Director Disability and Absence Management
About The Position
Crawford is seeking a strategic, compassionate leader to guide disability and absence management programs across multiple claim teams. The role oversees operations for short-term disability (STD), FMLA and absence, paid leaves, long-term disability (LTD), and integrated programs, with a focus on exceptional service, strong client relationships, and consistent performance. It leads program implementation and continuous improvement, represents claim operations to national clients, manages teams and budgets, and works with reporting and analytics to ensure performance is measured effectively. The position is remote. The director also supports sales presentations and client meetings, maintains knowledge of industry best practices, and ensures operations comply with corporate guidelines, applicable laws, professional standards, and confidentiality requirements. Crawford describes its culture as focused on employee growth, innovation, collaboration, inclusion, and service to communities.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
- At least eight years of progressive experience managing integrated disability and absence management programs; employer-based experience is preferred.
- Leadership experience in a disability or absence insurance carrier claim operation or third-party administrator claim operation.
- At least six years in increasing supervisory or leadership responsibilities.
- Expertise in disability and absence best-practice benchmarking and metrics.
- Ability to establish critical relationships across all organizational levels and with external partners.
- Exceptional communication, change-management, and customer-focus skills.
- Strong organizational and time-management skills.
- Excellent oral, written, and presentation skills.
- Demonstrated experience building high-performance teams and inspiring a shared vision while empowering and motivating a team.
- Experience supporting complicated, middle-to-large national client companies.
Nice To Haves
- Experience in a broader integrated health and productivity model that includes healthcare, on-site clinics, wellness, and employee assistance programs (EAP).
- HR or disability certifications.
- Current membership or leadership in a professional organization critical to the field.
- Nationally accredited certification in a related profession, such as Certified Disability Management Specialist (CDMS) or Certified Case Manager (CCM).
Responsibilities
- Facilitate implementation, continuous improvement, and integration of disability and absence management programs and processes across assigned teams.
- Represent claim operations to assigned national clients.
- Develop a continuous improvement culture and ensure operations meet corporate guidelines, applicable federal, state, and local laws, professional standards, and confidentiality requirements.
- Assess programs to ensure they achieve defined objectives and meet client needs.
- Manage, hire, train, develop, and motivate qualified employees, including identifying succession-planning candidates.
- Maintain current knowledge of industry trends and best practices in integrated disability and absence management.
- Manage the business unit budget to meet corporate revenue objectives.
- Work with reporting and analytics teams to maintain current key metrics that measure operational efficiency, effectiveness, and broader business impact.
- Participate in sales presentations and meetings with prospects and current accounts in support of corporate revenue objectives.
- Perform other related duties as required.
Benefits
- Competitive base pay.
- Bonus/incentive pay and other performance-based rewards, if applicable.
- Medical, dental, and vision plans.
- Prescription drugs.
- HSA, HRA, and FSA accounts.
- Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave.
- 401(k) retirement plan.
- Tuition assistance.
- Paid parental leave.
- Supplemental health benefits.
- Enhanced mental health support at no cost to eligible employees.
- Virtual physical therapy at no cost to eligible employees.
- Caregiving services at no cost to eligible employees.
- Life Assistance Program at no cost to eligible employees.
- Training programs that promote continuous learning and career progression while enhancing job performance.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
