The Senior Catastrophe Scientist contributes to advanced catastrophe risk analyses, leveraging both industry-standard platforms—such as Verisk (AIR), RMS (Moody’s), and others—and the development of proprietary modeling approaches. The successful candidate will independently define and manage individual projects in partnership with teammates in Climate and Catastrophe Science. This role requires experience in hazard modules and event sets, including large catalogs of simulated natural hazard footprints that define magnitude, location, path, and probability of occurrence. This individual will independently develop actionable insights that inform pricing, underwriting, and reinsurance strategies. The role demands a highly analytical and technically skilled professional who can independently contribute to projects and meet Mercury’s standard of excellence in catastrophe modeling analytics. Collaboration is key, as the Scienist will collaborate with Actuaries, Research and Development, State Product Management, Underwriting, and other stakeholders to translate catastrophe risk assessments into effective business decisions. 

State specific pay scales for this role are as follows:

$105,245 to $199,452 (CA, NJ, NY, WA, HI, AK, MD, CT, RI, MA)

$95,677 to $181,320 (NV, OR, AZ, CO, WY, TX, ND, MN, MO, IL, WI, FL, GA, MI, OH, VA, PA, DE, VT, NH, ME)

$86,110 to $163,188 (UT, ID, MT, NM, SD, NE, KS, OK, IA, AR, LA, MS, AL, TN, KY, IN, SC, NC, WV)

The expected base salary for this position will vary depending on a number of factors, including relevant experience, skills and location.

• Contribute to analytics that leverage state-of-the-art catastrophe models and to the development of proprietary methods that analyze perils such as wildfires, urban conflagrations, fire-following earthquakes, severe convective storms, and hurricanes.
• Deliver real-time risk analytics and detailed loss estimates, including footprint analyses to assess event impact. Contribute to the refinement of model assumptions by adjusting event frequency, vulnerability curves, and loss scaling to incorporate proprietary insights and market expertise.
• Partner with internal teams—including Actuaries, Research & Development, State Product Management, and Underwriting—to integrate catastrophe model output into pricing, underwriting, and reinsurance workflows.
• Enhance catastrophe modeling frameworks and improve overall risk quantification for application in pricing, underwriting, and reinsurance workflows.
• Develop reports, presentations, and data visualizations to effectively communicate findings to technical and non-technical teammates.
• Evaluate and compare third-party models, refining event catalogs and developing custom solutions to ensure up-to-date and comprehensive risk assessment.
• Remain at the forefront of industry advancements, including improvements in event simulation, hazard footprint resolution, and catastrophe modeling methodologies. 
• *Essential job functions are the fundamental duties of the position. A duty is generally considered an essential function if (1) the reason the position exists is to perform the function; (2) there are a limited number of employees available among whom the performance of the function can be distributed; and/or (3) the function is highly specialized and the employee in the position is hired for his or her expertise or ability to perform the particular function.
• This job description is intended to provide a general description of the nature and level of work performed by team members assigned to this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required. The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those normally associated with this position. The Company will provide reasonable accommodation to qualified team members with a disability unless doing so would result in undue hardship. Applicants or team members must notify the Vice President of Human Capital of any need for reasonable accommodation

Minimum:

Ph.D. or equivalent combination of education and experience is required with an emphasis in analytical concentration such as applied environmental sciences, math, statistics, economics, finance, quantitative research, etc.

Preferred: Ph.D. with an emphasis in analytical concentration such as applied environmental sciences, math, statistics, economics, finance, quantitative research, etc.

Minimum: 5-Years + Ph.D. or equivalent combination of education and experience

Preferred: 10-Years + Ph.D.

Skills & Abilities Minimum:

• Significant experience with catastrophe modeling software such as Verisk-AIR, RMS-Moody's or other platforms. Significant experience analyzing complex data sets and interpret model outputs to assess catastrophe risks.
• Proven quantitative skills for calculating metrics like Average Annual Loss (AAL), Exceedance Probability (EP), Value at Risk (VaR), Tail Value at Risk (TVaR), and other standard measures.
• Proven communication skills for presenting complex model results to non-technical teammates.
• Ongoing expertise on the latest scientific research, modeling techniques, and industry trends.
• Highly motivated and driven individual with excellent critical thinking and problem-solving skills 

Prefered

• A strong foundation in environmental sciences such as meteorology, hydrology, geophysics, or geology.
• Experience in programming languages and tools like Python, SQL, NumPy, Pandas, SciPy, Dask, PySpark, etc. 
• Experience with simulation techniques, stochastic modeling, probabilistic methods, geospatial analysis, and machine learning.
• Experience in applying advanced quantitative methods to measure and analyze insurance catastrophe risk.
• Experience in catastrophe risk management including rating, underwriting, and reinsurance.
• Experience adapting to new models, technologies, and methodologies in a rapidly evolving field.
• Up-to-date knowledge of emerging climate change trends and their potential impacts on the insurance industry. 

Join an amazing team that is consistently recognized for our achievements and culture, including our most recent Forbes award of being one of America's Best Midsize Employers!

Why choose a career at Mercury?

At Mercury, we have been guided by our purpose to help people reduce risk and overcome unexpected events for more than 60 years. We are one team with a common goal to help other others. Everyone needs insurance and we can’t imagine a world without it.

Our team will encourage you to grow, make time to have fun, and work together to make great things happen. We embrace the strengths and values of each team member. We believe in having diverse perspectives where everyone is included, to serve customers from all walks of life.

We care about our people, and we mean it. We reward our talented professionals with a competitive salary, bonus potential, and a variety of benefits to help our team members reach their health, retirement, and professional goals.

Learn more about us here: https://www.mercuryinsurance.com/about/careers

Mercury Insurance is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

We offer many great benefits, including:

• Competitive compensation
• Flexibility to work from anywhere in the United States for most positions
• Paid time off (vacation time, sick time, paid Company holidays, volunteer hours)
• Incentive bonus programs (potential for holiday bonus, referral bonus, and performance-based bonus) 
• Medical, dental, vision, life, and pet insurance
• 401 (k) retirement savings plan with company match
• Engaging work environment
• Promotional opportunities
• Education assistance
• Professional and personal development opportunities
• Company recognition program 
• Health and wellbeing resources, including free mental wellbeing therapy/coaching sessions, child and eldercare resources, and more