Executive Underwriter - Primary Casualty

AXA XL; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 95,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health & wellness programs

Competitive retirement plan

Learning opportunities

Inclusive workplace culture

Job summary

AXA XL is seeking an Executive Underwriter to lead complex primary casualty risk, manage a renewal book, and generate new business across North America. The role emphasizes underwriting excellence, client collaboration with brokers, and mentorship for junior underwriters.

Travel about 15% is anticipated, with strong focus on risk assessment, profitability, and regulatory compliance. The candidate will work within a dynamic, ever-changing market, engaging with brokers and clients to tailor

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in primary casualty underwriting and knowledge of insurance principles/regulations.
• Ability to travel at least 15% of the time.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Underwrite the unit’s most complex new and renewal business within remit; drive profitable premium and rate goals.
• Collaborate with brokers/agents to tailor policies to client needs.
• Provide guidance to junior underwriters.

Skills

Primary casualty underwriting

Underwriting expertise

Relationship management

Mathematical ability

Communication skills

Travel readiness

Job description

Executive Underwriter, Primary Casualty

Chicago I Dallas

AXA XL is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Our ambition is to unlock a more sustainable and prosperous tomorrow by helping businesses navigate the world’s risks. In the Americas, we’ll live up to that ambition by delivering value far beyond the insurance policies we provide. We’re confronting our clients’ risk management challenges by finding solutions that further their strategic goals and help them build more sustainable, thriving businesses.

We have an exciting opportunity for an Executive Underwriter to join an established underwriting team in a rapidly growing and dynamic segment. The individual will be responsible for servicing a renewal book and producing new business through exceptional underwriting practices throughout North America.

What You’ll Be Doing

What will your essential responsibilities include?

• Executive Underwriter will be responsible for underwriting the unit’s most complex new and renewal business within assigned remit. Drive profitable premium and rate goals, working with actuarial and claims and successfully delivering results consistent with financial plan.
• Work closely with brokers and agents to understand the specific needs of their clients and to ensure that the insurance policies offered are tailored to meet those needs.
• Provide guidance and support to junior underwriters
• Exercise discretion and independent judgment in the analysis and evaluation of risk.
• Participate in roundtable discussions on risk assessment.
• Negotiate with producers within the limits of delegated authority and in accordance with established underwriting standards to achieve profit objectives.
• Build and enhance relationships with assigned brokers and clients to identify and establish new distribution relationships.
• Maintain expertise with the products, services, priorities and target markets to more effectively enable clients to uncover hidden risks.
• Promote the company's expertise by participating in industry conferences and events while regularly conducting and taking leadership roles in client and broker meetings to educate on evolving risk.
• Maintain compliance with all internal and external underwriting guidelines and legal requirements

What You Will BRING

We’re looking for someone who has these abilities and skills:

• Extensive experience in primary casualty underwriting and an understanding of insurance principles and regulations
• The ability to travel a minimum of 15% of the time is anticipated.
• Exceptional organizational and time management skills with the ability to perform accurate mathematical calculations.
• Outstanding collaborative skills in a fast-paced team-centric environment.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, written and verbal communication skills.
• The ability to demonstrate critical thinking, decision making, and problem-solving skills.

Who WE are

AXA XL, the P&C and specialty risk division of AXA, is known for solving complex risks. For mid-sized companies, multinationals and even some inspirational individuals we don’t just provide re/insurance, we reinvent it.

How? By combining a comprehensive and efficient capital platform, data-driven insights, leading technology, and the best talent in an agile and inclusive workspace, empowered to deliver top client service across all our lines of business − property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty.

With an innovative and flexible approach to risk solutions, we partner with those who move the world forward.

Learn more at axaxl.com

What we OFFER

Inclusion

AXA XL is committed to equal employment opportunity and will consider applicants regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity and origins, marital status, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic. At AXA XL, we know that an inclusive culture and enables business growth and is critical to our success. That’s why we have made a strategic commitment to attract, develop, advance and retain the most inclusive workforce possible, and create a culture where everyone can bring their full selves to work and reach their highest potential. It’s about helping one another — and our business — to move forward and succeed.

• Five Business Resource Groups focused on gender, LGBTQ+, ethnicity and origins, disability and inclusion with 20 Chapters around the globe.
• Robust support for Flexible Working Arrangements
• Enhanced family-friendly leave benefits
• Named to the Diversity Best Practices Index
• Signatory to the UK Women in Finance Charter

Learn more at Inclusion & Diversity at AXA XL | AXA XL. AXA XL is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Total Rewards

AXA XL’s Reward program is designed to take care of what matters most to you, covering the full picture of your health, wellbeing, lifestyle and financial security. It provides competitive compensation and personalized, inclusive benefits that evolve as you do.

We’re committed to rewarding your contribution for the long term, so you can be your best self today and look forward to the future with confidence.

Sustainability

At AXA XL, Sustainability is integral to our business strategy. In an ever-changing world, AXA XL protects what matters most for our clients and communities. We know that sustainability is at the root of a more resilient future. Our 2023-26 Sustainability strategy, called “Roots of resilience”, focuses on protecting natural ecosystems, addressing climate change, and embedding sustainable practices across our operations.

Our Pillars

• Valuing nature: How we impact nature affects how nature impacts us. Resilient ecosystems - the foundation of a sustainable planet and society – are essential to our future. We’re committed to protecting and restoring nature – from mangrove forests to the bees in our backyard – by increasing biodiversity awareness and inspiring clients and colleagues to put nature at the heart of their plans.
• Addressing climate change: The effects of a changing climate are far-reaching and significant. Unpredictable weather, increasing temperatures, and rising sea levels cause both social inequalities and environmental disruption. We're building a net zero strategy, developing insurance products and services, and mobilizing to advance thought leadership and investment in societal-led solutions.
• Integrating ESG: All companies have a role to play in building a more resilient future. Incorporating ESG considerations into our internal processes and practices builds resilience from the roots of our business. We’re training our colleagues, engaging our external partners, and evolving our sustainability governance and reporting.
• AXA Hearts in Action: We have established volunteering and charitable giving programs to help colleagues support causes that matter most to them, known as AXA XL’s “Hearts in Action” programs. These include our Matching Gifts program, Volunteering Leave, and our annual volunteering day – the Global Day of Giving.

For more information, please see Sustainability at AXA XL.

Applicants for this role must be legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future.

The U.S. base salary range for this position is USD 95,000 – 186,500.

Actual pay will be determined based upon the individual’s skills, experience and location. We strive for market alignment and internal equity with our colleagues’ pay.

At AXA XL, we know how important physical, mental, and financial health are to our employees, which is why we are proud to offer benefits such as a competitive retirement savings plan, health and wellness programs, and many other benefits. We also believe in fostering our colleagues' development and offer a wide range of learning opportunities for colleagues to hone their professional skills and to position themselves for the next step of their careers. For more details about AXA XL’s benefits offerings, please visit US Benefits at a Glance 2026.