Senior Casualty/General Liability Property Adjuster - Kansas City, MO

Job Description

JOB DESCRIPTION
TITLE:             Senior Casualty/General Liability Property Adjuster
DEPARTMENT:        National Casualty Practice 
REPORTS TO:          Casualty Claims Manager
STATUS:        Regular, full-time; exempt    

This is a field position in the Kansas City, MO or St. Louis, MO area.

SUMMARY OF JOB PURPOSE  
The Casualty General/General Liability Property Adjuster manages all aspects of liability losses in a variety of business classes, effectively determining and communicating the extent of liability or damage associated with each claim. The incumbent assists the client in fulfilling its obligation to policyholders and maintaining the client’s claims processing functions, including evaluating potential coverage issues, liability and evaluation of damages, risk transfer opportunities, litigation and settlement matters within the limits of assigned authority levels and in compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements. The Casualty General/General Liability Property Adjuster may be called upon to manage losses which can be large or complex with respect to property damage, potentially involving multiple claimants with exposures in excess of $250,000.00

PRIMARY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
•    Determines appropriate methods and extent of needed investigation for all assigned claims, including conducting investigations through field visits and phone contact; obtaining contracts, job files, and appraisals; conducting insured, witness, and claimant interviews and/or statements; complete site inspections; scope, measure, and write estimates using other necessary fact-finding methods to evaluate liability, damages, and proper coverage. 
•    Uses knowledge of property and construction, and/or knowledge of the specific industry or business affected, personally conduct property inspections and photograph claim sites as necessary to depict and substantiate losses or damage, or lack thereof.
•    Investigates insurance claims in a variety of settings including, but not limited to retail establishments, office buildings, residences, condominiums, apartments, hotels, corporate facilities, governmental facilities, schools, clinics, or hospitals; assess loss or damage resulting from various events including, but not limited to inclement or catastrophic weather, construction defect, and fire. 
•    Conducts thorough interviews or other methods to obtain necessary information from the claimant and from experts such as architects, engineers, builders, construction workers, police officers, health care practitioners, accountants, and other to assess the extent of the loss fully and accurately. 
•    Applies a thorough understanding of insurance policies and policy interpretation to properly investigate, establish appropriate loss estimates based on all relevant information and findings, provide coverage recommendations, and draft coverage letters, if requested by the client.
•    Works cooperatively with expert witnesses, attorneys, underwriting department staff, investigators, vendors, and carrier’s examiners as needed to conduct investigations, confirm findings, and support evaluations. 
•    Ensures the accuracy of information collected and reported, and guards against fraudulent claims based on critical issues identified and accurate conclusions drawn. 
•    Follows all applicable policies, procedures, and practices, and incorporates sound judgement in formulating recommendations and completing evaluations and reports. 
•    Prepares accurate, clear, thorough, and concise reports and letters to insurance carriers, providing appropriate conclusions and recommendations. 
•    Effectively use software systems such as Xactimate as necessary to produce accurate estimates.
•    Attends trials, arbitration, ADR, and face-to-face negotiations as required. 
•    Assists with monitoring quality of services rendered by appraisers, law firms, and other experts or consultants. 
•    Ensures that liability assessments provided to clients contain appropriate and relevant information on statutes. 
•    Will be called upon to investigate, evaluate, and negotiate more complex claims including contractor liability, products liability, homeowner liability, construction defect cases involving multiple parties, etc.  
•    Ability to identify claims whose complexity warrants escalation to a more senior level adjuster. 
•    Identifies and addresses third party liability and tender opportunities through investigation and/or contract interpretation.
•    Effectively works with EM Business Development and Marketing department to identify opportunities and clients to grow general liability business. 
•    Works toward becoming a subject matter expert in one more types of liability losses to assist with training and mentoring of other ad