Head of Commercial Bond

AXA XL offers property, casualty, financial lines and specialty insurance and reinsurance solutions for mid-sized companies through to large multinationals globally. We blend underwriting discipline, analytic excellence, and a strong market focus to create stellar partnerships with clients and brokers.

Our ambition is to unlock a more sustainable and prosperous tomorrow by helping businesses navigate the world’s risks. In the Americas, we’ll live up to that ambition by delivering value far beyond the insurance policies we provide. We’re confronting our clients’ risk management difficulties by finding solutions that further their strategic goals and help them build more sustainable, thriving businesses. As the Head of Commercial Bond, Americas, you will embody these values, lead the Americas Commercial Bond unit, be responsible for developing and executing on the Americas strategy for this product.

This role has P&L oversight and reports directly to the Head of Political Risk, Credit and Commercial Bond, Americas (PRCB).

The Head of Commercial Bond will oversee underwriting activities, driving strategic initiatives, managing underwriting performance, and fostering a culture of excellence within the unit. The ideal candidate will possess deep understanding of surety products, including newer applications of commercial bonds to emerging industries (energy, data centers), outstanding leadership capabilities, and a proven track record of driving underwriting performance in dynamic and motivated markets.

What will your essential responsibilities include?

• Strategic Leadership & Profit & Loss
  • Define and execute the strategic underwriting direction for the Commercial Bond unit within Political Risk, Credit and Commercial Bond, Americas. Develop and execute a business development strategy that returns profitable growth in the segment, including portfolio diversification and new product applications.
  • Contribute to the Head of PRCB Americas’ budgeting, profitability targets, pricing strategy, and portfolio.
  • Manage renewals of the existing policies and origination and underwriting of new business.
  • Coordinate and facilitate the Commercial Bond business across regions, ensuring consistency and alignment with the PRCB strategy.
  • Plans, develops and integrates regional sales plans to achieve top and bottom-line objectives. Translates strategic business plans into organizational direction.
  • Ensure consistency in underwriting, risk appetite and sales strategies across Commercial Bond regions.
  • Reviews complex and escalated business to make underwriting recommendations in line with Commercial Bond’s organizational, business and strategic objectives.
• Growth, Market Expansion & Channel Management
  • Responsible for developing, enhancing and managing Broker and Client relationships on a national level.
  • Lead growth initiatives and geographic expansion plans, including new broker partnerships and cross-sell opportunities.
  • Develop and manage a robust broker distribution strategy to drive market share in current and new regions.
  • Provides recommendations to leadership regarding underwriting strategy and opportunity, including identifying operational opportunities and efficiency.
• Talent Development & Organizational Health
  • Manage and mentor high-performing Commercial Bond regional underwriting teams across North America; implement succession planning and development plans.
  • Foster a culture of learning, cross-functional collaboration, and accountability.
• Stakeholder Engagement & External Representation
  • Maintain effective relationships with brokers, clients, and cross-functional leaders (Product, Pricing, Operations).
  • Cross-share relevant industry (energy, data centers, etc) underwriting information across the PRCB product teams.
  • Represent the organization at industry events and internal/external forums to advance the Commercial Bond business.
• Operations & Continuous Improvement
  • Streamline processes, leverage data and technology (e.g., workflow tooling, analytics dashboards) to improve efficiency and decision quality.
• Change Management & Future Readiness
  • Lead and manage change initiatives (growth, product development, process…