Settlement Department Manager

About the role

The Ward Law Group is looking for a Settlements Department Manager to lead the team responsible for valuing, negotiating, and resolving the firm’s pre‑suit personal injury inventory. This is a true management role: you will not carry your own pipeline of files but will be measured by the performance of the negotiators who report to you and by the overall results of the department. The settlements function operates on documented workflows, defined stages, case‑level data, and performance standards calibrated to how cases actually move, not on arbitrary monthly quotas. The firm invests in infrastructure so the department can scale without burning out staff, and you will build and run the department properly with the tools and support to do it.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the team – directly manage settlement negotiators and support staff, including hiring, onboarding, training, and performance management; conduct structured one‑on‑ones, file reviews, and coaching sessions; create individual development plans focused on valuation accuracy, negotiation skill, and file velocity; address performance and conduct issues early, in partnership with HR.
• Manage through metrics – own department KPIs (settlement volume, average settlement value, policy‑limits capture rate, net client recovery, time in each pre‑suit stage, aged‑file exposure, demand turnaround, negotiator‑level productivity); set individual and team performance standards calibrated to jurisdiction, case type, treatment posture, coverage, and liability profile; review pipeline and performance data weekly; diagnose causes of metric changes (process, staffing, training, intake quality, medical management) and act on them; report department performance, forecasts, and risks to firm leadership with analysis; deliberately manage aged and stalled inventory so files are resolved on merit.
• Oversee valuation and negotiation – serve as the final internal authority on case valuation and settlement strategy within approval limits, escalating as needed; review and approve demand packages, settlement authority requests, and counteroffers for quality, accuracy, and strategy; apply and teach sound valuation methodology across injury types (soft tissue, injections, surgical intervention, traumatic brain injury); identify bad‑faith setups, policy‑limits opportunities, UM/UIM exposure, and coverage issues early and coordinate strategy