Senior General Liability Claims Strategist - Construction

Headquartered in New York City with offices throughout the U.S. and in Vancouver, Canada, Hudson is a market-leading specialty insurer that offers a wide range of property and casualty insurance products to corporations, professional firms and individuals through retailers, wholesalers and program administrators.

Hudson underwrites specialty primary and excess insurance on an admitted basis through Hudson Insurance Company and on a non-admitted basis through Hudson Specialty Insurance Company and Hudson Excess Insurance Company. Hudson Insurance Company is admitted in all U.S. jurisdictions. Hudson has surplus lines eligibility in all U.S. jurisdictions through Hudson Specialty Insurance Company and Hudson Excess Insurance Company.

Collectively known as Hudson Insurance Group, its companies are rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best, Financial Size Category XV. Hudson Insurance Group is the U.S. Insurance Division of Odyssey Group, a leading worldwide underwriter of reinsurance and specialty insurance and wholly owned by Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited.

Position Description

The Senior Claims Specialist is responsible for the coverage analysis, investigation, evaluation, negotiation, and resolution of complex, high-exposure general liability claims, with a strong emphasis on construction-related matters. This role manages claims involving bodily injury, property damage, product liability, contractual indemnity, additional insured issues, and other complex liability exposures. The Senior Claims Specialist will work closely with management, underwriting, and actuarial to develop and execute claims strategies that align with organizational objectives, support disciplined claims handling, and drive effective outcomes across multiple dynamic books of business.

This position requires strong technical expertise, sound judgment, proactive file management, and the ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders in fast-moving and complex claim environment.

Qualifications/ Responsibilities

• 5-10+ years of claims experience handling general liability claims, including bodily injury, property damage, product liability, and construction defect or construction accident matters.
• Conduct prompt and thorough coverage analysis, liability assessment, and damages evaluation on complex general liability claims.
• Manage a caseload of moderate to high severity and high-exposure claims through all phases of the claim lifecycle, including initial notice, investigation, litigation management, mediation, trial, settlement, and closure.
• Handle construction-related claims involving complex factual, contractual, and risk transfer issues, including indemnity, additional insured status, tenders, and allocation disputes.
• Experience handling claims involving WRAP, OCIP, and/or CCIP programs is a plus.
• Review and interpret policy language, endorsements, contracts, and related claim materials to determine coverage position and exposure.
• Prepare clear, concise, and well-supported coverage position letters, reservation of rights letters, denial letters, and other claim-related correspondence in collaboration with coverage counsel when appropriate.
• Direct and manage outside defense counsel to ensure litigation strategy, budgeting, case assessment, discovery, motion practice, and resolution efforts are aligned with company objectives and best practices.
• Develop and execute resolution strategies for litigated and non-litigated matters, including attendance at mediations, settlement conferences, trials, and other key proceedings as needed.
• Establish timely and accurate case reserves and maintain reserve adequacy throughout the life of the claim based on evolving facts, legal developments, and exposure analysis.
• Oversee and coordinate the work of independent adjusters, third-party administrators, experts, consultants, and other vendors to ensure quality, timeliness, and cost-effective claim handling.
• Negotiate settlements within authority and present high-exposure matters for authority review with clear recommendations and exposure assessments.
• Identify opportunities for early resolution, transfer of risk, contribution, subrogation, and cost containment, while preserving policyholder and business relationships where appropriate.
• Partner closely with underwriting on policy interpretation, policy construction, claim trends, and emerging loss issues.
• Provide meaningful claims reporting and trend analysis to management, including loss drivers, litigation developments, reserve changes, and strategic recommendations.
• Ensure all claim handling is performed in compliance with internal guidelines, best practices, regulatory requirements, and applicable jurisdictional standards.
• Strong negotiation, analytical, organizational, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with insureds, brokers, claimants, attorneys, underwriters, and senior management.
• Ability to travel to mediations, trials,…