Who are we?
A strategic and trusted insurance partner, Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI), provides a broad range of commercial property, casualty and specialty insurance coverages and outstanding service to customers and brokers around the world. Part of Berkshire Hathaway’s insurance operations, we bring our solutions to market with our stellar brand name, top-rated balance sheet, and the expertise of our global team of professionals, who exude excellent capabilities and strong character.

We are a values-based organization where respect, integrity, excellence, collaboration, and passion define who we are and how we do business. We value diversity of backgrounds, experience, and perspectives and strive to foster an inclusive environment that enables all our team members to bring their best selves to work. We are one team committed to building a culture where every teammate has the opportunity to contribute and be recognized. Want to be part of the team building the finest property, casualty, and specialty lines insurance company in the world?

Learn more about our unique culture and history.

Job Opportunity:

Berkshire Hathaway Specialty Insurance (BHSI) has an exciting opportunity for an Engineer. Your primary role will be to work with our growing Catastrophe Engineering and Analytics (Cat E&A) team to refine BHSI’s engineered view of the catastrophe risk for individual property assets, and for buildings of various vintages and structural systems, and to assist with catastrophe risk evaluations of individual property insurance customer accounts.

Your contributions will include: Structural modelling, analysis, and evaluation of building and non-building structures using commercial and internal structural engineering tools; Review of structural drawings and details; Structural engineering research into design, detailing, and construction practices; Investigation and evaluation of building performance in past catastrophe events (earthquakes, windstorms, etc.).

As a member of the Cat E&A team, you will also work in functional groups to assist with individual underwriting decisions from a structural engineering perspective, and to contribute to development of internal catastrophe models and tools.

The Engineer opportunity is in our San Ramon, CA, Boston, MA, or Atlanta GA location(s) and will report to the Principal Engineer in charge of building-specific evaluations.

Duties & Responsibilities:

• Perform building-specific seismic evaluations using commercial and internal tools
• Perform building drawing and document reviews, including but not limited to: Structural drawings (new design, retrofits, existing buildings), Shop drawings, Civil drawings, Architectural drawings, Geotechnical engineer’s investigation report, Peer review reports, Seismic evaluation reports
• Explain structural engineering concepts and structural evaluation results to underwriters to inform risk decisions
• Assist with the use of, and development of, internal tools and models for catastrophe risk evaluations
• Stay actively involved with structural engineering code committees and with the broader structural engineering community

Qualifications, Skills, and Experience:

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Civil/Structural Engineering
• Experience with building design and familiarity with structural design standards and provisions (ASCE-7, ACI-318, AISC-341) is required
• Project experience with at least one commercial structural engineering software (e.g., Perform-3D, ETABS, SAP2000, etc.) is required
• Experience with seismic evaluation of existing buildings (using ASCE-41 or similar), or seismic rehabilitation of existing buildings (using ASCE-31 or similar) is preferred
• Experience with advanced seismic structural analysis is preferred
• Effective written and oral communication skills in reaching both technical and non-technical audiences
• Skilled in technical analysis and critical thinking
• Detail-oriented with the mindset to validate results, question inconsistencies, present possible alternatives and back up options
• Ability to work in a cross-functional and multi-location team
• Minimum three years structural engineering industry practitioner experience preferred.
• Intent and demonstrated progress towards a Professional Engineer licensure are required
• Experience with, or willingness to learn, computer programming platforms (Python, R, Matlab, OpenSees, etc.)
• Experience with, or willingness to learn, catastrophe modelling platforms

BHSI Offers:
• A competitive package and exciting growth opportunities for career-oriented teammates
• A dynamic, action oriented, and thoughtful environment centered on always doing the right thing for our customers, teammates, and our other stakeholders
• A purposely non-bureaucratic organization that embraces simplicity over complexity and emphasizes individual excellence in a team framework

The base salary range for this position is from $95,000 to $130,000.00, along with annual bonus eligibility; a candidate’s salary is determined by their relevant skills and experience. We value our teammates – both their capabilities and character – as demonstrated by our amazing culture.

NOTE: Compensation will be commensurate with experience. This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive. Team Member may perform other related duties as negotiated to meet the ongoing needs of the organization