How to hire a claims director

How to hire a claims director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step claims director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a claims director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new claims director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a claims director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A claims director's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, claims directors from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents claims director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Claims Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Claims Director	Claims adjusters, appraisers, examiners, and investigators evaluate insurance claims. They decide whether an insurance company must pay a claim, and if so, how much... Show more	$35-91
   Worker's Compensation Claims Examiner	Worker's Compensation Claims Examiners are responsible for managing the overall process of compensation claims for workers. They review accurate submission of claim documents, determine the appropriateness of compensation, and finalize the amount before authorizing payment to the respective worker... Show more	$15-40
   Medical Claims Analyst	A medical claims analyst audits or verifies medical claims in insurance companies. Medical claims analysts make sure that corporate reimbursement payments are accurate... Show more	$15-32

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Customer Service
   • Litigation
   • Oversight
   • Coverage Issues
   • Claims Handling
   • Claims Operations
   • CMS
   • General Liability
   • Defense Counsel
   • Claims Management
   • Claims Processing
   • Litigation Management
   • Quality Standards
   • TPA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create project team that comply with new Medicare reporting requirements achieving successful reporting to CMS.
   • Maintain relationships with attorneys and manage litigation strategy; ensure strong relationships with insureds, brokers and third party administrators.
   • Redesign processes and procedures for managing litigation through the implementation of an aggressive process for managing discovery and case typing.
   • General knowledge of CPT, ICD-9, HCPCS, DRG and Medicode (UCR), bundling and unbundling.
   • File and respond to online arbitration matters.
   • Facilitate annual updates to all new and revise CPT codes assuring accurate claims payment.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your claims director job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A claims director can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, claims directors' average salary in north dakota is 55% less than in new jersey.
   • Seniority. Entry-level claims directors 62% less than senior-level claims directors.
   • Certifications. A claims director with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a claims director's salary.

   Average claims director salary

   $118,250yearly

   $56.85 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level claims director salary

   $73,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

4. Writing a claims director job description

   A job description for a claims director role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a claims director job description:

   Claims director job description example

   James River Insurance is an excess and surplus lines segment of James River Group Holdings, Ltd. and operates on an approved non-admitted basis in 50 states and Washington, DC. Since 2003, James River has provided thousands of commercial property and casualty customers with innovative and creative solutions for particular insurance needs.

   At James River Insurance, we are committed to providing a stable and rewarding work environment supported by our Core Values and Guiding Principles: Integrity, Accountability, Innovation, Customer Service, Communication, and Teamwork. We are proud of our recent national recognition as a 2022 and 2021 Top Workplaces USA awards.

   James River Group Holdings, Ltd. is a Bermuda-based insurance holding company which owns and operates a group of specialty insurance and reinsurance companies. The Company operates in three specialty property-casualty insurance and reinsurance segments: Excess and Surplus Lines, Specialty Admitted Insurance and Casualty Reinsurance. The Company tends to focus on accounts associated with small or medium-sized businesses in each of its segments. Each of the Company's regulated insurance subsidiaries are rated "A-" (Excellent) by A.M. Best Company.

   Job Summary

   The Director, Complex Claims is responsible for the oversight of a sub-unit within the claims organization that directly handles or provides guidance on the most complex claims defined as claims of significant value, or complexity, or within a specialty line of business and litigated claims that may involve catastrophic injuries, life altering disabilities or multiple fatalities (Examples: NY Labor Law, robberies involving fire arms, sexual abuse charges, product and construction defect claims). The Director, Complex Claims ensures that the Company achieves the best possible outcomes on complex claims and lawsuits brought against Policyholders.

   Duties and Responsibilities

   • Continuously exhibit and uphold Core Values of Integrity, Accountability, Communication and Teamwork, Innovation and Customer Service

   • Monitor complex claims frequency, suits, trends and caseloads for department

   • Counsel management on legal risks, claim and litigation strategy and obligations in complex claims and lawsuits

   • Oversee the investigations of the most complex claims, including liability and damages

   • Participate in determining claim strategy, including if a claim should be settled or litigated ensuring adequate reserves and cost-effective resolutions

   • Develop and direct the execution of the litigation management strategy including litigation by outside counsel representing James River on coverage issues

   • Provide insight and help develop legal positions by conducting research and legal analysis and by providing clear direction on complex legal or claim handling questions or issues

   • Direct the negotiation of the most complex settlements

   • Attend mediations ensuring adequate reserves and cost-effective resolutions

   • Research and track legal and regulatory developments and advise management and claims professionals regarding issues, approaches and the impact of changes

   • Participate with Claims senior management in the recommendation and development and implementation of claims policy, business strategy and future technology enhancements involving complex claims

   • Utilize complex claims experience to assist Underwriters in writing specific coverage to meet needs of high-profile clients

   • Provide status reports to claims management, actuarial, and underwriting on complex claims with high dollar values and noteworthy media coverage

   • Manage to and make recommendations on an operating budget for the complex claims unit

   • Participate with the claims leadership team on the development of one, three and five year plans for the claims organization

   • Ensure that project and department milestones and goals are met

   • Interview, select and train new employees

   • Guide and help team members with project issues

   • Responsible for day-to-day tactical team decisions

   • Track employee performance and provide regular and appropriate feedback

   • Work with employees to collaboratively establish development plans

   • Provide employee feedback through regular check-ins and writing and delivering performance reviews

   • Lead team through obstacles and time constraints to overcome barriers and successfully deliver results

   Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

   • Advanced knowledge of the theories, principles, practices and procedures of claim and litigation management within an insurance organization

   • Advanced knowledge of E&S insurance products

   • Proficiency in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)

   • Ability to effectively communicate with all levels of the organization

   • Excellent written and verbal communication skills

   • Strong negotiation skills

   • Skilled in active listening

   • Excellent presentation skills

   • Excellent organizational skills

   • Strong analytical skills

   • Ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment

   • Ability to organize complex information and pay close attention to detail

   • Ability to identify and make process and procedure improvement recommendations

   • High level of initiative and motivation

   • Ability to build relationships and influence decisions

   • Ability to maintain confidentiality when performing all job functions

   • Demonstrated ability to lead teams in building effective working relationships

   • Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, influence and mentor staff

   • Ability to set clear expectations, effectively monitor progress, provide constructive feedback and guidance, and hold staff accountable

   • Ability to effectively plan and delegate the work of others

   • Ability to effectively manage change

   • Proven ability to provide exceptional customer service

   • Ability to obtain and retain required adjuster licenses

   • Ability to travel

   Experience and Education

   • Bachelor’s Degree required

   • Advanced degree, law degree plus State Bar Admission preferred

   • Minimum of ten years of experience working on complex coverage-related insurance claims in the P&C insurance industry and/or as defense counsel on complex E&S- general casualty claims required

   • Minimum of five years multi-jurisdictional claims and litigation experience required

   • Minimum of five years of people management experience (supervision, mentor, lead) required

   • Adjuster license required

   • Certifications (CPCU, AIC, AINS, SCLA) preferred

   #LI-KS1

   #LI-Remote

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right claims director for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with claims directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit claims directors who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your claims director job on Zippia to find and recruit claims director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit claims directors, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new claims director

   Once you've found the claims director candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new claims director. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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