Vice President, Complex Claims

The Vice President, Complex Claims provides executive leadership for Fortegra's Complex Claims function, overseeing the handling, strategic direction, coverage analysis, litigation oversight, and resolution of the Company's highest-severity, major loss, and high-value litigated claims.

This role serves as the senior technical and legal claims resource, providing strategic leadership through close collaboration with cross-functional business leaders and external partners, including outside counsel, TPAs, and expert vendors, to optimize claim outcomes, protect the Company's financial interests, identify emerging risks and loss trends, support underwriting profitability, and ensure timely, fair, and compliant claim resolution.

Leading the Complex Claims function, the Vice President is responsible for its overall performance, strategic direction, reserving philosophy, litigation management, and operational excellence while driving continuous improvement across people, processes, technology, and vendor partnerships.

Education: Juris Doctor (JD) required

• 10+ years of progressively responsible commercial casualty claims experience handling high-severity, high-exposure litigated claims across multiple specialty lines.
• 7+ years leading complex claims organizations or technical claims teams.
• Demonstrated experience partnering with internal and external counsel to develop litigation strategy, evaluate legal and financial exposure, and oversee the resolution of high-value claims.
• Experience handling Commercial General Liability, Commercial Auto, Excess Liability, and Professional Liability claims required, inclusive of New York Labor Law.

Licensure: Licensed adjuster.

Typical Positions Supervised: Director, Claims, Claim Manager, Claim Adjuster, Paralegal

• Provide executive leadership and technical expertise in guiding complex claims decisions, coverage analysis, litigation strategy, reserve adequacy, and settlement authority for the Company's highest-exposure claims.
• Collaborate with Executive Leadership, Legal, Underwriting, Product, Actuarial, Finance, and Reinsurance to identify emerging loss trends, evaluate portfolio exposure, improve underwriting profitability, and support enterprise risk management initiatives.
• Oversee small team of complex claims personnel to manage and achieve high standards of productivity, efficiency, and alignment of organizational goals.
• Ensure compliance with all local, federal, and state regulations related to claims while minimizing risk/exposure to the organization.
• Regularly participate in underwriting, actuarial, and client or broker meetings.
• Provide oversight and accountability for outside counsel, forensic experts, and other strategic vendors to ensure consistent litigation management, quality claim handling, cost-effective outcomes, and compliance with company standards.
• Demonstrate knowledge of loss severity and trend analysis.
• Manage the resolution of claim issues/complaints raised by internal and external business partners.
• Provide reserve and settlement authority to claim staff in connection with their requests and recommendations.
• Exercise appropriate reserve and settlement authority, providing strategic guidance to claims professionals while balancing legal, financial, and business considerations in the resolution of complex claims.
• Build and develop organizational talent.

The above cited duties and responsibilities describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to the job.  They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all the duties and responsibilities that an incumbent may be expected or asked to perform.

• Extensive experience overseeing high-severity litigated commercial claims and partnering with internal and external legal counsel on litigation strategy. 
• Strong understanding of insurance coverage analysis, policy interpretation, and claims litigation management. 
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate legal risk, financial exposure, and settlement opportunities without serving as litigation counsel. 
• Ability to influence litigation strategy through collaboration with internal Legal, outside counsel, underwriting, and executive leadership.
• Experience leading a complex commercial claims team handling general liability and professional lines claims.
• Strong business and financial acumen, including problem-solving skills, data analysis, critical thinking, business analysis and organizational skills.
• High level of emotional intelligence, influencing skills, and communication skills to enable collaboration with a variety of key stakeholders including senior executive stakeholders.
• Ability to effectively create a collaborative, team-oriented environment including mentoring and motivating team members to be accountable. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven ability in the use of metrics and data to drive performance, assure continuous improvement, and increase efficiency.
• Broad-based knowledge of claims across multiple specialty lines.
• Experience in excess/umbrella, D&O/E&O claims, general liability, and reinsurance is preferred.