VP, Construction Underwriting (Excess)

Novacore•Conshohocken, PA

About The Position

Sedona Risk Partners, one of Novacore's 20+ specialty insurance programs, is seeking a driven, technically accomplished construction underwriter to join as Vice President or Senior Vice President, Construction Underwriting. The level of the appointment will be commensurate with the candidate’s depth of experience. This is a ground-floor opportunity to build and own Sedona’s construction excess casualty book from inception. The selected candidate will have the autonomy to shape underwriting strategy, develop broker and market relationships, and establish the portfolio discipline that will define this practice. As the construction book grows, the expectation is that this leader will build and mentor a team beneath them. Sedona is designed to address structural inefficiencies in the excess casualty market — including excess capital competing for underperforming risks, limited underwriting differentiation, and escalating social inflation and nuclear verdict exposure. Sedona deploys specialized underwriting expertise and data-driven risk selection to build resilient specialty portfolios across five verticals: Transportation, Construction, Life Sciences, Energy, and National Accounts. The firm emphasizes disciplined growth, efficient capital deployment, and long-term profitability for its insurance and reinsurance partners.

Requirements

Minimum of 10 years of experience in the construction industry, with meaningful underwriting responsibility.
Strong understanding of construction risk dynamics, project structures, and excess casualty exposure drivers.
Experience underwriting or supporting large-account risks with revenues or project values in excess of $500M.
Established broker and market relationships in the construction and excess casualty space.
Demonstrated ability to analyze and underwrite complex risk on an excess basis, including wrap/project structures.
High degree of underwriting discipline and comfort operating within defined risk parameters and attachment point requirements.
Self-starter with entrepreneurial drive and the ability to build a book independently.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to present risk rationale clearly to internal and external stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

10+ years of direct construction excess casualty underwriting experience.
Experience with large, complex projects including data centers, infrastructure, and commercial construction.
Familiarity with structured excess casualty solutions and program business.
Prior experience at an MGU, MGA, or specialty insurance platform.
Comfort working within a technology-forward, analytics-driven underwriting environment.

Responsibilities

Build, manage, and grow Sedona’s construction excess casualty book of business from the ground up, consistent with the firm’s underwriting philosophy and risk appetite.
Underwrite large, complex construction accounts on an excess basis, with a primary focus on risks with total construction value exceeding $100M, including data centers, infrastructure, and commercial construction.
Write excess of wrap/project structures with attachment points of $25M or greater and deploy capacity of $5M–10M per account.
Apply disciplined risk selection and rigorous account analysis to ensure long-term portfolio profitability and resilience against social inflation and severity trends.
Establish and monitor concentration limits, pricing adequacy, and portfolio composition in alignment with Novacore and carrier partner guidelines.
Leverage Sedona’s data-driven underwriting tools and Novacore’s real-time analytics capabilities to enhance risk selection and portfolio monitoring.
Cultivate and expand relationships with retail producers to drive construction submission flow.
Identify and pursue new business opportunities consistent with Sedona’s appetite for large-account, excess casualty risks.
Represent Sedona at industry conferences, broker meetings, and market events to build visibility and credibility in the construction underwriting space.
Serve as Sedona’s primary subject matter expert on construction excess casualty underwriting.
As the construction book scales, recruit, hire, and develop additional underwriting talent to support growth.
Collaborate closely with Sedona’s senior leadership and with Novacore’s broader platform on product, capacity, and operational matters.
Contribute to the firm’s culture of intellectual rigor, underwriting discipline, and long-term partnership with capital providers.