Vice President, Life Sciences Underwriting Manager

W.R. Berkley Corporation is a Fortune 500 Company, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The Company is made up of dedicated and passionate people committed to delivering the highest quality insurance products and services to specialized markets worldwide.

Our culture is one of innovation, creativity and teamwork. Our team is highly motivated, passionate about our business, and deeply experienced in developing and delivering product and service solutions in the life science marketplace. You will join a highly respected team of experienced, successful professionals with deep expertise in this market as they build the company of the future.

At Berkley Life Sciences, we insure the future of life science innovators today.  We do so by serving as a preferred market for the life science industry around the globe, offering a broad range of sophisticated property & casualty products and services designed to meet our customers’ individualized needs. 

The company is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Berkley Life Sciences professionals cohesively respond to the unique challenges faced by our life science customers.  We are looking for talented and dedicated professionals to join our team.

Company URL:   https://berkleyls.com/

This role, a key contributor within the Berkley Life Sciences organization, is responsible for developing and executing a strategic vision that enables the long-term profitable growth of all products within the organization.  This role serves as a strategic connector between field underwriting teams, senior management, and external broker partners, ensuring alignment, consistency, and momentum across territories. This includes developing the annual operating plan objectives (top and bottom line) and long-term strategic plan along with a focus on tactical broker / producer development planning.   Additionally, this position has direct management of other underwriting leaders as well as responsibility for the team and its results. 

In strategic alliance with the SVP, Underwriting Officer

• Coach, mentor and develop team by establishing clear goals and providing regular feedback as well as training and career development opportunities; empower UW leaders to assume responsibility for their functions within the team.
• Provide leadership and direction to the team in order to meet the goals for new business, retention, rate and customer service.  Act as a catalyst for field activity, encouraging travel and proactive business development.
• Build team confidence through training, coaching, and field presence.
• Distribution management and expansion. Identify, develop and grow a knowledgeable producer population with an appropriate split between retail and wholesale channels. 

• Responsible for results of the team; review results with the CUO; proactively offer suggestions to improve performance and/or remove obstacles as necessary.
• Cycle management- devise strategies and protocols to grow profitably during all market cycles.
• Support the team to build strong relationships with brokers to ensure you meet or exceed financial goals including growth, profit, retention, and new business. Manage senior-level relationships with key brokers.
• Portfolio management to reflect an appropriate balance between segments and diversification of line of business

• Stay current with all compliance, procedural and workflow changes.

• Work collaboratively and effectively with underwriting associate, operations, legal, home office underwriting and claims. Maintain and evolve the structural framework implemented across the underwriting teams.
• Engage in innovation initiatives, product launches, marketing campaigns and short-term projects as appropriate to contribute positively towards success of the overall team and company.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience
• Minimum of 10 years of package lines including auto, property, workers compensation, umbrella and premises operations experience.
• Minimum of 5 years previous management experience
• Products liability claims made experience a plus.

• Life Science experience a plus

Technical Skills and Competencies

• Coaches and Motivates Others
• Builds Effective Teams
• Customer Focus & Teamwork
• Innovation and Initiative

Additional Qualifications

• Underwriting or field leadership experience. You have a proven track record of leading teams, making sound decisions, and driving results in underwriting or field management roles.
• Strong commitment to employee development. You lead with intention and care, building trust through consistent coaching, open dialogue, and follow‑through. You invest time in mentoring others, recognize potential, encourage growth through feedback and stretch opportunities, and consistently develop talent that delivers results.
• Strong sales acumen. You bring a confident, client-focused presence and a passion for winning business. You understand customer needs, build trust quickly, and consistently deliver results.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills. Your communication style is flexible to the situation. You communicate clearly and with a purpose.
• Calm under pressure. You have excellent organizational skills, integrity, and great follow-through on tasks. You are comfortable challenging norms while collaborating with colleagues at all levels of the organization looking for innovative improvements.
• You have a proven history of building and maintaining strong business relationships with insureds, agents & brokers.
• A strong customer service bias. You want to get to yes. You are known for your super responsiveness. You can say no and preserve your relationships.
• Ability to travel extensively (up to 50% of the time including overnight travel) and lead by example in the field.
• Advanced proficiency with the Microsoft suite of products

The Company is an equal employment opportunity employer.