What part will you play? If you’re looking for a place where you can make a meaningful difference, you’ve found it.
The work we do at Markel gives people the confidence to move forward and seize opportunities, and you’ll find your fit amongst our global community of optimists and problem-solvers. We’re always pushing each other to go further because we believe that when we realize our potential, we can help others reach theirs. Join us and play your part in something special! The Director, Project Management is a strategic leader responsible for overseeing the successful delivery of individual projects and the management of a broader project portfolio to ensure alignment with organizational priorities, operational excellence, and outstanding customer outcomes. This role leads a team of project managers, champions customer needs, applies a data-driven approach to decision-making, and drives process improvements to close customer experience (CX) gaps.The Director will partner with senior leadership, operational teams, and cross-functional stakeholders to establish best practices in project management, deliver results against business and financial goals, and ensure every initiative enhances both business performance and the customer journey.
Key Responsibilities
Project & Portfolio Leadership
* Oversee planning, execution, and delivery of key projects within the company’s CPI portfolio.
* Manage and prioritize the portfolio of projects to align with organizational goals and strategic initiatives.
* Establish project governance, ensuring transparency, accountability, and alignment with financial and operational goals.
* Monitor progress against baselines (schedule, budget, and business outcomes), escalating risks and implementing mitigation strategies as needed.
* Recalibrate the portfolio as necessary to adjust for business shifts, resource needs, or scope changes.
* Develop, refine, and implement best practices, processes, and tools for effective project and portfolio management.
* Partner with leadership to identify potential projects aligned with strategic priorities and roadmap initiatives.
* Promote a culture of continuous improvement by incorporating lessons learned into future initiatives.
* Establish and maintain effective performance metrics and feedback loops for ongoing process refinement.
* Partner with internal departments, technical teams, and executive leadership to facilitate project implementation and oversight.
* Prepare regular project portfolio updates and senior management presentations.
* Ensure project communication is clear, timely, and aligned with organizational expectations.
Customer Advocacy and Team Leadership
* Serve as a champion for the customer in all projects, ensuring that initiatives deliver measurable value and satisfaction.
* Identify and highlight CX gaps within existing processes, services, and products.
* Partner with business and technology teams to implement solutions that directly enhance customer experience.
* Lead, coach, and develop a team of project managers to maximize collaboration, accountability, and professional growth.
* Select and maintain qualified personnel, providing mentoring, coaching, and performance feedback.
* Establish clear annual objectives for direct reports and foster personal growth opportunities.
* Maintain effective communication across the team and with broader organizational leadership.
Qualifications
Required
* Bachelor’s degree in business, Project Management, Computer Science, or related field (or equivalent experience).
* 8+ years of progressive project management experience, with at least 3 years in a leadership role managing both projects and people.
* Proven experience in portfolio management and delivering complex, cross-functional initiatives.
* Strong understanding of process improvement methodologies (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen).
* Demonstrated success in customer advocacy and translating customer feedback into operational improvements.
* Excellent leadership, stakeholder management, and communication skills.
* Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
Preferred
* Master’s degree or MBA.
* PMP, PgMP, or similar certification.
* Insurance or financial services industry experience.
* Experience presenting to and influencing executive leadership.
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Key Competencies
* Strategic Thinking & Execution
* Customer-Centric Mindset
* Change Leadership
* Analytical & Problem-Solving Skills
* Cross-Functional Collaboration
* Team Development & Coaching
* Risk Management & Mitigation
US Work Authorization
US Work Authorization required. Markel does not provide visa sponsorship for this position, now or in the future.
Who we are:
Markel Group (NYSE – MKL) a fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory and investment operations around the world.
We’re all about people | We win together | We strive for better
We enjoy the everyday | We think further
What’s in it for you:
In keeping with the values of the Markel Style, we strive to support our employees in living their lives to the fullest at home and at work.
We offer competitive benefit programs that help meet our diverse and changing environment as well as support our employees’ needs at all stages of life.
All full-time employees have the option to select from multiple health, dental and vision insurance plan options and optional life, disability, and AD&D insurance.
We also offer a 401(k) with employer match contributions, an Employee Stock Purchase Plan, PTO, corporate holidays and floating holidays, parental leave.
Are you ready to play your part?
Choose ‘Apply Now’ to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.
Caution: Employment scams
Markel is aware of employment-related scams where scammers will impersonate recruiters by sending fake job offers to those actively seeking employment in order to steal personal information. Frequently, the scammer will reach out to individuals who have posted their resume online. These "job offers" include convincing offer letters and frequently ask for confidential personal information. Therefore, for your safety, please note that:
All legitimate job postings with Markel will be posted on Markel Careers. No other URL should be trusted for job postings.
All legitimate communications with Markel recruiters will come from Markel.com email addresses.
We would also ask that you please report any job employment scams related to Markel to [email protected].
Markel is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of any protected characteristic. This includes race; color; sex; religion; creed; national origin or place of birth; ancestry; age; disability; affectional or sexual orientation; gender expression or identity; genetic information, sickle cell trait, or atypical hereditary cellular or blood trait; refusal to submit to genetic tests or make genetic test results available; medical condition; citizenship status; pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; marital status, civil union status, domestic partnership status, familial status, or family responsibilities; military or veteran status, including unfavorable discharge from military service; personal appearance, height, or weight; matriculation or political affiliation; expunged juvenile records; arrest and court records where prohibited by applicable law; status as a victim of domestic or sexual violence; public assistance status; order of protection status; status as a smoker or nonsmoker; membership or activity in local commissions; the use or nonuse of lawful products off employer premises during non-work hours; declining to attend meetings or participate in communications about religious or political matters; or any other classification protected by applicable law.
Should you require any accommodation through the application process, please send an e-mail to the [email protected].
No agencies please.
Top Skills
What We Do
At Markel, we believe in hard work, a zealous pursuit of excellence, and fairness in all our dealings.
Markel Corporation (NYSE: MKL) is a global Fortune 500 company headquartered in Richmond, Virginia. We seek to be a leader in each of our pursuits, with insurance being our primary business. As a market leader for specialty insurance, reinsurance, and investment operations around the world, Markel embodies integrity, commitment, teamwork, and innovation in every day operations. We are encouraged to look for a better way to do things. Since our founding in 1930, we have sought to know our customers’ needs and to provide quality products and service.
Markel specializes in providing coverage for hard-to-place risks for a variety of niche markets including:
• Agricultural and equine risks
• Reinsurance for large risk enterprises such as oil rigs
• Event cancellation insurance for weddings, concerts, and sporting events
• Inland marine coverage for fine art collections
• Environmental pollution
• Yachts, ATVs, and motorcycles
At Markel we provide an atmosphere in which people can reach their personal potential. We are results-oriented, and we continually strive for a better way to do things. The Markel approach is one of spontaneity and flexibility.
Markel helps employees balance work and social activities. Markel gives you the keys to success! Keeping an open mind and learning new skills allows our associates to stay ahead of the marketplace. Above all, we enjoy what we are doing. There is excitement here that comes from innovating, creating, striving for a better way, sharing success with others…winning.
That is the Markel Style.
