Workers' Compensation Claims Manager

Main Purpose

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.

*This position is located onsite in Houston, TX or Austin,TX (at The Domain), five days per week, with the option to work from home on Thursdays. 

Qualifications and Skills

Required Qualifications

• 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.

Key Skills & Attributes

• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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 & Duties

Program Ownership & Redesign

• 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.

Employer-Side Claims Oversight

• 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.

Guaranteed Cost & Loss Sensitive Program Management

• 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.

TPA, Carrier & Vendor Management

• 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.

Data, Analytics & Insight (Data-First Mindset)

• 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.

Complex & High-Exposure Claim Strategy

• 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.

Compliance & Regulatory Oversight

• 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.

Return-to-Work & Injury Management

• 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.

Internal Partnership & Enablement

• 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.

You’ll fit right in at Indeed Flex if:

• You’re a great communicator and highly collaborative. We’re best when we all pull in the same direction.
• You don’t mind doing the work, whatever it is - you can see the impact at the end, and you’re in it for the long haul.
• Data is your heart and soul - you know you need it to drive you in the right direction.
• You’re proactive and always willing to learn.
• You can navigate the ambiguity and high levels of autonomy in a scale-up environment - you know what we’re about, and you want to be a part of it.

• $100,000 to $125,000 annual salary
• Medical, Dental, Vision, and 401K
• Performance-based bonus totaling 12% of annual salary
• Access to Company & Employee Benefits
• 25 days PTO (prorated) + Birthday Off
• 8 Paid Holidays 
• Duvet days (½ day off every quarter)
• Volunteer days

Work Environment 

This job operates in a professional office environment or remotely. This role routinely uses standard office equipment to complete daily responsibilities and duties. If working in a remote office environment, a clean, designated workspace must be kept in a safe condition, free from hazards to both the employee and the equipment. Remote office positions also require reliable, high-speed internet.

Position Type / Expected Hours of Work

Hours are Monday - Friday, regular business hours. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand. 

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms. The employee is required to sit or stand at a desk indoors for most of the day; and is occasionally required to climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl.  The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus.

Equal Opportunities and Accommodations Statement

Indeed Flex is deeply committed to building a workplace and global community where inclusion is not only valued, but prioritized. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer, seeking to create a welcoming and diverse environment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, family status, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, neuro-diversity, disability, age, or veteran status, or any other non-merit based or legally protected grounds.

Indeed Flex is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the employment application process. To request an accommodation, please contact Indeed Flex Human Resources.

Travel

This position requires travel approximately 25% of the time, including international travel. Most travel is outside of the local area and will require overnight accommodations. 

All travel is subject to the Indeed Flex travel policy and will be recompensed per the policy. It is the responsibility of the employee to understand and abide by the Indeed Flex Travel Policy in order to receive appropriate expense reimbursements. 

Other Duties

Please note, this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time, with or without notice.