VP, Chief Claims Officer

Company Details

Berkley Risk is focused on providing self-insured entities program administration services and insurance operations which can include taking or sharing risk using Berkley paper. This capability allows us to customize both an insurance company option and a purely administrative option for our customers.

We are a member company of W. R. Berkley Corporation, an A. M. Best A rated Fortune 500 holding company. Berkley is comprised of individual operating units that serve a defined insurance market segment.

Responsibilities

The Vice President, Claims is responsible for the overall management and direction of the claims department. Equally as important, participation on the Executive Team, who establishes the strategic direction for the company and ensures the overall profitability and success of the company.

• Manage a team of claims professionals by establishing clear performance metrics
• Implement strong policies and procedures designed to produce desired results
• Develop and implement claim best practices for proper and consistent claim performance, compliance and achievement of business goals
• Establish clear reserving standards and ensure that those standards are continually met
• Identify issues and trends in the portfolio; take appropriate and/or corrective action where necessary; communicate trends to underwriting
• Identify claims with significant exposure and take a more active role coordinating a strategy for an appropriate resolution
• Coordinate with underwriting on current and proposed policy language and new markets to enter
• Ensure the continual professional development of claims professionals on the team by coordinating both internal and external training and development opportunities
• Cultivate a departmental culture that excels in communication and collaboration
• Conduct claim audits of adjusters’ work product and monitor accuracy of loss data.
• Proactive participation on Executive Team which establishes and executes the strategic direction of the company
• Work closely with the CEO to discuss, evaluate, and implement strategic directions for the claims operation that supports the overall direction of the company
• Establish solid relationships with other members of the Executive Team in order to improve team performance
• Be able to clearly communicate strategic direction to both internal resources and outside partners and insureds
• Drive the development, implementation and continuous planning, organizing and leading of all claim programs, metrics, processes, results and initiatives
• Proactively establish relationships with brokers and insureds in order to maximize the competitive advantage derived from the claim’s operation
• Attend industry conventions and events and become a sought out thought leader on developing issues
• Attend marketing, account renewal, and reinsurance meetings as appropriate in order to communicate our claims handling philosophy and leading position in this area
• Liaison with parent company, WR Berkley, on significant individual claims and trends identified in the overall portfolio
• Communicate portfolio trends and potential solutions to underwriting and actuarial areas
• Participate on quarterly performance calls with parent company in anticipation of earnings releases
  
  

Qualifications

May perform other functions as assigned

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in Commercial Casualty Claims.
• Significant experience in progressive positions demonstrating technical, operations, and management skills in the claims area.
• Experience in collaborating with an executive team.
• Proven ability to improve organizational effectiveness as well as retain, hire, train and develop Claims professionals.
• Strong interpersonal skills, and ability to communicate and manage well at all levels of the organization essential.
• High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results-orientation.
• Technical proficiency is required.
  
  

Education

• Bachelor’s Degree required; advanced degree strongly preferred.
  
  

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 including:

• Base Salary Range: $176K - $252K
• Eligible to participate in annual discretionary bonus
• Benefits include Health, dental, vision, dental, life, disability, wellness, paid time off, 401(k) and profit-sharing plans
  
  

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.

Additional Requirements

Travel: Occasional