation of success in life, work, and relationships. It begins with being present and responsive to both clients and colleagues. Listen to what is said and notice what goes unsaid.
  • Have Fun: Fun is something we don’t shy away from, and participation brings us together on many different levels. Take the time to know your colleagues and let barriers fall away. If we are happy and enjoy time together, we will do a better job for our clients and for one another!
  • Be Respectful: Lend a hand, be kind, and smooth the path. Respect is the cornerstone of developing and maintaining strong relationships. Lead with humility, take ownership of your actions, and ease the way for others. We are in this together as a team, as a family, and as trusted advisors to many.
  • Do Good: This is our core. We strive to do good for our clients, our community, and our planet.
  • Celebrate & Value Our Differences: “Because You’re Different”. It is our differences, when valued and amplified, that allow us to innovate, to learn, to connect, and to stand apart from the rest.

  *The compensation for this role will depend on the geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience, among other factors. This role will be eligible to participate in an annual bonus program.