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. After 5 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 17 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.

ABOUT YOUR ROLE 

Descartes’ fast growing, diverse and international portfolio of clients benefits from a spearheading tech approach throughout the value chain, from underwriting to claims handling.

As a Claims Manager, you will have a central role to build the claims structure and coordinate a large variety of claims across all of Descartes branches, geographies and clients - from Natural catastrophes to Cyber, from Europe to North America and Asia, from agriculture to hospitality. One thing remains: through technology and our unique product structures, claims detection, assessment and payment reach unparalleled speed and efficiency for all parties – clients and risk carriers.

The role will be 2-fold:

COMPLEX CLAIMS HANDLING

• Coordinate all parties involved in claims handling, either external (broker, clients, lawyers, reinsurers, adjusters) or internal (in particular legal, risk, underwriting and finance teams). You will have close interactions with Insurance key function holders. The ability to understand each point of view is crucial;
• Develop a deep understanding of Descartes’ structure and offering. The activity will entail both Descartes Insurance activity as well as our MGA structure Descartes Underwriting. A rigorous understanding of each branch and risk carrier specificities will be paramount to properly monitor claims of various nature;
• When international, liaise with all parties abroad by being mindful of the international legal framework as well as cultural and language specificities.

STRUCTURING OF DESCARTES CLAIMS PRACTICE

• Process and optimize the claims handling structure, to achieve customer satisfaction, reliability, auditability as well as efficiency for the organization;
• Grow a network of partners to build our claims handling capabilities related to our growing product range (from natural perils to cyber) and structured guarantees. Partners will typically come from specialized loss adjustment firms and act on a consultancy basis;
• In coordination with our tech teams, participate in the design of outstanding, tech-driven claims handling processes to deliver the best client experience in the BtoB space as well as robust and reliable financial and technical reporting.

You will report to the COO.

ABOUT YOU 

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• A masters degree from tier-1 Engineering school / Business school;
• From 5 to 10 years of experience in a claims-related position;
• Candidates with experience from a loss adjustment firm, a brokerage claims team or an insurance company claims practice preferred.

SKILLS

• Fluency in English and French (written and verbal communication) is required;
• Good command of one additional language (e.g. Spanish) is valued;
• Excellent inter-personal and communication skills;
• Strong analytical capabilities and financial acumen.

MINDSET

• Results oriented, high energy, and self-motivated with the ability to work in a dynamic and multi-cultural environment;
• Excellent team player with an entrepreneurial mindset and value of diversity
• Motivated to help improving businesses’ and communities’ resilience to climate change.

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 a punctual home office days.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

• Step 1: HR Interview with our Talent Recruiter
• Step 2: Technical & manager interview
• Step 3: Final round interview with the team

At Descartes Underwriting, we cherish 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.