Insurance & Risk Strategy Lead

Insurance & Risk Strategy Lead

Department: Buckstop

Employment Type: Contract to hire

Location: Washington, DC

Description

About Buckstop Industries

Founded in 2025, Buckstop is building the intelligence layer for the circular economy. Our mission is to create a sustainable end-of-life for every electronic device on Earth, transforming yesterday's waste into tomorrow's resources.

We're reimagining how enterprises manage electronic assets by creating a platform that identifies, tracks, and maximizes the residual value of devices at scale. In a fragmented industry where value is lost through layers of intermediaries, Buckstop provides a single source of truth and execution.

Our founding team brings together leaders from manufacturing, logistics, reverse supply chains, energy, mining, and technology who have experienced the industry's challenges firsthand and are building the future of asset recovery and circular commerce.

Your assets. One platform. Maximum value. Full stop.

What You Will Do

Buckstop is seeking an experienced Insurance & Risk Strategy Lead to help build the insurance, risk management, and strategic partnership foundation for our platform.

This is not a traditional underwriting role.

We are looking for a builder who understands insurance markets, carrier relationships, brokerage ecosystems, and risk management across industrial, energy, logistics, manufacturing, and asset-intensive businesses.

The ideal candidate has spent years working with carriers, brokers, underwriters, and enterprise customers and understands how insurance products are structured, sold, priced, and managed. Just as importantly, they bring a strong network of industry relationships and can help Buckstop develop partnerships that create long-term strategic value.

As one of the company's early hires, you will work directly with the founders to shape how insurance and risk management become part of Buckstop's broader platform strategy.

What You'll Do

• Develop Buckstop's insurance and risk management strategy
• Evaluate customer, operational, environmental, transportation, and asset-related risks
• Design scalable frameworks for assessing and managing risk across customer engagements
• Advise leadership on insurance requirements, liability considerations, and risk mitigation strategies
• Identify opportunities to leverage insurance as a value-added component of Buckstop's platform

Carrier & Brokerage Partnerships

• Build and manage relationships with insurance carriers, brokers, MGAs, and underwriting organizations
• Identify strategic partners that can support Buckstop's customers and growth initiatives
• Facilitate introductions and business development opportunities across the insurance ecosystem
• Advise leadership on carrier appetite, underwriting trends, and market dynamics
• Help negotiate and structure insurance solutions for enterprise customers

Customer & Market Advisory

• Serve as a trusted advisor during customer discussions involving risk, insurance, and compliance considerations
• Help customers navigate complex insurance and risk challenges related to asset recovery, logistics, recycling, manufacturing, and energy operations
• Identify emerging risks and market opportunities across the circular economy ecosystem
• Support development of new insurance-enabled products and services

Startup & Founding Team Contributions

• Build processes, frameworks, and best practices from the ground up
• Partner directly with founders on strategic initiatives and growth opportunities
• Contribute to product, go-to-market, and partnership discussions
• Operate with a founder mentality and willingness to solve problems beyond your functional area
• Help establish the culture and operating standards of a high-growth startup

What We Are Looking For

Required Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in commercial insurance, underwriting, brokerage, risk management, or insurance consulting
• Deep expertise in industrial, manufacturing, logistics, energy, infrastructure, environmental, or asset-intensive industries
• Strong understanding of commercial insurance products and underwriting principles
• Experience working directly with insurance carriers, brokerage firms, and enterprise clients
• Existing network of carrier, broker, underwriting, and risk management relationships
• Strong business judgment and ability to evaluate complex risk scenarios
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting energy, industrial, circular economy, sustainability, recycling, or reverse logistics organizations
• Background developing underwriting programs, specialty insurance products, or strategic insurance partnerships
• Experience working with startups, venture-backed companies, or emerging markets
• CPCU, ARM, CRM, or similar industry certifications
• Experience helping build new business lines, partnerships, or insurance programs from the ground up

Who You Are

• You are known as a trusted expert within the insurance industry
• You have meaningful relationships across carriers, brokers, and underwriting organizations
• You understand both the technical and commercial sides of insurance
• You enjoy building new programs, partnerships, and processes
• You are highly entrepreneurial and thrive in ambiguous environments
• You take ownership and operate with a founder mentality
• You are excited by the opportunity to help build a category-defining company

Why Buckstop

• Founding-team level influence and visibility
• Direct collaboration with experienced founders and industry leaders
• Opportunity to shape the insurance and risk strategy of a high-growth company
• Exposure to innovative challenges at the intersection of technology, sustainability, energy, logistics, and circular commerce
• Potential pathway into a long-term leadership role as Buckstop scales
• Opportunity to help redefine how risk and value are managed across the circular economy

If you have deep insurance expertise, strong industry relationships, and a passion for building innovative solutions, we'd love to hear from you.