Underwriting manager – Property

ABOUT DESCARTES UNDERWRITING

Descartes was born out of the conviction that the ever-increasing complexity of risks faced by corporations, governments and vulnerable communities calls for a renewed approach in insurance. Our team brings together industry veterans from the most renowned institutions (AXA, SCOR, Swiss Re, Marsh, Aon, ...) and scientists on top of their field to bring underwriting excellence. In 7 years of existence, Descartes has secured a leading position in parametric insurance for weather and climate-related risks utilizing machine learning, real-time monitoring from satellite imagery & IoT. After a successful Series B raise of $120M USD, we launched Descartes Insurance, a 'full stack' insurer licensed to underwrite risk by the French regulator ACPR. With a growing corporate client base (400+ and counting), our diverse team is headquartered in Paris and operates out of our 18 global offices in North America, Europe, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. Descartes is trusted by a panel of A-rated (re)insurers to carry out its activities.

Descartes Insurance covers mid size corporations in Europe and overseas territories, with a unique approach utilizing Descartes data-driven methodologies and advanced tech capabilities to change the way we write traditional insurance products, in particular Property and Cyber.

ABOUT YOUR ROLE 

The very fast growth of our Property and Cyber lines across Europe, at the core of our company's strategy, leads Descartes to structure the team under the leadership of an Underwriting manager.

The Property & Cyber Underwriting Manager role requires a strong knowledge of the insurance industry and business acumen, all while collaborating closely with other internal teams (R&D, Software, Operations, Legal and Commercial) and our external partners, in particular corporate insurance brokers in Europe.

Utilizing data and tech is what makes Descartes' approach to traditional insurance unique: upstream and under the sponsorship of Underwriting managers, our R&D team aims at developing new and innovative models thanks to state-of-the-art research to help the Underwriting team meet with efficiency and reliability their profitable growth targets. They work closely and also under the sponsorship of Underwriting managers with our Data, Software and DevOps teams who develop robust tools to support the scaling of our underwriting activity.

On the market-facing side, Underwriting teams take action subsequently in modeling, structuring and pricing insurance covers to deliver insurance products to both public sector and corporate clients through their corporate brokers in a few days timeframe.

As a Property & Cyber Underwriting Manager, your key missions will include:

• Maintaining and expanding, through you and your team, our broker network in France and Europe – this involves frequent commercial interactions, visits and participation to forums and events, in close coordination with our commercial teams across Europe;

• Discussing business opportunities with brokers to understand client needs and improve our product offering, and supervising your team's interactions with their broker partners;

• Conducting structuring work, risk analysis and issuing insurance proposals for public sector and corporate clients, in France and Europe, and supervising your team's insurance proposals in accordance with given underwriting authorities;

• Being responsible for technical documentation, underwriting authorities and governance audit trail, as well as ensuring insurance contracts redaction or analysis meets guidelines;

• Participating in the development of Descartes' technological platform to differentiate Descartes from its competitors (models and pricing tools);

• Leading bespoke growth projects, such as partnerships with specialized distribution networks to gain market shares on a particular segment or geography;

• Managing a team of Property and Cyber underwriters, supporting their autonomy, rigor and technical decision making.

ABOUT YOU 

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduated from an Engineering school or Actuarial school; a specialization in data science, computer science, applied mathematics or related is a plus;

• Ideally, you bring around 10 years of significant professional experience (post graduation), with a strong background (5+ years) in P&C underwriting or a closely related field, in France or abroad;

• Proven track record in leading projects involving a variety of stakeholders and in managing a (small) team;

• A previous experience in P&C Underwriting in France or abroad is strongly valued.

SKILLS

• Strong basic notions/concepts of Python (e.g. pandas, scikit-learn);

• Proficiency in statistics, probabilities, applied mathematics and machine learning methods are a plus;

• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal);

• Fluency in French and English (written and verbal communication) is required;

• Good command of another European language is strongly valued.

MINDSET

• Eager to embrace a data-driven approach to traditional insurance;

• Outgoing and business-oriented;

• Interested in risk modeling with a focus on data-driven methodologies;

• Results oriented with the ability to work in a dynamic and multi-cultural environment;

• Excellent team player with an entrepreneurial mindset;

• Strong desire to learn and commitment to the organization's mission.

WHY JOIN DESCARTES UNDERWRITING ?

• Opportunity to work and learn with teams from the most prestigious schools and research labs in the world, allowing you to progress towards technical excellence; 

• Commitment from Descartes to its staff of continued learning and development (think annual seminars, training etc.);

• Work in a collaborative & professional environment;

• Be part of an international team, passionate about diversity;

• Join a company with a true purpose – help us help our clients be more resilient towards climate risks;

• A competitive salary, bonus and benefits;

• You can benefit from punctual home office days.

At Descartes Underwriting, we cherish the value of diversity whatever it may be. We are committed to fighting against all forms of discrimination and for equal opportunities. We foster an inclusive work environment that respects all differences.

With equal skills, all our positions are open to people with disabilities.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

• Step 1: HR Interview with our Talent Recruiter

• Step 2: In person manager interview

• Step 3: Remote technical interview

• Step 4: In person team interview to meet our team and discover our offices