Workers' Compensation Claims Manager

Indeed Flex•Austin, TX

2d•$100,000 - $125,000•Hybrid

About The Position

As the Workers’ Compensation Claims Manager at Indeed Flex, you will have full ownership of the employer-side workers’ compensation claims management program within a fast-scaling staffing environment. This is an individual contributor manager role and you will act as a foundational 'builder'. You will be the architect and sole owner of our comprehensive workers' compensation claims framework. You aren't just managing a program; you are building the strategy, selecting the tools, and defining the operating model from the ground up for a rapidly scaling organization. You will be the sole executor of this work until the program matures sufficiently to require a team. You will oversee workers’ compensation claims across multiple Guaranteed Cost states, as well as California’s High Deductible/Loss Sensitive programs, ensuring robust governance, cost control, and regulatory compliance. With a data-first mindset, you will use analytics and insight to drive decision-making, vendor performance, and continuous improvement, establishing a gold-standard WC claims management program that can scale with the business. This role sits within the global Risk & Compliance function and reports directly to the Head of Risk and Compliance. You will partner closely with teams including (but not limited to) Insurance, Safety, HR, Finance, Payroll, Operations and more.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Risk Management, Business, Human Resources, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
5+ years of employer-side workers’ compensation experience, ideally within a staffing, contingent workforce, or high-volume employment environment.
Proven experience overseeing Guaranteed Cost program across multiple states.
Demonstrated hands-on experience managing or governing High Deductible or Loss Sensitive programs, particularly California.
Strong understanding of claims financials, reserving practices, and loss cost drivers.
Direct experience selecting and implementing Claims Management Systems (like Origami Risk) to create a single source of truth.
Highly self-directed with the ability to operate independently and build program from the ground up.
Proven ability to stand up a function with no existing baseline, template, or historical roadmap.
Strong data-first and analytical mindset, with experience using claims data to drive strategy and outcomes.
Excellent vendor management and stakeholder influencing skills.
Ability to balance empathy for injured workers with disciplined risk and cost management.
Comfortable operating in ambiguity and designing structures where little currently exists.
Proficiency with Google Workspace/Slack/Origami Risk as well as any other claims management/reporting tools.
High level of discretion and professionalism.
Exceptional ability to set progress metrics and goals on the program to deliver success and progress updates to leadership effectively, in line with overarching company objectives.

Nice To Haves

Professional certifications such as WCCP, ARM, CPCU, or similar.
Experience transforming or standing up workers’ compensation program in a growing or evolving organization.
Prior exposure to self-insured, loss sensitive, or alternative risk financing structures.

Responsibilities

Establish the company’s formal Risk Appetite Statement and Claims Handling Instructions for all external TPA and carrier partners.
Design and implement scalable, best-in-class claims governance frameworks, policies, and processes suitable for a high-volume staffing workforce.
Act as the single accountable owner for program performance, outcomes, and continuous improvement.
Provide hands-on oversight of the full workers’ compensation claims lifecycle from an employer perspective, from first report of injury through claim closure.
Ensure claims handling aligns with Indeed Flex’s risk appetite, financial objectives, and duty of care to workers, rather than performing adjuster-level claim handling.
Oversee claims across multiple Guaranteed Cost jurisdictions, monitoring trends, outcomes, and carrier performance.
Manage California’s High Deductible / Loss Sensitive program, with a strong focus on reserve accuracy, loss development, claim severity, and cost drivers.
Partner with Finance and Risk leadership to support forecasting, accruals, and financial planning.
Act as the primary employer-side point of contact for TPAs, carriers, brokers, and medical management partners.
Lead regular data-driven claim reviews, performance evaluations, and strategic discussions.
Define and track KPIs, SLAs, and outcome-based metrics to hold vendors accountable.
Build and maintain robust claims reporting and dashboards to monitor performance, financial exposure, and trends across jurisdictions.
Use data to identify root causes, systemic issues, and opportunities for intervention and cost reduction.
Translate complex claims data into clear insights and recommendations for senior stakeholders.
Provide strategic oversight and direction on complex, litigated, or high-severity claims, including settlement and resolution strategy.
Escalate and manage emerging risks proactively, ensuring informed decision-making.
Ensure full compliance with all applicable state and federal workers’ compensation laws, with particular attention to multi-state staffing requirements.
Oversee audits, reporting obligations, and regulatory inquiries as needed.
Partner with TPAs, Operations, and HR to support effective return-to-work and modified duty strategies appropriate to a staffing model which can be quite complex.
Promote early intervention and evidence-based injury management to reduce claim duration and cost.
Serve as a trusted subject matter expert to internal teams including Operations, HR, Legal, Finance, and Compliance.
Provide training, guidance, and clear reporting expectations for injury reporting and claim escalation.