AVP – Advanced Analytics & AI Strategy - Insurance

Responsibilities

Based in either our Scottsdale, AZ or Chicago, IL offices, the AVP, Advanced Analytics & AI Strategy is the strategic and technical leader responsible for advancing AI-driven intelligence across underwriting, claims, and operations to transform portfolio decision-making into a data-driven, co-intelligence platform that delivers optimal, risk-adjusted returns.

This role partners closely with the Senior Leadership Team, including the President, CUO, Underwriting Segment Leaders, CAO, and CCO, to co-create analytics-enabled portfolio strategies that balance growth and profitability and support shared accountability for portfolio-level P&L outcomes.

• Develops and executes the analytics roadmap, including structured and unstructured data integration, variable selection, and alignment with Vela’s strategic priorities.
• Oversees the integration of intelligence into core underwriting and claims workflows, ensuring full leverage of Kalepa, Helix, and enterprise data assets.
• Champions adoption of data-driven decision-making through effective change management and stakeholder engagement.
• Partner with Underwriting to design, validate, and refine risk factors embedded within underwriting intelligence platforms to improve portfolio performance.
• Enhance risk scoring, pricing precision, portfolio targeting, and underwriting dashboards to support disciplined and profitable risk selection at both the risk and portfolio level.
• Partner with the CCO to advance claim analytics focused on handling efficiency, reserving accuracy, and claim settlement outcomes.
• Deliver insights on claim trends, early warning indicators, fraud detection, and leakage to inform underwriting, claims, and portfolio strategy.
• Advance portfolio management capabilities to support capital objectives, including the refinement of AI-enabled, rules-based engines.
• Enable dynamic portfolio management through continuous, forward-looking adjustment of risk selection, pricing, appetite and capacity based on risk insights and market conditions.
• Establish dynamic underwriting audits at the individual risk and portfolio level.
• Provide senior leadership with clear, timely insights to support portfolio optimization and strategic decision-making.
• Lead advanced analytics and machine learning initiatives, including model development, monitoring, recalibration, and continuous improvement.
• Build scalable intelligence capabilities that embed feedback loops into execution in partnership with EsTech, BTS, and DNA teams at Berkley.
• Drive operational efficiency by identifying process gaps, optimizing workflows, and implementing automation and intelligence solutions.
• Identify, prioritize, and develop AI use cases, including actionable prompts and intelligence tools that improve speed, quality, and consistency of execution.
• Partner with enterprise technology and data teams to ensure data quality, accessibility, architectural alignment, and adherence to enterprise standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Data Science, Statistics, Actuarial Science, Computer Science, Engineering, or related quantitative field
• 7–10+ years of experience applying data science, advanced analytics, or AI/ML in an insurance environment, with demonstrated impact on underwriting, claims, pricing adequacy, and portfolio performance
• Proven leadership experience building or managing analytics, data science, or operational-efficiency teams
• Expertise in SQL, Python, machine learning frameworks, and modern data platforms (e.g., Databricks, cloud-based analytics environments)
• Strong understanding of underwriting, claims, risk modeling, or actuarial concepts preferred
• Experience with dashboarding and reporting tools such as Power BI
• Demonstrated ability to translate business needs into analytical solutions and communicate complex concepts to non-technical stakeholders
• Track record of driving change management, influencing cross-functional teams, and implementing new technologies or processes
• Strong problem-solving, critical-thinking, and strategic-planning skills, with the ability to operate both hands-on and at an enterprise-strategy level

Benefits

• Base Salary Range: $175,000 – $200,000
• Eligible to participate in annual discretionary bonus
• Benefits: Health, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, Wellness, Paid Time Off, 401(k) and Profit-Sharing plans