Senior Director, Construction Casualty Claims

Markel•Richmond, VA

About The Position

The Senior Director, Construction Casualty Claims is a senior leadership role at Markel responsible for shaping strategy and delivering best-in-class outcomes across a complex portfolio of construction claims. This leader oversees a team of claims managers and examiners, driving disciplined reserving, consistent claim quality, and proactive resolution strategies across bodily injury, property damage, and construction defect exposures. At Markel, this role goes beyond traditional claims oversight—serving as a trusted business partner to Underwriting, Actuarial, and senior leadership to influence portfolio performance, inform risk selection, and optimize long-term results. The Senior Director is empowered to make loss decisions, guide complex coverage strategies, and translate organizational priorities into actionable outcomes across teams. Distinctively, this position operates within Markel’s highly collaborative culture, offering greater visibility, decision-making authority, and cross-functional influence than is typical in larger, more hierarchical organizations. The role blends deep technical expertise in construction claims with strong people leadership, enabling the development of high-performing teams while advancing a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer-centricity.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required
Active claims adjuster license (or ability to obtain) required
10+ years of construction casualty claims experience, including bodily injury, property damage, and construction defect
Proven leadership experience managing managers or leading complex claims teams
Demonstrated expertise handling large-loss, high-severity claims and making strategic coverage and reserving decisions
Strong technical expertise in construction claims and complex coverage analysis
Effective leadership and talent development capabilities, with a focus on building high-performing teams
Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Excellent communication and executive presence, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
Strong organizational and operational management skills, including reporting and resource planning
Customer-focused, collaborative approach with the ability to build trusted relationships across the organization
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook)
Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on driving quality, efficiency, and innovation
US Work Authorization required. Markel does not provide visa sponsorship for this position, now or in the future.

Responsibilities

Provide strategic oversight and direction on construction casualty claims, including coverage analysis, reserving, and resolution strategy
Identify and escalate significant exposure trends and individual claims to senior leadership and key business partners
Lead, develop, and evaluate a team of claims managers and examiners, fostering a high-performance, accountable culture
Approve reserves and settlements beyond delegated authority and recommend material reserve changes to senior leadership
Partner cross-functionally with Underwriting, Product, and Actuarial to influence portfolio performance and risk outcomes
Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements; Fair Claims Practices, and internal Claims Quality Performance objectives while driving consistency and best practices
Strengthen relationships with customers, brokers, and internal stakeholders to support service excellence and business objectives
Support operational management, including reporting, budgeting, expense management, and resource planning
Contribute to claims leadership strategy discussions, continuous improvement initiatives, and special projects
Travel as needed to support team engagement, business initiatives, and industry presence- 25%