The Role
The Vice President, Real Estate Unit Leader will manage the Real Estate Client Success Unit, ensuring operational excellence, client satisfaction, and team development while overseeing key client accounts in commercial real estate.
Summary Generated by Built In
Virtus Insurance, a nine-time Best Places to Work in Insurance award‑winner, is redefining what a modern brokerage looks like. We are fast, specialized, and relentlessly client‑centric, operating across Real Estate, Hospitality, Private Capital, Benefits, Construction, Retail & Distribution, Food & Beverage and Small Business / Personal Lines. Our culture rewards ownership, excellence, and fearless pursuit.
We are looking for a proven leader who wants to build something extraordinary.
What This Role Is:
The Vice President, Real Estate Unit Leader is a high‑impact leadership role responsible for managing some of the firm’s largest Commercial Real Estate clients and leading a high‑performing Real Estate Client Success Unit. You will be the operational engine, the cultural standard‑bearer, and a key strategic partner in advancing one of Virtus’ most important industry verticals.
At scale, this role will transition to full people leadership, managing direct reports exclusively.
This is a role for someone who wants both command and accountability — and the autonomy to build a best‑in‑class practice within a growing national platform.
Who Thrives at Virtus:
- Embody the Virtus Core Values: Better Tomorrow, Fearless Pursuit, One Virtus.
- Are energized by leading people, elevating performance, and building high‑trust teams.
- Manage complex Real Estate placements with confidence and technical mastery.
- Are a disciplined operator who values process, quality, and measurable results.
- Communicate with clarity, conviction, and executive polish.
- Want a seat at the table helping shape the future of the Real Estate Practice.
Key Responsibilities:
- Leadership & Team Development
- Lead and mentor a full Real Estate Client Success Unit (AEs, AMs, CAS).
- Set the standard for service excellence, technical accuracy, and client experience.
- Conduct workflow reviews, renewal readiness checks, and quality audits.
- Optimize workload distribution and team capacity planning.
- Deliver real time coaching, formal evaluations, and individualized development plans.
- Recruit and retain top performers; support succession and bench strength.
- Serve as senior point of escalation for client issues, carrier obstacles, or process bottlenecks.
- Maintain compliance with all internal systems, documentation, and licensing standards.
- Lead weekly or bi-weekly alignment meetings with the team focused on performance, renewal excellence and career progression.
- Collaborate with Practice Leadership on service model evolution, operational strategy, and staffing structure.
- Participate in leadership meetings and support practice level forecasting and financial planning.
- Lead cross functional improvements to drive efficiency and scalable growth.
- Influence key stakeholders and help roll out new workflows and service innovations.
- Reinforce One Virtus—building cohesion, alignment, and shared accountability.
- Manage a personal portfolio of upper‑middle‑market Commercial Real Estate accounts until a certain Book scale is reached, then exclusively manage the Unit team members.
- Lead strategy around coverage architecture, risk transfer, stewardship reporting, and renewal planning.
- Maintain deep understanding of each client’s business model, risk exposure, operations, and strategic priorities.
- Provide executive‑level guidance on risk management, market conditions, and financial structures.
- Maintain exceptional retention and growth metrics across assigned accounts.
- Provide oversight into unit deliverables: proposals, marketing strategies, and submissions.
- Review complex placements including layered property programs, self-insured retention programs, captives, builder’s risk, management liability, cyber, and specialty structures.
- Ensure delivery meets Virtus standards for quality, accuracy, and documentation.
- Strengthen carrier and wholesaler partnerships and utilize market insights to drive strong outcomes.
- Stay current on industry trends, legal changes, and emerging Real Estate risks.
- Own unit KPIs: retention, renewal discipline, file quality, service plans, client satisfaction.
- Support practice profitability through revenue execution, margin discipline, and cross‑sell strategies.
- Ensure timely, precise completion of all renewals, endorsements, certificates, audits, and communications.
- Support producers in strategic planning and new business opportunities.
2. Strategic Practice Leadership
3. Book of Business Management
4. Portfolio Oversight & Technical Excellence
5. Operational & Financial Accountability
Qualifications:
- 5–10+ years commercial insurance experience with proven Real Estate specialization.
- Direct experience leading, coaching, or managing within a brokerage environment.
- Deep technical understanding of complex Real Estate risks and placements.
- Strong negotiation skills and ability to build connection quickly.
- Proficient with modern systems, workflows, insurance platforms and Microsoft 365.
- Exceptional communication skills including public speaking and executive presentation.
- Bachelor’s degree preferred; CPCU or related designations strongly preferred.
- Active Property & Casualty license.
What Will Make You Stand Out:
- Expertise in large Real Estate programs, alternative risk, captives, aggregate deductibles, and self-insured retention structures.
- Experience leading large multi‑stakeholder engagements at scale.
- Proven track record of team performance improvement and operational excellence.
- Prior Unit Manager, Client Service Leader, or similar leadership experience at a top brokerage.
Physical Requirements:
The employee must be able to sit, use hands to handle or feel, talk or hear frequently; and occasionally stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms. Must have close and distance vision.
Travel:
Approximately 10%-20% dependent on client needs.
Why Join Virtus?
Virtus offers the freedom and trust to build a world‑class practice within a supportive, high‑performance environment. We invest in our people through:
•Market-leading compensation and bonus programs
•401(k)
•Health, dental, and vision
•Unlimited PTO
•Continuous professional development
•An entrepreneurial culture where great ideas become reality
Push Forward – We've got your back!
Skills Required
- 5-10+ years commercial insurance experience with proven Real Estate specialization
- Direct experience leading, coaching, or managing within a brokerage environment
- Deep technical understanding of complex Real Estate risks and placements
- Strong negotiation skills and ability to build connection quickly
- Proficient with modern systems, workflows, insurance platforms and Microsoft 365
- Exceptional communication skills including public speaking and executive presentation
- Bachelor's degree preferred; CPCU or related designations strongly preferred
- Active Property & Casualty license
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The Company
What We Do
Virtus is an insurance brokerage and consulting firm built for today’s experience economy. We blend creativity with technology to bring a more streamlined, personalized and human approach to insurance. This insulates our clients from the process, putting the focus back on their goals and growth strategy to unlock their full potential. Our vertical specialization makes us different—we know the industries we serve inside and out. Our team is comprised of industry renegades, analysts, consultants, technologists, creatives and problem solvers. We’re aligned by our values and fueled by an entrepreneurial spirit, giving us the grit to make your dreams a reality, no matter the challenge or task at hand.
