Who are we?
A strategic and trusted insurance partner, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI), provides a broad range of commercial property, casualty and specialty insurance coverages and outstanding service to customers and brokers around the world. Part of Berkshire Hathaway’s insurance operations, we bring our solutions to market with our stellar brand name, top-rated balance sheet, and the expertise of our global team of professionals, who exude excellent capabilities and strong character.
We are a values-based organization where respect, integrity, excellence, collaboration, and passion define who we are and how we do business. We value diversity of backgrounds, experience, and perspectives and strive to foster an inclusive environment that enables all our team members to bring their best selves to work. We are one team committed to building a culture where every teammate has the opportunity to contribute and be recognized. Want to be part of the team building the finest property, casualty and specialty lines insurance company in the world?
Learn more about our unique culture and history.
Job Opportunity:
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has an exciting opportunity for Data Scientist / Senior Data Scientist to join the Catastrophe Engineering and Analytics (CAT E&A) team. CAT E&A is an innovative and versatile technical team conducting catastrophe risk research and development and providing complex quantitative metrics that inform underwriting decisions across multiple lines of business.
The successful candidate will be responsible for identifying and applying cutting-edge data science techniques to build a better view of the risk for multiple perils. You will work across functional areas and perils within the team, supporting the development of models for various natural catastrophes, natural hazards, building vulnerability, and man-made risks such as cyber, casualty, among others. In addition, you will conduct in-depth evaluation of vendor models, research and develop internal views of exposure and risks, consult on account-specific risk analyses, and develop internal tools to facilitate account underwriting decision-making and other related activities.
Duties & Responsibilities:
- Evaluate and develop insights into large and diverse data sets from claims, hazard models, structural analysis, geospatial sources, and various other public/proprietary datasets.
- Develop and maintain expertise in advanced data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence techniques, and their application to understanding risk.
- Work with domain experts across teams and perils to enhance our use of available data.
- Propose and execute innovative solutions to insurance problems that directly impact BHSI underwriting decisions.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience:
Educational Background
- Advanced degree (Master's or Ph.D.) in Statistics, Actuarial Science, Applied Mathematics, Data Science, Engineering, or other equivalent quantitative discipline.
- Strong academic foundation in probability theory, statistical inference, stochastic processes, and Bayesian statistics.
Technical & Analytical Skills
- Deep expertise in probability models commonly used in insurance (e.g., frequency–severity models, GLMs, loss distributions).
- Strong applied statistics skills for:
- Risk modeling
- Predictive analytics
- Pricing & underwriting analytics
- Catastrophe exposure analysis
- Proficiency in statistical and machine learning techniques, including:
- Regression (GLM, GAM, GAMMs)
- Time-series forecasting
- Gradient boosting, random forests, and other tree-based models, neural networks models
- Clustering and segmentation
- Bayesian methods
- Hands-on experience with key programming tools:
- Python (NumPy, pandas, scikit-learn; PyTorch/TensorFlow a plus)
- R (actuarial/statistical packages)
- SQL for data extraction and manipulation
- Familiarity with Git and Docker is a plus
- Experience with big data and distributed computing (e.g., Spark, Databricks, AWS/GCP/Azure) is a plus.
Preferred Domain Knowledge in Risk Modeling
- Strong understanding of property & casualty insurance, including:
- Exposure modeling
- Loss distributions (e.g., Pareto, lognormal, gamma)
- Catastrophe risk concepts and tail modeling
- Portfolio risk aggregation, reinsurance structures, and risk metrics (AAL, PML, TVaR)
Data Skills
- Ability to work with large structured and unstructured datasets.
- Expertise in data cleaning, transformation, and feature engineering.
- Experience building automated data pipelines and scalable model workflows.
Modeling & Communication
- Ability to translate complex statistical concepts into actionable business insights.
- Experience communicating results clearly to actuaries, underwriters, executives, and non-technical stakeholders.
- Strong documentation and model governance discipline.
Professional Competencies
- Curious, analytical thinker with strong problem-solving ability.
- Ability to work independently in ambiguous problem spaces.
- Collaborative mindset — comfortable partnering with actuaries, underwriters, portfolio managers, and engineers.
BHSI Offers:
- A competitive package and exciting growth opportunities for career-oriented teammates.
- A dynamic, action oriented, and thoughtful environment centered on always doing the right thing for our customers, teammates, and our other stakeholders.
- A purposely non-bureaucratic organization that embraces simplicity over complexity and emphasizes individual excellence in a team framework.
- Benefits that support your life and well-being, which include:
- Comprehensive Health, Dental and Vision benefits
- Disability Insurance (both short-term and long-term)
- Life Insurance (for you and your family)
- Accidental Death & Dismemberment Insurance (for you and your family)
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Health Reimbursement Account
- Employee Assistance Program
- Retirement Savings 401(k) Plan with Company Match
- Generous holiday and Paid Time Off
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Paid Parental Leave
The base salary range for this position in Atlanta, GA, Boston, MA, or San Ramon, CA is $100,000 to $160,000, along with annual bonus eligibility. Total compensation for a candidate is determined by their relevant skills, location, and experience. We value our teammates – both their capabilities and character – as demonstrated by our amazing culture.
NOTE: Compensation will be commensurate with experience. This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Team Member may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization.
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance and has not been reviewed or approved by Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance.
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Retirement Support — Retirement support includes a 401(k) plan with matching contributions, which contributes to the overall value of the package. Performance bonuses are also described as part of the broader financial benefits offering.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off provisions are framed as generous, with generous paid time off and company holidays included in the described package. Parental leave and a return-to-work program also add to the overall time-away coverage.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is at times characterized as competitive or decent, and some roles include employer-provided salary ranges that help set expectations. This range disclosure suggests at least partial transparency depending on role and location.
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance Insights
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What We Do
Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance is an organization committed to providing long-term risk solutions and claims care to our customers backed by the financial strength of Berkshire Hathaway. We’re passionate about analyzing risk markets and tailoring insurance solutions that provide businesses with the flexibility they need to pursue opportunities. Accessibility, collaboration, responsibility, and integrity are at the core of how we conduct business. Ease of doing business is a priority, which means our teammates are empowered to collaborate and think creatively to achieve customer satisfaction. Our company culture puts a premium on responsiveness so we can get business done effectively, efficiently, and thoroughly. Come learn more about our products and services, our mission and our culture at www.bhspecialty.com. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/bhspecialty.
