Wildfire Scientist

Who are we?
A strategic and trusted insurance partner, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI), provides a broad range of commercial property, casualty and specialty insurance coverages and outstanding service to customers and brokers around the world. Part of Berkshire Hathaway’s insurance operations, we bring our solutions to market with our stellar brand name, top-rated balance sheet, and the expertise of our global team of professionals, who exude excellent capabilities and strong character.

We are a values-based organization where respect, integrity, excellence, collaboration, and passion define who we are and how we do business. We value diversity of backgrounds, experience, and perspectives and strive to foster an inclusive environment that enables all our team members to bring their best selves to work. We are one team committed to building a culture where every teammate has the opportunity to contribute and be recognized. Want to be part of the team building the finest property, casualty and specialty lines insurance company in the world?

Learn more about our unique culture and history.

Job Opportunity:

BHSI has an exciting opportunity for an analytical and technically minded atmospheric scientist with expertise in wildfire risk assessment to join the Catastrophe Engineering and Analytics (CAT E&A) team. CAT E&A is an innovative and versatile technical team conducting catastrophe risk research and development and providing complex quantitative metrics that inform underwriting decisions.

The successful candidate will join the team responsible for conducting research and developing solutions for catastrophe risk assessment and should have strong research and development experience with catastrophe models or other risk assessment tools. Primary duties will involve research and development in the areas of atmospheric sciences and wildfire urban interface for development of internal views of wildfire risks. In addition, there will be opportunities to participate in similar work related hurricanes, severe convective storms, and winter storms. The Scientist opportunity is in our Boston, MA or San Ramon, CA location.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Contribute towards the development of the BHSI internal view of wildfire risk through original research, probabilistic hazard analysis, data analysis, claims/damage data evaluation, and other independent tasks. Development work will be incorporated into larger risk framework being developed and implemented by the CAT E&A team. Application of the BHSI risk evaluation framework to real life applications as in during the account underwriting process will be required.

Additional key responsibilities include:

• Contribute meteorological expertise for the development of internal wildfire risk analytics
• Use geospatial analytics to evaluate metrics and integrate results into the underwriting workflow
• Communicate risk evaluation and development results to both internal and external stakeholders
• Review accounts at risk for wildfire losses as part of the larger CAT E&A operations
• Provide operational assistance during real-time catastrophe events and contribute to real-time estimation of losses to the company portfolio
• Conduct research on a wide range of related natural hazard topics to develop risk management strategies

Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

• MS or Ph.D. degree in atmospheric science or relevant related field
• 2 years of work experience on wildfire-related projects is preferred
• Proficiency working with large weather and climate data sets
• A thorough knowledge of reanalysis data sets such as ERA5
• Proficiency in geospatial analytics
• Proficient programming skills (R, Python, MATLAB, SQL preferred)
• Advanced knowledge of probability and statistics
• Experience and understanding of catastrophe models is preferred
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Highly motivated, detail oriented, and team player

BHSI Offers:

• A competitive package and exciting growth opportunities for career-oriented teammates.
• A dynamic, action oriented, and thoughtful environment centered on always doing the right thing for our customers, teammates, and our other stakeholders.
• A purposely non-bureaucratic organization that embraces simplicity over complexity and emphasizes individual excellence in a team framework.
• Benefits that support your life and well-being, which include:
• • Comprehensive Health, Dental and Vision benefits
  • Disability Insurance (both short-term and long-term)
  • Life Insurance (for you and your family)
  • Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance (for you and your family)
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Health Reimbursement Account
  • Employee Assistance Program
  • Retirement Savings 401(k) Plan with Company Match
  • Generous holiday and Paid Time Off
  • Tuition Reimbursement
  • Paid Parental Leave

The base salary range for this position is $110,000 to $150,000, along with annual bonus eligibility. Total compensation for a candidate is determined by their relevant skills, location, and experience. We value our teammates – both their capabilities and character – as demonstrated by our amazing culture.

NOTE: Compensation will be commensurate with experience. This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Team Member may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.