Head of Technical Claims Governance
Open, Australia
Job Description
About Open
Say hello to insurance that works wonders. At Open, we’re on a mission to provide the best insurance experiences, at the best price, for the world. Insurance is one of the world’s least digitally mature industries - for years it’s remained confusing, paper-based and heavily intermediated. We launched in 2016 to build a global, AI-powered platform that digitises the entire insurance process, making it transparent, less costly and more reliable.
Our promise to customers is powerful car, home and travel insurance. Many know us through our consumer brand, Huddle (huddleinsurance.com), and we also offer bespoke white-label solutions for brands who embed our insurance into their digital experiences. Our partner brands include Bupa, Polestar, Telstra, ahm, loans.com.au and 2degrees.
Open is backed by leading investors, including AirTree Ventures, Movac, LocalGlobe UK and Hollard Insurance and we’ve raised over $53m to date. Since 2018, we’ve achieved a 628% growth rate and have won awards from FinTech Australia, the Global InsurTech 100, Mozo.com.au, Pause Fest, SmartCompany’s Smart50 (5th) and the AFR Fast 100, who recognised us as Australia’s 7th fastest growing company in 2022.
But the best is yet to come we plan on doubling growth while expanding to New Zealand and the UK. We also believe in using business as a force for good Open is Australasia’s only certified B Corp insurance company and as a partner of 1% for the Planet, we donate at least 1% of our revenue every year to charity.
Our team thrive on solving problems to revolutionise insurance and have a ‘no excuses’ attitude when it comes to putting our customers first. We have a high performing team and an open and enabling culture that attracts the best creative and critical thinkers. Join us and let’s build the future of insurance together.
What you’ll do
We are looking for a Head of Technical Claims amp; Governance to provide, build and shape technical claim decisioning, which is at the heart of what we do. This role is ideal for a lawyer who is looking to take the leap from private practice into a fast-paced and dynamic work environment, with the ability to use their transferable skills of critical thinking and problem solving in a role that allows them to take ownership in a commercial business. You’ll be leading a growing team and reporting directly into senior management.
This role includes accountability for Liability, Recoveries, Settlements and Investigations. We are looking for an expert who can lead and is able to uplift the capability across all of our claims teams through strong decisioning based on our PDS and insurance laws, process improvement, and coaching. You’ll develop frameworks, make decisions, make sure we manage risk and compliance and problem solve whilst we scale a world class decisioning team. You will initially lead and develop a growing team across these areas:
- Complex claims - We make decisions all the time on whether a claim be covered. Sometimes these decisions are hard and we need to interpret our PDS and insurance laws to come to the right decision. Here we are looking for structured and clear thinking. This extends into fraud and investigations where we need to have the right frameworks to get to the best outcome
- Liabilities - In most claims there is a liability decision (who’s fault was the claim). This team is responsible for making decisions when it gets complicated and we have to stand our ground against other insurers
- Settlements - Where our customer is at fault for a claim, other insurance providers demand funds from us. We need to have the right negotiation tactics to efficiently deal with these demands
- Recoveries - The opposite of settlements, where our customer is not at fault and we need to set ourselves up correctly to demand and recover money from other parties
- Operational Compliance - implementing operational processes and controls to monitor regulatory and statutory requirements
What you’ll bring
- Previous experience as a lawyer
- A high performer who can add high value and drive impact through a fast paced environment
- Experience as a practising lawyer and/or in the insurance industry is not essential but will be looked at favourably
- Excellent communication, coaching and influencing skills are a must, across all levels including senior management
- Most importantly, we are looking for a ‘can do’ attitude - be supported to take on new challenges, develop new practical skills and find new ways to solve complex problems
Role location
This role is flexible across our office locations in Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland and the Sunshine Coast. The right candidate will be able to work flexibly around these locations with a blended work envir