Claims - Auto Physical Damage Manager

Salary Grade 15: $93,695 – $119,460 – $145,226. Hybrid schedule (3 days in-office, 2 days remote).

About the role

The Auto Physical Damage Claims Manager coaches and develops a team of 5–8 internal and external Senior Claims Representatives and Claims Adjusters responsible for the management, investigation, and resolution of claims. The role promotes a culture of claims customer-service excellence and ensures staff properly manage caseloads in accordance with company standards and state regulations (IC 27-4-1 / ORC 3901-1-54).

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Commercial Claims Adjusters, Senior Claims Adjusters, and Claims Adjusters, ensuring quality, accuracy, and timely resolution of high-exposure, complex, and litigated claims.
• Proactively select top talent, deliver continuous coaching, and recognize employees to reinforce service-excellence behaviors.
• Assess claim volume and nature to assign files and provide direction on losses as appropriate.
• Directly handle select high-exposure or complex claims.
• Review reserve amounts on high-cost claims and claims exceeding the authority of Senior Claim Representatives, Claims Adjusters, and Commercial Adjusters.
• Ensure effective communication with Underwriting, Agents, Insureds, and Counsel.
• Ensure compliance with all statutory and unfair-claims-practices acts.
• Monitor team members to ensure reserves are adequately set and customer expectations are surpassed.
• Conduct monthly audits of the claims process (coverage analysis, investigation, valuation, scope, estimate, reserving, timeliness, and accurate disposition) and provide feedback for continuous improvement.
• Analyze problematic trends and take corrective steps, escalating issues as needed.
• Participate in reviews of complex files with in-house counsel, the VP Claims, AVP Claims, and assigned Adjusters.
• Promote a culture committed to identifying process inefficiencies and continuously improving workflows.
• Present complex cases to the roundtable committee.
• Provide proper reinsurance notification and trial alerts per procedures.
• Attend and participate in mediations, pre-trials, and trials as needed.
• Resolve customer complaints.
• Advocate business-unit goals and ensure alignment with broader claims functional goals.
• Organize and conduct training for new employees.
• Conduct performance evaluations and salary reviews of staff.
• Maintain a regular diary system and review system reports to identify claims for quality and regulatory compliance.
• Actively participate in or lead continuous-improvement projects.
• Stay current on industry trends and changes in insurance laws and regulations impacting claims handling.
• Act as a back-up for other unit Managers and Adjusters during absences.
• Perform administrative activities: prepare and run reports, draft follow-up letters to insureds regarding coverage, and attend agency meetings.
• Review claims regularly for coverage, adequate reserves, and accuracy; serve as a resource for claims questions.
• Provide additional services as required.
• Work with SIU on fraudulent claims and coordinate with the Legal Department on litigated files.
• Resolve coverage or unusual questions within designated authority; conduct related research as necessary.
• Evaluate potential services or vendors that may increase efficiency, accuracy, or quality while reducing expenses and maintaining customer service.
• Make recommendations to leadership on claims procedures and participate in their development and evaluation.
• Provide recommendations and technical assistance on business-system development, implementation, and testing (WRG Advantage).
• Develop, analyze, and report metrics to measure team performance and operational effectiveness.
• Travel as needed for the position.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervise 7–10 direct reports.

Requirements

• College degree or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of casualty claims experience gained through increasingly responsible positions within the claims field.
• Extensive experience in appropriate reserving procedures, effective negotiation skills, personal/commercial property coverages, and settlement practices.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Extensive experience directing independents and coverage counsel.
• Superior interpersonal skills.
• Efficient time-management skills.

Skills

• Excellent verbal and written communication; ability to communicate clearly and professionally with agents, insureds, departmental and company personnel via telephone, fax, email, one-on-one dialogue, and small-group presentations.
• Strong reasoning ability to apply common sense, sound judgment, and claims training to evaluate and analyze claims for recommended action within assigned authority levels.

Preferred Certifications

AIC or CPCU designations highly preferred.

Physical Demands

• Regularly required to sit at a workstation to perform PC functions and devote substantial time to telephone communication.
• Frequently required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel; occasionally required to stand, walk, and reach with hands and arms.
• May require occasional travel, including extended periods sitting in a vehicle.

Work Environment

• Assigned work area adjacent to other similar work areas, equipped with a personal computer, telephone, file space, and work table.
• Moderately quiet environment with necessary interaction between team members, immediate supervisor, and other company staff; moderate noise level from telephone calls expected.