Head of Surety Claims - Europe; m​/f​/d - Inklusiver

About us

At Munich Re Specialty - Global Markets (MRS-GM), it is our ambition to become the leading Primary Specialty Insurance provider, underpinned by an effective and adaptable strategy, superior products and industry leaders working in a supportive environment to achieve this.

At the heart of our success is a strong culture where people are encouraged to be present, bold and curious, allowing them to achieve their individual goals.

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The Senior Surety Claims Specialist - Europe will be responsible to direct all aspects of managing Surety Restructuring & Claims Cases for Conditional, Unconditional, First Demand Surety Bonds & Guarantees across Europe. The Senior Surety Claims Specialist will strategically partner with Legal Partners & local Surety Underwriters, and drive optimal claim resolutions. In this role, the Senior Surety Claims Specialist - Europe will check the validity of a claim, review and determine coverage, manage the claim investigation, payment of claims and rejection of unjustified claims, evaluate the overall claim, communicate promptly with internal and external stakeholders, decide & set up provisions and pursue recoveries and risk transfer where warranted.

This role will follow best practice claims processes, Group guidelines and local European regulatory requirements.

Your Job:

• Design, implement and manage Surety Claims handling process - including best practices, procedures, workflows, documentation standards, triage and escalation protocols.
• Oversee all Surety claims across Ireland, Spain, Germany, and Italy - ensuring consistent technical adjudication, reserving, indemnity enforcement, recovery actions and case management.
• Proactive and prompt management of claims, considering all aspects with a strategic vision for optimal claim outcome.
• Configure, implement, and manage claims systems and workflow tools (document management, case-tracking, MI dashboards, cross-jurisdiction reporting).
• Define and enforce high technical standards, including for complex claims (contractor insolvency, performance bonds, large-scale defaults), across multiple jurisdictions with differing legal and regulatory regimes.
• Manage and coordinate external surety claims service providers: including, legal counsel, forensic accountants, engineers, recovery partners.
• Serve as senior escalation point for high-severity, cross-border, or contentious bond claims - liaising with underwriting, reinsurance, brokers, external counsel and senior leadership.
• Establish and manage governance and regulatory compliance relating to surety claims across jurisdictions (local insolvency laws, regulatory requirements, documentation, reporting).
• Build out the European Surety Claims offering to scale with the business as it grows: including talent acquisition and technical development, identification of innovative solutions, and ensuring consistency in delivery of best practices.
• Provide and present surety claims data, reporting and portfolio insights to senior Claims leadership, Underwriters, Finance, Risk and stakeholders.
• Align Surety claims operations to ensure consistent standards, reporting, and compliance.

Your Profile:

• Legal or Economical University degree.
• 10 years + experience managing Surety claims and/or with a strong understanding of reinsurance and insurance contracts, wordings and operations of the products.
• Deep knowledge of bonds & guarantees, SBLCs, guarantee facilities, and syndicated facilities. Knowledge of URDG and ICC guidelines are a plus.
• Superb understanding of technical claims proficiency and best claim practices.
• Strong expertise with multiple European regulatory environments, insolvency laws & procedures.
• Sensitivity to local market practices, regulatory compliance, data protection, legal frameworks.
• Proactive and adaptable - comfortable in ambiguity and confident in building from ground-up.
• Detail-oriented, disciplined and rigorous - especially around documentation, governance, reserving.
• Organized, structured thinker with strong problem-solving skills.
• Flexible and mobile - willingness to travel frequently across Europe (30%).
• Ability to work independently,…