Vice President, Medical Director

Zenith is a team of Workers' Compensation Specialists committed to helping businesses succeed by protecting against the financial and human consequences of workplace injuries, providing for the needs of injured employees, and making the workplace safer. Values such as collaboration, work-life balance, and integrity are central to our operations. Zenith supports career advancement through ongoing learning and development, offering competitive compensation, a comprehensive benefits package, and continuous professional growth opportunities.

This role is eligible for either a hybrid work schedule at any Zenith office outside of California or fully remote work.

About the Role

The Vice President, Medical Director serves as the clinical leader for the non-California offices and provides strategic oversight of medical management activities supporting workers' compensation claims operations in conjunction with the California Medical Director and other leaders. The role partners closely with Claims, Underwriting, Safety & Health, Legal, and Executive Leadership to improve the quality and cost of injured worker outcomes, manage medical severity, support evidence-based treatment decisions, and strengthen claim performance.

This position is heavily focused on occupational medicine and complex injury management, including catastrophic losses. The incumbent provides expert consultation on complex claims, emerging medical trends, treatment protocols, provider management strategies, and regulatory matters.

Responsibilities

• Clinical Leadership
  • Serve as a medical authority on occupational injuries and workers' compensation medical management.
  • Establish and maintain evidence-based clinical guidance for treatment, recovery expectations, return-to-work planning, and disability duration management in conjunction with medical management peers.
  • Provide medical oversight and consultation on complex, severe, and catastrophic claims.
  • Review and assess treatment plans, surgical recommendations, impairment ratings, causation questions, and medical necessity determinations.
  • Support resolution of disputed medical issues and provide expert clinical opinions as needed.
• Claims Management
  • Provide direct consultation on a variety of claims, including complex/catastrophic claims, occupational disease exposures, and fatalities.
  • Attend claims staffings, roundtables, and large loss reviews to provide a medical perspective to claims management, discuss the appropriateness of medical treatment and protocol, and provide prognosis to determine medical resources needed.
  • Partner with claims leadership to develop medical management strategies on high-severity losses.
  • Evaluate long-term care projections, life care plans, Medicare Set-Asides, and future medical exposure estimates.
• Medical Strategy and Outcomes
  • Develop clinical programs designed to improve recovery outcomes and reduce disability durations where clinically appropriate.
  • Promote early intervention strategies that support safe and sustainable return-to-work outcomes.
  • Analyze medical trends and treatment patterns to identify opportunities for improved outcomes and medical cost management.
  • Provide recommendations regarding emerging treatment protocols, pharmaceuticals, medical technologies, and healthcare delivery models.
• Provider Network and Vendor Oversight
  • Collaborate with utilization review, claims management, network management, and bill review partners.
  • Evaluate provider performance and treatment outcomes based on identified standards, metrics, and file review.
  • Support the development of occupational health, specialty physician, and catastrophic injury provider networks.
  • Consult with network development in the identification, recruitment, contracting, credentialing, and monitoring of providers.
  • Serve as senior sponsor for strategic medical vendor relationships.
• Leadership and Talent Development
  • Lead and develop members of the Medical Management team, including clinical staff, medical consultants, and related professionals.
  • Foster a culture of collaboration, innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  • Mentor claims and operational leaders on medical trends, catastrophic injury management, and clinical best practices.

Qualifications

• Education
  • Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) required.
  • Board Certification in Occupational Medicine strongly preferred.
  • Additional certification in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Emergency Medicine, Orthopedic Surgery, Neurology, Trauma Surgery, or related specialty considered advantageous.
• Work Experience
  • Minimum 10 years of clinical experience, including at least 7 years focused on occupational injuries and workers' compensation.
  • Significant experience managing catastrophic injuries and complex disability cases.
  • Demonstrated leadership experience within an insurance carrier, managed care organization, healthcare system, TPA, or large self-insured employer.

Skills

• Deep expertise in workers' compensation medical management, catastrophic injury treatment protocols, disability management, return-to-work strategies, impairment ratings, and life care planning.
• Ability to translate complex medical information into actionable business recommendations.
• Exceptional communication, influencing, analytical, and executive presentation skills.
• Ability to define problems, collect data, and draw valid conclusions.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to read, analyze, and interpret technical data, financial reports, and legal documents.
• Effective communication with providers, business community members, clinical staff, and regulatory agencies.

Pay

The expected salary range for this position is $270,000 - $330,000. Actual pay will be adjusted based on experience, geographic location, and other job-related factors as permitted by law.

Benefits

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Paid Parental Leave
• Life, AD&D, and Disability Insurance
• 401(k) and Employee Share Purchase Plan (ESPP)
• Education and Training Reimbursement
• 10 paid Company Holidays, 2 Personal Days, 2 Floating Holidays
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)