Claims Specialist, Environmental

Axis; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical plans

Retirement plans

Tuition reimbursement

Paid vacation

Wellness programs

Job summary

AXIS Capital is seeking a Claim Specialist, Environmental Claims to manage primary and excess environmental claims across North America. You will assess coverage, liability, damages, and settlement value, coordinating with counsel, underwriters, brokers, and insureds to drive timely resolution.

This role requires strong judgment and experience with long-tail exposures, remediation, and regulatory issues. You will maintain reserves, develop strategies, and contribute to claim process improvements

Qualifications

• Experience handling environmental, pollution, toxic tort, construction defect, casualty, or other complex liability claims.
• Strong understanding of coverage, liability, damages, reserving, litigation management, and settlement evaluation.

Responsibilities

• Assess environmental claims to determine coverage, liability, damages, settlement value, and appropriate claim strategy.
• Manage a pending inventory of primary and excess environmental claims, including pollution, contamination, toxic exposure, remediation, and related bodily injury or property damage matters.
• Investigate facts, evaluate policy terms, and coordinate with coverage counsel where appropriate.
• Establish and maintain appropriate reserves based on liability, damages, coverage, litigation posture, and settlement potential.
• Collaborate with defense counsel, coverage counsel, experts, environmental consultants, vendors, and insureds to drive claim resolution.
• Develop litigation and resolution strategies for complex, high-exposure, or contentious claims.
• Manage legal, expert, and vendor costs in coordination with Litigation Management and Vendor Management teams.
• Communicate effectively with senior claims leadership, brokers, reinsurers, actuaries, underwriters, insureds, auditors, and external business partners.
• Prepare clear claim notes, coverage assessments, reserve rationales, settlement recommendations, and large loss reports as needed.
• Identify trends, emerging exposures, coverage issues, and portfolio risks impacting Environmental Claims.
• Support claim process improvements, best practices, and consistent claim handling standards.
• Participate in industry events, professional associations, and continuing education to stay current on environmental claims trends.

Skills

Environmental claims

Coverage evaluation

Litigation management

Settlement evaluation

Communication skills

Vendor management

Job description

Job Advert

Claim Specialist, Environmental Claims

Job Code

TBD

About the Team

AXIS is hiring a Claim Specialist, Environmental Claims for its North America Claims Team. This role involves managing primary and excess environmental claims, including matters involving pollution, contamination, toxic tort, remediation, bodily injury, property damage, and related coverage issues.

The role will support the handling of complex environmental claims across AXIS-issued policies and will work closely with internal claims leadership, coverage counsel, defense counsel, underwriting, actuarial, brokers, reinsurers, insureds, and vendors.

How does this role contribute to our collective success?

The Claim Specialist will contribute to AXIS’s success by investigating, evaluating, and resolving environmental claims in a disciplined, timely, and technically sound manner. The individual will assess coverage, liability, damages, litigation strategy, reserve adequacy, and settlement value while helping drive strong claim outcomes and consistent execution across the Environmental Claims portfolio.

This role requires strong judgment, technical claims capability, collaboration with business partners, and the ability to manage complex matters involving long-tail exposure, environmental remediation, regulatory considerations, and contested coverage or liability issues.

What Will You Do In This Role?

• Assess environmental claims to determine coverage, liability, damages, settlement value, and appropriate claim strategy.
• Manage a pending inventory of primary and excess environmental claims, including pollution, contamination, toxic exposure, remediation, and related bodily injury or property damage matters.
• Investigate facts, evaluate policy terms, and coordinate with coverage counsel where appropriate.
• Establish and maintain appropriate reserves based on liability, damages, coverage, litigation posture, and settlement potential.
• Collaborate with defense counsel, coverage counsel, experts, environmental consultants, vendors, and insureds to drive claim resolution.
• Develop litigation and resolution strategies for complex, high-exposure, or contentious claims.
• Manage legal, expert, and vendor costs in coordination with Litigation Management and Vendor Management teams.
• Communicate effectively with senior claims leadership, brokers, reinsurers, actuaries, underwriters, insureds, auditors, and external business partners.
• Prepare clear claim notes, coverage assessments, reserve rationales, settlement recommendations, and large loss reports as needed.
• Identify trends, emerging exposures, coverage issues, and portfolio risks impacting Environmental Claims.
• Support claim process improvements, best practices, and consistent claim handling standards.
• Participate in industry events, professional associations, and continuing education to stay current on environmental claims trends.
• Serve as a resource to colleagues on environmental claim handling, coverage issues, litigation management, and resolution strategy.

Base salary 125-140K

About You

We encourage you to bring your own experience and expertise to the table. While there are qualifications and experiences we are looking for, we are open to discussing how your individual knowledge may support this role and help us achieve our goals.

What We’re Looking For

• Experience handling environmental, pollution, toxic tort, construction defect, casualty, or other complex liability claims.
• Strong understanding of coverage, liability, damages, reserving, litigation management, and settlement evaluation.
• Ability to assess complex facts and policy language and develop practical claim strategies.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise claim summaries, reserve rationales, and recommendations.
• Ability to work effectively with defense counsel, coverage counsel, experts, vendors, brokers, insureds, reinsurers, underwriters, actuaries, and claims leadership.
• Sound judgment in evaluating litigation risk, settlement value, and claim exposure.
• Ability to manage legal spend and vendor costs in a disciplined and outcome-focused manner.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage a pending inventory of complex claims.
• Commitment to continuous professional development and staying current on environmental claims trends, legal developments, and regulatory issues.
• Ability to contribute to team best practices, claim process improvements, and knowledge sharing.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to operate in a dynamic, high-performing claims environment.

Role Factors

This role requires you to be in the office 3 days per week and adhere to AXIS licensing requirements.

What We Offer

For this position, compensation will be based on an assessment of a variety of factors, including your specific experience, qualifications, and work location. In addition, you will be offered competitive target incentive compensation, with awards based on overall corporate and individual performance.

You will also be eligible for a comprehensive and competitive benefits package, which includes medical plans for you and your family, health and wellness programs, retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, paid vacation, and much more.

Where this role is based in the United States of America, this role is Exempt for FLSA purposes.

About AXIS

This is your opportunity to join AXIS Capital, a trusted global provider of specialty lines insurance and reinsurance. AXIS stands apart for outstanding client service, intelligent risk taking, and superior risk-adjusted returns for shareholders. AXIS also maintains an entrepreneurial, disciplined, and ethical corporate culture.

At AXIS, we believe that we are only as strong as our people. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming culture where employees of all backgrounds and from all walks of life feel comfortable and empowered to be themselves.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion or creed, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, age, marital status, civil union status, family or parental status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Accommodation is available upon request for candidates taking part in the selection process.

AXIS Persona

AXIS Capital seeks professionals who thrive in a dynamic, high-performing environment grounded in humility and mutual respect. AXIS employs those who exemplify the core values of People, Excellence, Decisiveness, and Stronger Together.

We are a team characterized by integrity and self-discipline, striving for continuous improvement and driven to achieve ambitious results. Our focus is on hiring, developing, retaining, and rewarding individuals who excel in purposeful action, collaborative decision-making, and measuring outcomes.

The AXIS employee will cultivate a collaborative workplace atmosphere, foster trust within the team, respectfully challenge where appropriate, presume best intent, and build meaningful relationships with colleagues, customers, and the communities we serve.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.