AVP, Litigation & Casualty Claims

Berkley Southwest offers commercial property and casualty products and services through independent agents in Arizona, Arkansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. We maintain a strong local presence in each of our markets, keeping underwriting and support close to the customer.

Now more than ever, financial strength is critical to a successful, long term insurance relationship. Berkley Southwest is a member company of W. R. Berkley Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, whose insurance company subsidiaries are rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best.

This role will be based in our Irving, TX office.  We offer a hybrid work schedule with 4 days in the office; and 1 day remote where it makes sense to do so.

The Company is an equal employment opportunity employer. #LI-AV1 #LI-HYBRID 

As our AVP, Litigation & Casualty Claims, you'll be responsible for evaluating claims submitted by policy holders and administering payment if determined that it is due based on the terms of the insurance policy. Your role will encompass:

• Documentation of incident report and additional claims information from policyholder
• Review of claim and determination of denial, acceptance, or a need for further investigation Identifying claims where third-party liability exists, such as subrogation or workers' compensation and negotiates/settles with the third party 
• Recovery and possible resale of injured goods involved in a claim

In this leadership role, you'll establish and implement strategies that have short to mid-range (1-3 years) impact on business results in alignment with parent/independent organization objectives. We'll trust you to lead a team of staff as well as develop short to mid-term plans for optimization and the talent required to execute strategies in job area.

What you can expect:

• Culture of innovation, teamwork, supportive colleagues and leaders willing to invest in talent
• Internal mobility opportunities 
• Visibility to senior leaders and partnership with cross functional teams
• Opportunity to impact change
• Benefits – competitive compensation, paid time off, comprehensive wellness benefits and programs, employer funded health savings account, profit sharing, 401k, paid parental leave, employee stock purchase plan, tuition assistance and professional continuing education

We'll count on you to:

• Advise the VP of Claims of complex or high exposure type claims as soon as knowledge of the claim is known.  Inform the VP as well as your staff, of changes in the legal climate in the area of responsibility.
• Ensure goals and standards are being met and are cascaded to the others in their respective units. 
• Manage talent development process; ensure the company is being represented by a customer focused and properly trained claims staff.  These areas of concentration include:
  • Large losses
  • Complex Coverage Claims
  • Claims in litigation
  • Training
  • File reviews – both audits and staff reviews on a regular basis
  • Management reporting
  • Maintaining a diary on all high exposure cases
  • Stay abreast of changes in the law that affect claims handling and making sure their staff is fully aware of those changes

What you need to have:

• 10+ years experience in complex casualty file management
• Claims adjuster license
• Leading by example - successful history of leading,coaching and developing others
• Excellent interpersonal skills to create engagement and teamwork among multiple stakeholders

What makes you stand out:

• Bachelor’s Degree in relevant discipline
• Ability to meet established goals and objectives
• Excellent communication skills, outstanding customer service, sound judgment, decisiveness and technical ability