Senior Analyst, Liability Claims

American Water•Camden, NJ

3d•$80,000 - $95,000•Hybrid

About The Position

People are the heart of our business. As an American Water employee, you will be offered a competitive salary and health benefits package, along with opportunities to develop, grow, and evolve your career. Our benefits packages focus on key areas such as health & wellness, emotional & well-being, and savings for current & future goals. We are Beautifully Different . We strongly believe having diversity across our company makes us more successful and helps us provide essential services to our customers. We are stronger because we embrace different ideas, viewpoints, experiences, and backgrounds. American Water is the best choice for your next role! Click here for more information on our inclusion, diversity, and equity journey. American Water (NYSE: AWK) is the largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States. With a history dating back to 1886, We Keep Life Flowing® by providing safe, clean, reliable and affordable drinking water and wastewater services to more than 14 million people across 14 regulated jurisdictions and 18 military installations. American Water’s 6,500 talented professionals leverage their significant expertise and the company’s national size and scale to achieve excellent outcomes for the benefit of customers, employees, investors and other stakeholders. As one of the fastest growing utilities in the U.S., American Water expects to invest $40 to $42 billion in infrastructure repairs and replacement, system resiliency and regulated acquisitions over the next 10 years. The company has a long-standing history of executing its core operations, aligned with sustainable best practices, through its commitments to safety, affordability, customer service, protecting the environment, an inclusive workforce and strengthening communities. American Water has been recognized on the 2023 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index for the fifth consecutive year, ranked 18th on Barron’s 100 Most Sustainable U.S. Companies 2023 List, earned the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act designation and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense® Excellence Award, among additional state, local and national recognitions. The Senior Analyst will oversee general liability, auto and legal claims across all operational jurisdictions of the enterprise. They will provide guidance and recommendations to the primary casualty insurer/third-party claims administrator as well as internal partners. The Senior Analyst is responsible for overseeing and coordinating the TPA’s handling of claims inclusive of coverage analysis, liability analysis, damages evaluation and resolution strategy. This role ensures timely and accurate claims handling, compliance with regulatory standards, and alignment with corporate risk management objectives. The Senior Analyst works closely with internal departments, such as Legal, and external partners, such as a TPA and outside counsel, to mitigate financial and operational risks.

Requirements

Excellent written, verbal communication & negotiation skills.
Structured problem-solving approach with demonstrated aptitude for analytical and conceptual problem-solving.
Ability to work collaboratively with people at all levels in an organization.
Self-motivated and capable of managing workload independently while maintaining accuracy, accountability, and strong follow-through.
Able to manage workload with clear prioritization, attention to detail and effective organization.
Strong understanding of the property, casualty, and financial lines of insurance, with an emphasis on claim trends and the litigation landscape.
Prior experience with complex, highly litigated, multiparty and multi claimant claims, such as class action claims with a demonstrated ability to de-escalate and mitigate high-value claims in a cost-efficient manner.
Knowledge of insurance markets and industry trends. Preferability utilities.
Familiarity with external regulatory compliance related to utilities and other highly regulated markets is preferred.
Prior experience with contract reviews, contractual risk transfer, insurance certificate management, and claims handling.
Experience as a corporate in-house litigation counsel or a claims lead.
Proficiency with Microsoft products and knowledge with Claims Handling Systems (RMIS)
Broad understanding of insurance policy coverages, terms, conditions and exclusions.
Bachelor’s degree in Insurance, Risk, Finance, Analytics, Law, or similar areas.
5-8 or more years within an insurance company, third-party adjuster (TPA), broker/consulting firm, or corporate risk transfer function with responsibility for claims handling, oversight, or consulting.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a relevant field, such as Law, Litigation Management,Negotiations, or similar areas.
Knowledge of and experience with water utility and related services business risks is preferred but not required.
Knowledge of federal, state and local laws, regulations and tariffs applicable to utilities is preferred but not required.
Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) or similar designation.
Associate in Risk Management (ARM) or similar certification.
Associate in Claims (AIC) or similar certification.

Responsibilities

Oversee TPA in claims handling coverage, liability and damages.
Manage day to day communication with the TPA, ensuring they receive timely information and operational support
Evaluate TPA adherence to contractual obligations, performance metrics, escalation procedures, and reporting expectations.
Participate in quarterly claim review meetings with the TPA to review performance, discuss complex files, and recommend workflow improvements.
Monitor reserves and make recommendations for settlements based on merits of the claim.
Identify claim trends and potential operation risks and report to leadership
Identify opportunities for claim resolution and support TPA and legal partners throughout the resolution process. Inclusive of overseeing settlements within authority.
Monitor and approve reserves on claims and review reserve and settlement recommendations submitted by the TPA.
Adjust reserves as necessary to ensure financial accuracy and alignment with corporate forecasting.
Conduct periodic TPA audits to ensure reserve adequacy, financial accuracy, and appropriate file management.
Conduct independent investigations into complex or high-severity claims and validate the quality of same and provide input and support
Coordinate with TPA, Operations and Legal to support claim handling. Inclusive of coordinating the gathering internal statements, invoices, workorders, photos, technical assessments and any additional investigative support necessary to adjust and eventually settle a claim.
Review evidence gathered by the TPA statements, photos, field reports, technical assessments and determine if additional investigation is required.
Collaborate with operations and engineering teams to verify technical findings that support liability decisions.
Ensure claims handling complies with state regulations and public utility commission rules to ensure proper partnership for Utility commission escalations.
Serve as the liaison between the TPA and internal departments, including Operations, Safety, Legal, Engineering, and Finance.
Analyze claims data both internal and TPA generated to identify loss trends, frequency patterns, and emerging risk areas.