VP, Underwriting - Excess Casualty

W. R. Berkley Corporation; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Annual discretionary bonus program

Robust benefits package

Job summary

W. R. Berkley Corporation seeks a VP, Underwriting - Excess Casualty to grow and manage a profitable excess casualty book. The role emphasizes networked relationships with wholesale brokers, strategic pricing, and long-term risk management.

You will lead, coach, and develop a team, oversee daily operations, and ensure compliance with company policies while driving profitability and growth across accounts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Strong go-to relationships within the wholesale broker channel.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and influence across a matrix organization.
• Well-defined analytical skills and data analysis ability.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow a high-quality excess casualty insurance portfolio through your wholesale broker network.
• Leverage industry relationships and Berkley Custom’s playbook to expand the portfolio.
• Ensure profitability, growth, and operational efficiencies through risk assessment and market appetite.
• Determine acceptability and profitability of new and existing business per underwriting guidelines.
• Develop insurance proposals, policies, endorsements, and obtain approvals when needed.
• Travel to broker marketing meetings and industry events as determined by management.
• Collaborate with leaders to broaden knowledge of pricing trends and opportunities.

Skills

Excess casualty underwriting

Wholesale broker relationships

Leadership

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree (B.A.) or equivalent

5-7 years related experience / training

Job description

Company Details

From middle market to Fortune 500 companies, Berkley Custom’s team is committed to providing excellent service and a consistent approach to meet the needs of their brokers and their customers, bringing specific expertise in excess casualty as well as a variety of targeted primary and excess programs.

They seek to outperform competitors with focus and deep understanding of their client’s priorities and by developing creative risk solutions to meet their long-term needs. Their key differentiators include the following:

EXCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIPS –Berkley Custom works exclusively the wholesale brokerage community as well as their program partners, and continually builds upon long established relationships with a passion for superior service for their appointed producers.

INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS– Berkley Custom attracts and retains professionals with significant experience in their field, many with over 25 years in the business. Their culture values and promotes deep industry knowledge, integrity, excellence, and respect.

LONG-TERM APPROACH TO ACCOUNTS– Berkley Custom continually seeks partners for the long term who share their values and risk management discipline.

Long-term relationships have been their management’s trademark in over 30 years of serving customers in the E&S and Program marketplace. Their team is dedicated to serving the varied casualty exposure needs of their brokers and their customers. By truly understanding risk exposures in a constantly changing global environment, they can better work with you to keep risk placement recommendations current and responsive.

The Company is an equal employment opportunity employer.

https://www.berkleycustom.com

Responsibilities

The VP, Underwriting - Excess Casualty is a production-oriented underwriting position responsible for all aspects of growing and managing a profitable book of excess casualty business. Success comes from a dedication to the underwriting trade and a long-term approach to every aspect of the business, including relationship and risk management discipline. In addition, you will lead, coach, and develop team members to achieve individual and organizational goals while fostering a positive, inclusive, and high-performing work environment. Oversee daily operations, manage performance, allocate resources effectively, and ensure compliance with company policies and strategic objectives.

• Manage and grow a high-quality excess casualty insurance portfolio working through your network of wholesale broker partners.
• Position requires the ability to leverage your network of industry relationships and grow portfolio utilizing Berkley Custom’s proprietary playbook and broad underwriting appetite.
• Ensures the achievement of continued improved profitability, growth and/or operational efficiencies for the portfolio through assessment of risk tolerance, market appetite and emerging risk issues.
• Determines the acceptability, quality and profitability of new and existing business based on company underwriting guidelines and objectives.
• Develop insurance proposals, prepare policies and endorsements, obtain required underwriting approvals where needed.
• Travel to conduct broker marketing meetings and attend industry events as determined by management.
• Contribute to the firmwide development of underwriting operations, marketing plans, product analysis, services, geographic focus and broker intelligence.
• Effectively communicate and collaborate with other leaders with Berkley Custom to broaden knowledge of trends, opportunities, and technical knowledge of pricing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree (B. A.) from a four-year college or university; or 5-7 years related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Must be a successful, production oriented, excess casualty underwriting executive with strong go-to relationships within the wholesale brokerage channel.
• Demonstrated success within a matrix reporting environment: the ability to lead and influence across the organization by virtue of your ability to produce high quality business.
• Strong technical knowledge of excess casualty underwriting theories and practices, broad understanding of the specialty insurance market and operations (Risk Control, Actuarial, Claim, Finance and Compliance).
• Established network of wholesale brokers ready to work with you and find creative solutions.
• Strong independent initiative and drive for high quality results
• Ability and desire to effectively interact and communicate with all levels of external and/or internal business partners – this will be a highly visible role.
• Demonstrated success building consensus and influencing business partners.
• Strong natural presentation, leadership, and project management skills.
• Unwavering demonstration of integrity, respect and professionalism.
• Ability to drive results by identifying and resolving issues, as well as developing and executing strategies for taking advantage of opportunities.
• Well-defined analytical skills and data analysis ability.

Additional Company Details

We do not accept any unsolicited resumes from external recruiting firms. The company offers a competitive compensation plan and robust benefits package for full-time regular employees which for this role includes: Base Salary Range: $200,000 - $250,000 The actual salary for this position will be determined by a number of factors, including the scope, complexity and location of the role; the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; and other conditions of employment. Eligible to participate in the annual discretionary bonus program. Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, Wellness, Paid Time Off, 401(k) and Profit-Sharing plans.

Sponsorship Details

Sponsorship not Offered for this Role