Workers' Compensation Manager

Baker Electric•Escondido, CA

10d

About The Position

The Workers' Compensation Manager leads the company’s workers’ compensation, auto liability, and incident claim management process from intake through resolution. This role partners with operations, safety, human resources, legal counsel, insurance carriers, brokers, third-party administrators, medical providers, and project leadership to ensure timely reporting, effective investigation, regulatory compliance, cost control, and successful return-to-work outcomes. The role also supports broader safety, risk, claims analytics, program management, and continuous improvement initiatives that advance department and company objectives.

Requirements

5+ years of experience managing workers’ compensation claims, construction claims, casualty claims, safety/risk management, or a closely related function.
Working knowledge of workers’ compensation claim administration, return-to-work practices, OSHA recordkeeping, incident investigation, and risk management principles.
Experience partnering with insurance carriers, TPAs, brokers, defense counsel, occupational clinics, and operational leaders.
Strong analytical ability with experience reviewing loss runs, reserves, claim trends, and key performance indicators.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to brief leadership and influence field operations.
High discretion and professionalism when handling confidential medical, employment, legal, and claim information.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office, experience with claims, safety, HRIS, RMIS, or EHS management platforms preferred.
Ability to plan and prioritize work to meet claim reporting, regulatory, cost, and operational expectations.
Ability to respond reliably to internal and external stakeholder needs while maintaining confidentiality and professional judgment.

Nice To Haves

Construction, electrical, specialty contractor, or self-perform field operations experience.
California workers’ compensation and Cal/OSHA experience.
Experience with OCIP/CCIP, subcontractor claims coordination, contractual risk transfer, fleet/auto claims, and general liability claims.
Experience developing executive dashboards, claims analytics, KPI reporting, and trend analysis to support risk management and operational decision-making.
Involvement with program management and cross-functional process improvement initiatives, including working closely with Learning & Development.
Professional credentials such as ARM, AIC, WCCP, or equivalent safety/risk/claims designation.

Responsibilities

Manage workers’ compensation, auto, general liability, property, and other assigned claims from initial notice through closure.
Serve as the primary internal point of contact and subject matter resource for claim intake, documentation, investigation, reserves, litigation strategy, settlement recommendations, and claim closure, using established company processes to guide decisions.
Ensure claims are reported timely to the appropriate carrier, broker, TPA, internal stakeholders, and regulatory agencies, as applicable.
Partner with field leadership to obtain complete incident facts, witness statements, photos, root-cause details, corrective actions, and documentation to support accurate claim handling.
Coordinate claim reviews with adjusters, brokers, defense counsel, and company leadership; challenge reserves and action plans when claim facts or strategy warrant review.
Monitor claim status, compensability, medical-only versus indemnity exposure, subrogation opportunities, litigation activity, settlement posture, and closure opportunities while anticipating routine claim needs and next steps.
Maintain clear, accurate, and confidential claim files, communication logs, and supporting records.
Lead Early Return-to-Work (RTW) and modified-duty coordination in partnership with Operations, HR, medical providers, and supervisors.
Obtain and evaluate work status reports, restrictions, job descriptions, and essential-function requirements to support timely and compliant work accommodations decisions.
Monitor lost-time claims, modified duty duration, treatment progression, and barriers to resolution to reduce claim severity and improve employee outcomes.
Escalate complex cases involving extended disability, litigation risk, employment overlap, accommodation complexity, or potential fraud indicators to the appropriate internal stakeholders with timely communication and appropriate judgment.
Analyze loss runs, claim trends, root causes, severity drivers, open reserves, and total incurred costs to identify risk reduction opportunities.
Prepare recurring claims, safety, and risk dashboards for leadership, including lagging indicators, cost trends, claim frequency, severity, open/closed claim status, and return-to-work performance.
Identify opportunities to improve claim handling, deductible/SIR management, reserve accuracy, and vendor performance.
Manage OSHA recordability determinations in coordination with Safety leadership and maintain required OSHA Injury and Illness records, including OSHA 300, 300A, and 301 records or equivalent systems.
Ensure timely reporting of work-related fatalities, in-patient hospitalizations, amputations, loss of eye, and other reportable events to Federal OSHA and/or State OSHA programs, as applicable.
Partner with Safety and Operations during OSHA inspections, inquiries, informal conferences, citation response, abatement documentation, and corrective-action tracking, applicable to an incident.
Monitor regulatory changes and recommend updates to internal recordkeeping, reporting, and incident escalation procedures to support compliance, accurate documentation, and assigned deadlines.