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 (350+ and counting), our diverse team is headquartered in Paris and operates out of our 13 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' business is by essence mostly international with 95% of premium generated by our teams abroad and risks in more than 40 countries. Enabling a strategic design and efficient roll-out of our international policy set-ups is essential to Descartes’ growth and central to our development.

As an International Insurance Project Lead, your roadmap will be 3-fold:

OPERATIONAL

• Manage international policy issuance worldwide, across all branches and setups - from Wildfire to Cyclone and Cyber, from Chile to New Zealand and from Excess and Surplus to multi-reinsured local policies;
• Follow-up on premium payment, either directly or through our partners;
• Coordinate complex program deployments with other departments, in particular Finance (trust account openings for instance), Legal (bespoke agreements for instance) and Underwriting (multi-geography programs involving precise premium splits per region for instance).

NEGOTIATION

• Find new partners to support our geographic expansion and our growing product range – in particular by leveraging local networks;

• Constant contact with fronting partners to negotiate fronting conditions

REGULATORY

• Become the center of expertise for international tax rates, tariff requirements, filed wording obligations, compulsory local retentions, licenses, and all aspects related to international insurance compliance;
• Support business by providing reliable information prior to offering cover to international clients;
• Draft, coordinate and approve cooperation agreements between fronting companies and Descartes.
  
  You will report to the COO.

ABOUT YOU 

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Masters degree from Business school / Law school;
• Minimum 5 years in an international position;
• Candidates with experience from a brokerage international network team or an insurance company international network team preferred.

SKILLS

• Fluency in English and Spanish (written and verbal communication) – required;
• Excellent interpersonal 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.

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.