Chief Underwriting Officer

Berkley•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Chief Underwriting Officer is responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership of the Underwriting practice area, and profitability of the book of business. This requires proactive participation with the Sr Management team and functional department staffs in developing and executing strategic and operational plans in support of business objectives. This role requires an in-depth understanding of Berkley Oil & Gas Underwriting goals, processes, procedures, systems and data, as well as an understanding of how these items interact with other departments. This includes business planning, forecasting and guidance in insurance industry affairs.

Requirements

10+ years’ equivalent experience in energy underwriting preferred.
Proven ability to learn workflow tasks and corresponding systems quickly.
Intermediate/Advanced knowledge of the underwriting process and of casualty lines of business and common forms/endorsements preferred.
Must possess extremely effective interpersonal, and desk organizational skills with solid ability to build and manage relationships with agents, brokers, customers and other employees.
Excellent communication skills (written and oral)
Detail oriented with good follow-through skills
Must be dependable and professional, self-starter
Proven energetic team player, contributing to a high-performance learning organization with a strong culture.

Responsibilities

Participates and contributes to the overall planning for the underwriting function to include strategic direction and leadership for Underwriting. Planning, directing and executing business strategies, building strong industry relationships, sharing extensive knowledge, communicating and capitalizing on best practices.
Provides high-level leadership, expertise and guidance in underwriting and insurance matters to include successful implementation of portfolio growth by influencing, advising and collaborating with peers to set priorities, share relevant information and ensure collective planning.
Participate as a member of the leadership team in the development of strategies, including working together to make critical decisions affecting risk, profitability and growth of the business unit.
Responsible for the development, execution, and monitoring of underwriting action plans to achieve targeted growth, retention and profitability goals of both the clients and respective BOG divisions. Guides and shapes underwriting quality assurance, price, rate and exposure monitoring, price adequacy and risk selection.
Assessment of the impact of treaty and facultative solutions on the portfolio.
Identifies opportunities for development of new and/or enhancements to product(s). Product development oversight from initial assessment to completed filing.
Lead the assessment and implementation of ongoing process improvements in the underwriting department as technologies and business models evolve.
Develop and manage relationships with key customers and vendors, including account contacts, brokers, program management staff, and other Berkley companies in line with company policies and guidelines.
Identify employees for promotional opportunities and create development plans to prepare them for their next step within the organization.
Ensure high level of teamwork, mutual respect, and customer service mindset exists within the underwriting team.
Ensure department is well informed of business matters consistent with BOG culture.
Resolve performance issues consistent with company policy. Ensure compliance with company policies by all staff members.
Works closely with the Distribution team to align retail and wholesale distribution strategies with business needs.
Leads the oversight of the concentration of risk within the assigned territory.
Support and participation of compliance and quality assurance reviews, file audits and company policies audits.
Provide recommendations for improvements to the underwriting risk evaluation approach.
Leads team to meet or exceed service standards to our agent and broker partners.
Training and education of team members of underwriting terms, conditions and principles.
Manages authority levels for underwriting staff, ensures authority compliance, and approves individual accounts that exceed underwriter authority.