Head of Americas

ABOUT DESCARTES UNDERWRITING

Join Descartes and contribute to our mission: Building Resilience in a World at Risk.

Descartes is a corporate insurance group for worldwide companies and institutions. Descartes was born from a conviction that the growing complexity of corporate and climate risks demands a new approach to insurance. At the forefront of AI and Data analysis, Descartes utilises cutting-edge technology combined with a new generation of data sources, to model, assess and manage risks.

Since 2019, Descartes has secured a leading position in parametric (re)insurance combining scientific & technological expertise with a new approach, Parametric insurance, also known as index-based insurance, indemnifies clients within days based on pre-defined payout structures when a specific triggering event occurs, the payout process is both fast and transparent. The company has been financed with over $141M by investors including Highland Europe, BlackFin, Serena, Cathay, Eurazeo and Battery Ventures.

Our highly diverse and specialized team of 250+ people includes the largest modelling team in the industry featuring tech and modeling innovators, scientists in physics and climatology, as well as insurance veterans and underwriters. With a global footprint and strong US presence, Descartes serves a diverse portfolio of clients in more than 60 countries, with 20+ offices spread across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin and North America.

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ABOUT YOUR ROLE

Descartes is hiring a Head of Americas to lead the region and deliver the Americas business plan across all lines of business and distribution channels: the US reinsurance, wholesale, alternative risk transfer (ART) and retail business, the Latin American business, and local underwriting. Reporting to the Chief Insurance Officer and working closely with the Executive team, the Head of Americas owns the commercial performance of the region and represents Descartes with key brokers, clients, capacity providers and partners across the Americas.

This role calls for a seasoned insurance leader with an entrepreneurial, builder's mindset — someone who combines deep industry credibility and a strong grasp of underwriting and the alternative risk landscape, with the ability to lead senior managers, structure a multi-channel regional organization, and scale a fast-growing business with discipline.

The Americas team is distributed across multiple US states and Mexico. The successful candidate will lead through a team of senior leaders and experienced professionals and must be comfortable driving performance across a distributed, multi-country organization while traveling regularly to be in the market with brokers, clients and partners.

1. Own the Americas Strategy and Performance

• Define and deliver the Americas business plan in partnership with the Chief Insurance Officer and Executive team, setting growth and premium targets across US reinsurance, wholesale, ART, retail and Latin America;

• Own regional performance: premium growth, portfolio quality and cost discipline; report on progress and course-correct as needed with the Chief Insurance Officer and Executive team;

• Set priorities across channels, industries, client segments, perils and products; allocate resources and headcount to the highest-value opportunities;

• Feed market intelligence from the region into global strategy, product development and pricing.

2. Lead and Develop the Americas Organization

• Lead, structure and develop the regional leadership team, channel and country leads as well as broader business development team; set clear expectations and hold leaders accountable to performance standards;

• Build a high-performance, entrepreneurial and collaborative culture across a distributed, multi-country team; keep the team aligned, engaged and energized through a period of rapid growth;

• Attract, hire and onboard talent; ensure the organization design, succession planning and knowledge sharing keep pace with the business;

• Apply and refine incentive structures and KPIs for the region in collaboration with the Executive team and HR.

3. Drive Growth Across All Channels Through Team

• US Reinsurance: develop and deepen relationships with reinsurance brokers, cedents and reinsurers to grow the reinsurance portfolio;

• Wholesale: build and scale partnerships with wholesale brokers to expand Descartes' reach into specialty and hard-to-place risks;

• Alternative Risk Transfer: develop ART solutions for large corporates, captives and public-sector entities, in coordination with global teams;

• Retail: develop a strong sales engine to deliver the retail sales plan across retail brokers and corporate/public-sector clients;

• Latin America: lead the Latin American business, adapting the go-to-market approach to local markets, regulatory frameworks and distribution partners;

• Personally engage on strategic, complex and high-value deals and key relationships; act as the senior point of escalation with brokers, clients and partners.

4. Oversee Regional Compliance and Regulatory Framework

• Ensure the region operates in compliance with licensing and regulatory requirements across US states and Latin American jurisdictions, in partnership with Legal and Compliance.

5. Executive and Cross-Functional Partnership

• Work closely with the Executive team as the voice of the Americas, contributing to Group strategy and key decisions;

• Collaborate with modelling, product, underwriting, claims, finance and legal teams to translate market needs and broker/client feedback into products and coverage that expand the addressable market;

• Collaborate with leadership in other Hubs to pursue global accounts and share best practices;

• Represent Descartes externally at industry events and with key market stakeholders.

ABOUT YOU

Must haves

• Significant experience in the insurance and/or reinsurance industry (required), including senior leadership roles with regional or business-line commercial responsibility.

• Deep knowledge of the US commercial insurance and reinsurance market and its distribution channels, reinsurance, wholesale and retail and familiarity with alternative risk transfer.

• Proven track record leading senior leaders and multi-disciplinary teams (commercial and underwriting) across multiple locations or countries.

• Strong underwriting and portfolio management understanding, with the credibility to both support and challenge underwriting decisions.

• Established network among US brokers (retail, wholesale and reinsurance), reinsurers, carriers and corporate risk managers.

• A proven record of beating sales targets and building teams that can build a book of business from scratch.

• Experience building a sales engine including KPIs, pipeline reviews, forecasting and CRM discipline.

• A Player-coach mentality, and a natural bias towards speed and action.

• A track record of building strong teams: hires strong closers, sets quotas and incentives, addresses underperformance quickly.

• Comfortable being measured against ambitious targets.

Preferred but not compulsory

• Experience with parametric insurance, specialty lines, or climate / natural catastrophe risk

• Experience in a scaling company, MGA or insurtech environment.

• Experience working in a multi-national company with headquarters and key partners in other countries.

WHY JOIN DESCARTES UNDERWRITING?

• Build something with real impact and shape the future of risk transfer;

• Be a key player in an innovative, fast-growing business success story in the parametric industry

• Learn, grow fast, and go deep in a high-conviction, tech-driven environment;

• Work in a collaborative & professional environment;

• Be part of a dynamic 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.

BENEFITS & PERKS:

• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision insurance plans

• Life and disability insurance

• 401k savings plan and matching employer contribution

• Generous paid time off

• Generous paid parental leave

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.