AVP - Field Liability

The Assistant Vice President (AVP) – Field Liability provides strategic, technical, and operational leadership for the organization’s liability-related field claims operations. This role oversees Litigation, Non‑Litigation Liability, and General Liability. The AVP ensures consistent claim-handling quality, regulatory compliance, operational efficiency, and superior customer service across all field regions. This position plays a critical role in shaping claims strategy, partnering across the enterprise, developing leaders, and ensuring financially sound claim outcomes for a Property & Casualty organization.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: 

Leadership & Strategic Direction 

• Provide strategic leadership for all field liability claim units, including Litigation, Non‑Litigation Liability, and GL Property Damage.
• Develop long‑term department strategy, goals, and KPIs aligned with corporate objectives.
• Lead and mentor a geographically dispersed team of Field Leaders, Litigation Managers, and Senior Adjusters.
• Drive a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, responsiveness, and customer‑centric service.

Claims Oversight & Technical Excellence 

• Oversee complex and high‑severity liability, property damage, and auto physical damage claims, ensuring sound coverage evaluations, liability assessments, defense strategy, and settlement execution.
• Provide technical oversight to ensure accurate reserving, timely investigations, and consistent application of claim-handling best practices.
• Develop and maintain guidelines, workflows, and quality standards for all liability and property damage field teams.
• Collaborate with legal teams to guide litigation strategy, settlement authority, discovery management, and reserve evaluation.
• Build risk transfer strategy, in conjunction with Sr. Casualty officer, with appropriate pursuit of outgoing AI/CI.

Litigation & Legal Management 

• Oversee litigation management strategy, ensuring appropriate use of outside counsel and effective litigation
• Ensuring appropriate selection of staff, panel, or non-panel counsel, leading to optimal claims outcomes.
• Partner closely with internal and external legal teams on case strategy, trial readiness, and risk assessment.
• Review litigation budgets, performance metrics, and counsel effectiveness; participate in file reviews and settlement conferences.
• Ensure compliance with litigation management guidelines and implement improvements as needed.

Operational Management 

• Develop and manage departmental budgets, staffing models, and workload distribution.
• Monitor performance metrics, quality audits, and claim outcomes, using analytics to identify trends and drive operational improvements.
• Ensure consistent field execution across all regions, including regulatory adherence and service standards.
• Lead catastrophe‑related field liability responses, coordinating with internal teams and external vendors.

Vendor, Partner & Stakeholder Engagement 

• Manage relationships with Independent Adjusters, Appraisers, Defense Counsel, Reconstruction Experts, and other key vendors.
• Evaluate vendor quality, negotiate service agreements, and ensure cost-effective, high‑quality support for field operations.
• Collaborate with Underwriting, Actuarial, Product, and Risk Management on loss trends, risk mitigation strategies, and portfolio insights.
• Serve as a key contact for brokers, insureds, and external partners during complex or escalated matters.

Employee Development & Coaching 

• Strengthen technical and leadership capabilities across all field liability teams through coaching, training, and development initiatives.
• Identify high‑potential employees and support succession planning.
• Promote an inclusive, collaborative, and performance-driven work environment.

Job Specifications: 

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or industry designation (CPCU, AIC, SCLA, ARM) strongly preferred.

Experience: 

• 10+ years of experience in P&C claims, including significant exposure to liability, GL PD, and auto physical damage.
• 5+ years of progressive leadership experience managing field operations and/or litigation units.
• Demonstrated track record in managing complex losses, litigation portfolios, and multi-state claims operations.

Working Conditions: 

• General office environment.
• Travel required to support field regions, vendor meetings, on‑site inspections, and industry events.

Pay Transparency Statement:

UFG Insurance is committed fair and equitable compensation practices. The estimated base salary range for this officer-level position is $154,858 - $204,236 annually. Actual compensation will be determined based on a variety of factors, including the scope and responsibilities of the role, individual qualifications and experience, internal equity, and market data.

In addition to base salary, UFG Insurance offers a comprehensive total rewards package that includes:

• Annual incentive compensation
• Medical, dental, vision & life insurance
• Accident, critical illness & short-term disability insurance
• Retirement plans with employer contributions
• Generous time-off program
• Programs designed to support the employee well-being and financial security.

Officer-level employees may also be eligible for additional compensation components, including performance-based incentives, long-term incentive plans, and participation in executive benefit programs.

This pay range disclosure is provided in accordance with applicable state and local pay transparency laws.