** REMOTE OPPORTUNITY **
Highly profitable mutual insurance company has retained The Carlisle Group seeking to hire a talented AVP of Claims. This officer level role, reporting to the VP of Claims, is open due to an upcoming retirement. The client is seeking a talented claims executive with strong depth of technical knowledge in complex casualty claims that would thoroughly enjoy working with a claims organization already providing best in class service.
General Summary:
Demonstrating the company’s ICARE values, the Assistant Vice President, Claims is responsible for the strategy, execution, and overall performance of the Claims function. As a key partner to the Vice President, Claims, this role translates organizational objectives into operational results while ensuring consistent, high-quality claims handling across all lines.
This position provides enterprise-level oversight of claims operations, including casualty, complex claim, litigation, and SIU with accountability for loss outcomes, compliance, customer experience, and operational efficiency. This position serves as both a hands-on leader and technical expert, guiding complex claim decisions, developing talent, and building strong relationships with internal stakeholders, agency partners, and vendors.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Champions a customer-centric claims approach, ensuring fair, timely, and empathetic claim resolution.
- Develops and executes short-term and long-term strategic plans for the Claims function aligned with organizational goals.
- Partners with the Vice President of Claims to translate strategy into operational priorities and ensure effective execution across all claims units.
- Acts as a key advisor and backup to the VP of Claims, providing leadership continuity and decision-making support.
- Oversees claims operations to ensure efficient handling, timely resolution, and adherence to established standards and best practices.
- Drives performance against key metrics including loss costs, claim severity, cycle time, and expense management.
- Establishes and enforces consistent claims handling policies and procedures to ensure claim quality, indemnity discipline, and improve outcomes.
- Serves as a senior technical resource for complex, high-exposure, and litigated claims, ensuring appropriate oversight, escalation, and resolution strategies.
- Provides leadership and oversight for casualty, complex claim, litigation management, and SIU, including strategy, vendor performance, and operational readiness.
- Leads, coaches, and develops claims leadership, strengthening organizational capability and succession readiness.
- Promotes a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and technical excellence across the Claims organization.
- Builds and maintains strong relationships with agency partners, internal stakeholders, and external vendors.
- Directs key claims-related vendors, programs, and initiatives, driving process improvements, operational efficiency, and service quality.
Skills and Competencies:
Skills
- Catastrophe (CAT) Management – Expertise in catastrophe preparedness, event response execution, and high-volume claims handling operations.
- Claims Data & Performance Metrics – Advanced knowledge and use of claims KPIs, reporting frameworks, and data structures to monitor and manage performance.
- Claims Financial Management & Reserving – Advanced knowledge and application of loss drivers, reserving methodologies, and loss adjustment expense (LAE) management.
- Claims Operations & Technical Expertise – Advanced knowledge and application of end-to-end P&C claims handling, including coverage analysis, investigation, evaluation, reserving, and resolution across lines of business.
- Litigation, SIU, and Complex Claims Management – Expertise in litigated claims processes, fraud investigation practices, SIU oversight, and management of high-exposure and complex claims.
Regulatory & Compliance Requirements – Advanced knowledge and application of state claims regulations, fair claims practices, and audit/compliance standards.
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Competencies:
- AI-Enabled Leadership & Innovation – Embraces emerging technologies, data, and artificial intelligence to improve operational effectiveness, decision-making, and customer outcomes while promoting responsible and ethical use.
- Business Ownership & Accountability – Owns claims outcomes end-to-end, including financial performance, quality, and customer experience; establishes and enforces accountability across the organization.
- Collaboration & Stakeholder Influence – Builds strong relationships and effectively influences internal stakeholders, agency partners, and external vendors; navigates conflict and drives alignment on business objectives.
- Decision Quality & Judgment – Makes sound, timely decisions in complex situations using data, experience, and risk considerations; asks thoughtful questions to fully understand issues and challenges assumptions.
- Operational Excellence – Establishes and maintains consistent processes, standards, and controls that support quality, efficiency, and continuous improvement in claims handling.
- Strategic Leadership – Translates organizational objectives into clear claims strategies and aligns priorities, resources, and execution to achieve results; demonstrates curiosity by questioning assumptions and identifying opportunities to improve outcomes.
Talent Development & Leadership Presence – Builds organizational capability through coaching, feedback, and development; demonstrates self-awareness, professionalism, and adaptability while fostering trust and engagement.
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Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or professional designations (e.g., CPCU, AIC) preferred.
- Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in property and casualty claims, including exposure to multiple lines of business and complex claims.
- Minimum of 5 years of leadership experience managing managers or supervisors with accountability for team performance.
- Demonstrated experience overseeing key claims functions such as litigation management, special investigations (SIU), catastrophe (CAT) response, or complex claims operations.
- Experience with claims financial management, including reserving practices, loss trends, and expense management.
- Experience operating in a regulated claims environment, including exposure to compliance requirements, audit standards, and fair claims practices.
- Experience working cross-functionally and with external partners, including agencies, legal counsel, and vendors.
Career Pathing:
This position provides opportunities for continued leadership growth within the Claims organization through expanded operational, strategic, and enterprise responsibilities. Potential career progression paths may include Vice President, Claims, Chief Operating Officer, or other senior operational leadership roles with broader oversight of claims operations, customer experience, and enterprise initiatives. This role also supports professional development through leadership training, advanced insurance designations, enterprise project participation, cross-functional collaboration, and succession planning opportunities designed to strengthen executive leadership capabilities.
Working Conditions:
- Normal office working conditions; may be in-office, remote, or hybrid.
- Extended periods of sitting and computer use.
- Occasional travel may be required for agency visits, vendor meetings, industry events, catastrophe (CAT) response, associate or team events, etc.
- Availability outside of standard business hours may be required to address escalated claims issues, support CAT events, or meet business needs.
ICARE Values Commitment:
As a member of the leadership team, this role demonstrates the company’s ICARE values through leadership actions and results: driving Innovation through process improvement, claims analytics, and operational effectiveness; promoting Collaboration across claims, underwriting, legal, agency partners, and vendors; ensuring Accountability through ownership of loss outcomes, claim quality, and operational performance; modeling Respect in all interactions with employees, customers, and partners; and promoting Empowerment through development of claims talent, technical expertise, and leadership capability across the organization.
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