Auto Damage Claims Manager

Auto Damage Claims Manager

Location: Van Wert, OH; Dublin, OH; Alpharetta, GA; Irving, TX Work Model: Hybrid or Remote Position type: Full time - salary

We're a team of employees passionate about delivering best-in-class customer service and driving innovation in claims management. Integrity, relationships, and excellence are at the heart of everything we do.

Our employees fully utilize their talents and bring their best selves to work. We believe who you are is just as important as what you do!

If you're energized by leading teams, improving results, and elevating claim quality, this role is for you. The Auto Damage Claims Manager drives workflow, coaching, and technical excellence to ensure fair, efficient claim outcomes—supporting disciplined reserving, strong negotiations, proactive customer service, and compliant handling from first notice through resolution. You'll collaborate with leaders and partners to continuously improve how we serve customers and agencies.

Key Responsibilities of the Role

Proactively perpetuates the culture, embraces our core values, welcomes diverse perspectives to foster innovation, and works appropriately across departments and across offices to accomplish the corporate objectives and priorities

Manages workflow and resources appropriately--staffing, workloads, and performance management when needed

Communicates strategy, priorities, and expectations and does so often to ensure the team is aligned in the claims mission and understands their relationship with the wider organization

Executes on strategy for claims Mission of Hospitality, Outcomes and Efficiency at Team and individual level

Develops and trains team on claim handling excellence

Develops and maintains excellent rapport with the team, internal stakeholders and agency force

Collaborates with peers and Claims leadership on Claims strategy and continuous improvement efforts

Monitors claims reserves and payments on claims in unit

Reviews files for coaching and direction on technical excellence in claims

Ensures team is managing assigned volume of auto damage claims with hospitality, optimal claim outcomes, and efficiency through the life of the claim

Ensures team is investigating, evaluating, negotiating and settling assigned claims within authority limits

Leads team to assess vehicle damages, including negotiating total loss settlements and working collaboratively with salvage team

Leads team to develop and follow strategic action plans throughout the life of the file

Ensures team is providing proactive customer service by appropriately setting expectations, building rapport, and responding to requests timely

Ensures team is building relationships and appropriately communicating with agency partners, internal and external stakeholders

Ensures team understands all applicable coverage forms and is providing thorough and timely coverage analysis and communication

Instructs team to conduct thorough and timely claim investigations including utilization of ISO

Leads team to implement proper recognition, investigation, referral and communication regarding subrogation

Ensures team is setting accurate initial reserves in a timely manner and is continually reviewing accuracy in the context of ultimate probable exposure

Instructs team to detect and mitigate fraud when investigating claims

Leads team to execute on coverage documentation, use of Reservation of Rights, Non-Waivers, and coverage letters

Ensures team is completing liability determination and analysis

Instructs team to obtain, analyze and evaluate damage documentation, implement appropriate control of rental/loss of use, and mitigate advanced charges

Leads team to make sure team is implementing appropriate consideration of file expenses and approved suppliers are used

Ensures paid losses are managed appropriately; adjuster is paying what is fair and owed and is settling claims at the optimal time in the life of the file

Leads team development with subject matter expertise training and onboarding.

Ensures team is assisting in team development with subject matter expertise learning, and onboarding assistance

Completes performance appraisals and participates in salary recommendations

Assists in selection of new employees

Handles special projects and initiatives as assigned

Evaluates performance of the team and individuals of the team; hold team accountable and obtains results

Coach and develop adjuster performance on alternative dispute resolution, litigation strategy and effective collaboration with defense counsel to lead and develop activity through the litigation process

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree and 6 years claims experience with demonstrated expertise in investigating, evaluating, negotiating, and settling of claims

Or 8 years of claims experience with demonstrated expertise in investigating, evaluating, negotiating, and settling of claims

Travel required as needed

Preferred Qualifications

CPCU, SCLA or AIC designations

Prior managerial experience, preferably in a claims setting

Demonstrated leadership capabilities

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

Ability to train, develop, motivate, and evaluate the performance of employees

Strong leadership skills and ability to analyze information and make effective decisions

Ability to lead by example through coaching, integrity, positive attitude; exhibiting initiative in daily work and efforts in professional development activities (exemplifying our core values)

Effectively communicate in collaborative manner both verbally and in writing

Skilled in change management

Possesses a positive, professional, cooperative, and quality-conscious service attitude

Manage and understand external vendor resources

Ability to lead through complex coverage analysis and resolution strategies

Proficient in Microsoft Suite

Possesses analytical and problem-solving skills

Possess an innovative and continuous improvement mindset

Ability to work under pressure, deal with interpersonal conflict, and handle a heavy workload

Ability to professionally interact with our customers

Ability to understand Central Insurance's policies and processes

Ensures the team is complying with state regulatory/statutory requirements, corporate privacy and other claim policy requirements

Ensures statutory and legal compliance

Total Rewards

Central establishes base pay based on several factors including labor market data and an evaluation of candidate qualifications relative to role requirements. Base pay is one component of a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support employees' financial, health, career, and retirement objectives. Central provides extensive health and wellness benefits to promote flexibility, work-life balance, and long-term financial security. For more information, see Central Insurance Benefits

Work Authorization Central will only employ those who are legally authorized to work in the United States. This is not a position for which sponsorship will be provided. Individuals with temporary visas such as E, F-1(including those with OPT or CPT), H-1, H-2, L-1, B, J or TN, or who need sponsorship for work authorization now or in the future, are not eligible for hire.

Equal Opportunity Employer It is the policy of Central that all recruiting, hiring, training, compensation, overtime, job classification and assignment, facilities, promotions, transfers, employee treatment and all other terms and conditions of employment shall be maintained in a manner which will not discriminate against any person because of race, color, age, sex, national origin, ancestry, religion, marital status, military status, or disability. The applicant should respond to questions on this application in a way that will not divulge such information.