Portfolio Lead – Claims and Corporate

AXIS (AXIS Capital); Princeton (NJ); Hybrid; USD 137,500 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Retirement plan

Tuition reimbursement

Paid vacation

Wellness programs

Job summary

AXIS Capital is seeking a Portfolio Lead to guide strategic investments across Claims and Corporate initiatives. The role blends project management with business insight to drive execution, governance, and value delivery in a matrixed environment.

You will partner with senior leaders to shape initiatives, manage budgets and risks, and ensure delivery aligns with corporate objectives while navigating cross-functional teams and PI planning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field.
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in portfolio management.
• PMI/PMP and Agile delivery certifications are advantageous.
• Proven experience leading large projects in a matrixed environment.
• Experience deploying AI within a corporate environment.
• Insurance industry experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Drive portfolio strategy in collaboration with Business Leaders, Product Owners, Value Stream Leads and Release Train Engineers.
• Manage budgets, actuals, and reporting on OKRs and KPIs across Epics and Value Streams.
• Identify and mitigate portfolio risks and ensure alignment with business goals.
• Maintain clear stakeholder communication and transparency on progress and priorities.
• Allocate resources to initiatives beyond Agile team capacity.
• Participate in PI Planning and coordinate cross-Value Stream dependencies.

Skills

Portfolio management

AI deployment experience

Insurance industry experience

Strategic thinking

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration or related field

PMP

Lean Six Sigma

SAFe SPC

PMI-ACP

Job description

This is your opportunity to join AXIS Capital – a trusted global provider of specialty lines insurance and reinsurance. We stand apart for our outstanding client service, intelligent risk taking and superior risk adjusted returns for our shareholders. We also proudly maintain an entrepreneurial, disciplined and ethical corporate culture. As a member of AXIS, you join a team that is among the best in the industry.

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. This means that we bring our whole selves to work.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic, including age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any basis prohibited by the laws that govern its operations.

How does this role contribute to our collective success?

The Portfolio Lead oversees the Claims and Corporate strategic investment portfolios, providing a clear view of delivery across projects and enhancements. This role blends project management and business insight to drive strategic planning, execution, and governance.

Key responsibilities include maintaining delivery roadmaps, managing budgets and risks, and ensuring alignment with business goals. The role operates in a matrixed environment, partnering with Application Delivery, Data & Analytics, AI and COE teams, while engaging senior leaders to shape and launch initiatives.

What will you do in this role?

Drive and guide portfolio strategy in collaboration with Business Leaders, Product Owners, Value Stream Leads and Release Train Engineers and ensure alignment with business objectives. Specifically they will execute:

• Strategic Alignment: In support of the Business Lead, the Portfolio Lead ensures that all initiatives within the portfolio align with the organization’s strategic objectives.
• Portfolio Governance and Management: The Portfolio Lead manages the finances (budgets, actuals) of the Value Stream and of epics (projects) within Value Streams and provides reporting on Objectives & Key Results (OKR) attainment, along with other delivery metrics and KPIs.
• Risk Management: The Portfolio Lead identifies and mitigates risks that could impact the portfolio’s success.
• Stakeholder Communication: The Portfolio Lead maintains clear communication with stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment on goals and progress.
• Resource Allocation: The Portfolio Lead prioritizes and allocates resources required to deliver initiatives not supported by Agile Teams.
• Participating in PI Planning: The Portfolio Lead actively participates in Program Increment (PI) Planning, identifying cross-Value Stream dependencies, helping set priorities, and mitigating impediments.

You may also be required to take on additional duties, responsibilities and activities appropriate to the nature of this role.

About You:

We encourage you to bring your own experience and expertise to the table, so while there are some qualifications and experiences, we are open to discussing how your individual knowledge might lend itself to fulfilling this role and help us achieve our goals.

What you need to have:

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or a related field.
• Minimum 5+ years of experience in portfolio management.
• Project Management Professional (PMP), Lean Six Sigma certifications, Agile delivery certifications (e.g., SAFe SPC, SAFe Lean Portfolio Management, PMI-ACP) or other relevant certifications are advantageous.
• Proven experience in portfolio or project management with a track record of successfully leading and delivering large-scale projects in a matrixed environment.
• Experience deploying AI within a corporate environment.
• Proven experience in the insurance industry preferred.

Critical competencies:

• Ability to think strategically and align project goals with the overall business objectives of the Claims and Corporate Divisions.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to synthesize complex information.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management abilities, including strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to adapt to changing project requirements and manage ambiguity.
• Keen attention to detail to ensure project plans and deliverables are accurately developed and maintained.
• Strong collaborative skills to work effectively with various teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to balance structure and flexibility, with a focus on results and accountability.
• Strong executive presence and credibility, with experience dealing with senior business leaders.
• Effective influencing, negotiating, and decision‑making skills.
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to coordinate and manage multiple priorities.
• Proficiency in using AI‑enabled tools to enhance productivity, improve analysis, streamline communication, and support effective portfolio management.
• Proficiency in project management tools and software platforms.

Role Factors:

In this role, you will typically be required to: Embrace the hybrid culture offered at AXIS, you need to be in office 3 days per week. Much of the work involves using computers for data entry, analysis, and communication. Comfort with prolonged screen time is necessary. While much of the work may be desk‑bound, there might be occasions requiring mobility within the office environment, such as attending meetings or accessing filing systems.

What we offer:

For this position, we currently expect to offer a base salary in the range of $137,500 - $195,000. Your salary offer will be based on an assessment of a variety of factors including your specific experience and work location. In addition, you will be offered competitive target incentive compensation, with awards based on overall corporate and individual performance. On top of this, you will 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.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.