Head of Excess Casualty

This is your opportunity to join AXIS Capital – a trusted global provider of specialty lines insurance and reinsurance. We stand apart for our outstanding client service, intelligent risk taking and superior risk adjusted returns for our shareholders. We also proudly maintain an entrepreneurial, disciplined and ethical corporate culture. As a member of AXIS, you join a team that is among the best in the industry.

At AXIS, we believe that we are only as strong as our people. We strive to create an inclusive and welcoming culture where employees of all backgrounds and from all walks of life feel comfortable and empowered to be themselves. This means that we bring our whole selves to work.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic, including age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, marital status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any basis prohibited by the laws that govern its operations.

Role Summary

We are seeking an accomplished and commercially astute Head of Excess Casualty, North America to lead the strategic direction, underwriting performance, and profitable growth of our Excess Casualty portfolio across the United States and Canada.

This executive leadership role is responsible for establishing underwriting strategy, portfolio management frameworks, risk appetite, product development, talent leadership, and broker distribution strategies within a complex and evolving casualty marketplace. The successful candidate will be a recognised market leader with deep Excess Casualty expertise, strong broker and client relationships, and a proven track record of building high-performing underwriting teams while delivering sustainable underwriting profitability.

The Head of Excess Casualty will partner closely with North America leadership, Distribution, Claims, Actuarial, Reinsurance, Risk Management, and Operations teams to ensure a disciplined approach to underwriting and portfolio optimisation.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

• Develop and execute the North America Excess Casualty business strategy aligned with corporate objectives.
• Establish underwriting appetite, portfolio objectives, growth plans, and profitability targets.
• Monitor market trends, emerging risks, legal and social inflation, and competitive dynamics to identify opportunities and threats.
• Drive innovation in products, coverage offerings, and underwriting solutions to meet evolving client needs.
• Serve as a key member of the North America Underwriting Leadership Team.

Underwriting & Portfolio Management

• Maintain accountability for the underwriting performance and profitability of the Excess Casualty portfolio.
• Establish underwriting authority frameworks, referral standards, and pricing discipline.
• Oversee large account underwriting, complex placements, and significant risk referrals.
• Manage portfolio exposures through robust aggregation management, accumulation monitoring, and risk selection.
• Partner with Actuarial and Data Analytics teams to monitor rate adequacy, loss trends, and portfolio performance.
• Ensure adherence to underwriting guidelines, regulatory requirements, and governance standards.

Broker & Client Engagement

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key brokers, clients, and distribution partners.
• Represent the company in the marketplace as a senior Excess Casualty leader.
• Lead broker engagement strategies that enhance market relevance and drive profitable growth.
• Participate in major client meetings, renewal negotiations, and new business opportunities.

Talent Leadership

• Recruit, develop, and retain high-performing underwriting talent across North America.
• Foster a culture of underwriting excellence, accountability, collaboration, and inclusion.
• Coach and mentor underwriting leaders and emerging talent.
• Ensure succession planning and organisational capability development across the business.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with Claims to identify emerging loss trends and improve underwriting outcomes.
• Collaborate with Reinsurance teams regarding portfolio structure and reinsurance strategies.
• Work closely with Operations and Technology teams to improve underwriting efficiency and data capabilities.
• Support Finance, Reserving, Risk Management, and Compliance initiatives.

Governance & Regulatory Oversight

• Ensure strong underwriting governance and portfolio management disciplines.
• Participate in underwriting committees and governance forums.
• Maintain compliance with all applicable regulatory and internal risk management standards.
• Support internal and external audits, regulatory reviews, and reporting requirements.

Required Experience

• 15+ years of commercial casualty underwriting experience, with significant expertise in Excess Casualty .
• Demonstrated success leading large casualty portfolios within a specialty insurance carrier, global insurer, or Lloyd's platform.
• Extensive experience underwriting complex national and multinational casualty programmes.
• Proven track record of managing underwriting profitability and portfolio performance through market cycles.
• Deep understanding of excess liability, umbrella liability, casualty treaty structures, and emerging casualty exposures.
• Experience leading geographically dispersed underwriting teams across North America.
• Strong broker relationships with major national and regional brokerage firms.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic mindset with strong commercial acumen.
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders and executive leadership.
• Exceptional relationship management and negotiation skills.
• Strong decision-making capability within complex risk environments.
• Ability to balance growth ambitions with disciplined underwriting execution.
• Demonstrated success building inclusive, high-performing teams.
• Executive presence with strong communication and presentation skills.

Education & Professional Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Advanced degree (MBA, Finance, Risk Management, or related discipline) preferred.
• CPCU, ARM, FCAS, ACAS, or other relevant professional designation preferred.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.