Senior Vice President, Specialty Real Estate & Energy Insurance Risk Solutions

Executive Leadership Role | Specialty Insurance, Reinsurance, Captives & Structured Risk

Role Overview

The Senior Vice President, Specialty Real Estate & Energy Insurance Risk Solutions is the accountable executive responsible for designing, launching, and scaling a specialty insurance platform focused on:

• Commercial real estate and construction risks

• Renewable energy and energy-infrastructure assets

• Structured and financial risk solutions

This role owns portfolio strategy, underwriting appetite and governance, pricing and reserving discipline, reinsurance and capital optimization , and senior stakeholder management across regulators, auditors, reinsurers, and distribution partners.

The position intentionally combines the scope of a Chief Actuary (valuation, reserving, model governance, statutory and economic reporting) with the commercial authority of an Executive Underwriter (program ownership, production leadership, client and board engagement), creating a single point of accountability for profitable growth and risk-adjusted return on capital.

Reporting & Role Level

• Role level: Senior Vice President / Executive Vice President equivalent

• Reports to: Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

• Geography: United States, with optional Bermuda and EU-facing counterparties

• Travel: Up to ~20% (board meetings, reinsurers, brokers, site visits)

Business Context

The organization is building a specialty insurance and risk solutions platform serving capital-intensive, complex asset classes where insurance functions as a balance-sheet, financing, and execution enabler.

Primary customers include:

• Developers and EPC contractors

• Owners and operators

• Lenders, tax equity, and project finance participants

• Infrastructure funds and commercial real estate sponsors

The platform may operate through admitted or surplus lines carriers, MGAs/MGUs, fronting arrangements, and/or captive and cell structures , supported by reinsurance and collateralized risk transfer.

Coverage & Product Scope (Illustrative)

Construction & Commercial Real Estate

• Builders Risk / Construction All Risks (CAR)

• Delay in Start-Up (DSU / ALOP)

• OCIPs and contractor-controlled programs

• General and excess liability

• Workers’ compensation

• Environmental and site liability

• Professional liability / E&O

Energy Transition & Infrastructure

• Solar, wind, storage, grid, and industrial energy assets

• Construction, transit, commissioning, and operations phases

• Equipment breakdown and business interruption

• Parametric weather and catastrophe solutions

• Environmental and performance-related risk structures

Structured & Financial Risk

• Trade credit and receivables protection

• Surety and performance support (where applicable)

• Residual value and revenue stabilization

• Lender-centric insurance wraps

• Bespoke structured risk transfer solutions

Success Profile (First 12–18 Months)

Success in this role is defined by the following outcomes:

1. Underwriting Strategy & Governance

* Approved underwriting guidelines, authority matrices, and referral protocols

* Clear risk appetite and portfolio concentration limits

2. Pricing & Reserving Framework

* Actuarial pricing and reserving models aligned to specialty risk

* Board-ready quarterly reserve review and reporting cadence

3. Reinsurance & Capital Plan

* Placed quota share and/or excess reinsurance programs

* Defined retention, collateral, and counterparty management framework

4. Regulatory & Reporting Readiness

* Statutory reporting calendar and controls

* Readiness for US Statutory, US GAAP, and IFRS 17 reporting where applicable

* Documented model governance and audit trail

5. Distribution & Partnerships

* Executed channel strategy across brokers, MGAs/MGUs, reinsurers, fronting carriers, and captive managers

* Measurable pipeline and conversion performance

6. Operating Model Implementation

* Implemented target operating model (systems, data, TPAs, claims, risk engineering)

* Clear governance and control environment

7. Profitability & Scale

* Sustainable profitable growth with defined targets for GWP, net retained premium, combined ratio, and ROE

* Credible roadmap to scale beyond initial programs

Core Responsibilities

1. Strategy & Product Leadership

• Own the multi-year specialty insurance strategy across real estate, energy, and structured risk lines

• Translate strategy into actionable underwriting, pricing, and operating plans

• Design insurance solutions that support financing, lender requirements, and project execution

• Partner with Finance on capital allocation, ROE targets, and portfolio limits

2. Underwriting Governance & Program Management

• Serve as the accountable underwriting executive for strategic programs and accounts

• Establish and enforce underwriting standards, technical authority, and referral governance

• Lead production underwriting in partnership with business development

• Represent the organization at captive boards, client committees, and industry forums

3. Actuarial, Pricing & Reserving Oversight

• Lead actuarial pricing, reserving, and analytics for specialty portfolios

• Oversee reserve reviews, experience studies, and assumption governance

• Coordinate with Accounting and FP&A across statutory, GAAP, and IFRS reporting

• Ensure compliance with actuarial standards of practice and documentation expectations

4. Reinsurance & Risk Transfer

• Architect and place reinsurance programs aligned with risk appetite and capital objectives

• Own reinsurer relationships, renewals, and counterparty risk management

• Evaluate alternative and structured reinsurance solutions where economically compelling

• Partner with Legal and Compliance on contract certainty and credit-for-reinsurance

5. Regulatory, Audit & Governance Leadership

• Act as senior liaison with regulators, captive domiciles, auditors, and rating agencies

• Ensure timely and accurate regulatory and financial deliverables

• Establish model risk management and governance standards

6. Claims & Risk Engineering Oversight

• Set claims governance standards and oversee TPAs

• Partner with risk engineering to reduce loss frequency and severity

• Monitor loss trends and drive underwriting and pricing actions

7. Talent & Operating Cadence

• Build and lead high-performing underwriting, actuarial, and analytics teams

• Establish underwriting committees, reserve committees, and reinsurance steering forums

• Foster a culture of accountability, discipline, and data-driven decision-making

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive leadership in specialty insurance and/or reinsurance

• Demonstrated P&L and portfolio accountability

• Deep technical expertise in underwriting, pricing, reserving, and reinsurance

• Experience building or scaling carrier, MGA/MGU, captive, or reinsurance platforms

• Executive-level engagement with reinsurers, brokers, auditors, and regulators

Education & Credentials

• Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative or business discipline

• Actuarial or risk credentials strongly preferred (FCAS/ACAS, FSA with P&C exposure, MAAA)

• Additional designations valued (CPCU, ARM, ARe, CERA, CFA)

Leadership Competencies

• Capital-aware underwriting and financial acumen

• Cross-functional executive collaboration

• Strong governance and control orientation

• Sound judgment in ambiguity and evolving markets

• Consistent delivery of profitable growth