Think of your job description for a claims manager as your company's opening line in a conversation with top talent. A bland, generic one is the quickest way to get ignored. It doesn't just fail to attract the best; it actively repels them, leaving you with a pile of resumes that don't quite hit the mark.

A great job description is a sales pitch, not a shopping list.

Why Your Current Job Description Fails to Attract Talent

Does this sound familiar? Your job posting gets plenty of clicks, but your interview schedule remains frustratingly empty. It’s a common headache, especially for companies in high-growth spaces like insurtech and fintech. The problem often starts with a job description that simply blends into the background.

So many companies grab a standard template, fill in the blanks, and hit "post." The result is a description clogged with vague responsibilities and cookie-cutter skill lists. A-players—the candidates you actually want—see this and immediately scroll on. Why? Because it looks and sounds exactly like every other job out there, giving them zero reason to get excited about yours.

The Pitfall of Vague Language

One of the biggest mistakes I see is language that sounds official but says nothing. Think about these all-too-common lines:

• "Oversee claims processing"

• "Manage a team of adjusters"

• "Ensure compliance with regulations"

Sure, these statements are technically true. But they’re also completely flat. They describe basic functions without capturing the role's strategic value. Top-tier candidates aren’t searching for a list of tasks; they’re looking for a place to make a real impact.

Your job description is the first—and arguably most important—touchpoint in your entire hiring process. It's more than a document; it’s a direct reflection of your company's standards and vision. A generic description suggests a generic company.

Selling the Vision, Not Just the Role

A powerful job description for a claims manager tells a story. It needs to sell your company's mission and clearly show a candidate how they fit into that bigger picture. This is especially true for a startup, where the claims manager isn't just managing—they're building the foundation for customer trust, financial stability, and future growth. Your job posts are a huge part of your company's reputation, as we cover in our guide on what is employer branding.

Instead of just listing duties, reframe them as opportunities and challenges. Show candidates the complex problems they'll get to solve and the innovative processes they'll have the autonomy to build. When you do this, you transform a boring job ad into a magnet for true leaders—the kind of people who don't just run a department but architect a core pillar of your business.

Crafting an Introduction That Grabs Attention

Let's be honest—the first few lines of your job description for a claims manager are everything. You have seconds, maybe a full minute if you're lucky, to capture the interest of a top-tier candidate before they click away. So, don't waste that precious time with a dry, boilerplate paragraph that just defines the role.

Think of your introduction as a powerful headline. Its job is to set the stage and immediately answer the big questions: Why this specific role? Why your company? And most importantly, why should a talented claims leader even care?

Hook Them with Your Mission

Start by framing the role's real business impact. This is absolutely critical for startups and insurtechs, where a claims manager isn't just processing files. They're on the front lines, directly shaping customer trust and safeguarding the company's financial future.

Show candidates they aren’t just filling a vacancy; they're joining a mission. You want to attract leaders who view challenges as opportunities to make a mark. To make sure your opening line lands with maximum impact, you could even borrow from a proven framework for writing engaging LinkedIn posts, which is all about hooking your audience from the start.

To help you structure a compelling summary, here’s a breakdown of the key elements that truly resonate with top candidates.

Key Elements for a High-Impact Claims Manager Job Summary

This approach immediately sells the opportunity and filters for candidates who are genuinely excited by your vision.

Spell Out the Opportunity and the Challenge

Briefly describe the environment they'll be stepping into. Are they building a department from scratch or scaling an existing one? What core problems are you hiring them to solve? Be direct.

For example, a strong job description for a claims manager might include lines like these:

• "You'll architect our claims process to support a 2x growth in policyholders over the next year."

• "This role is key to building customer loyalty by creating a claims experience that is fast, fair, and transparent."

• "We need a leader to mentor and develop a growing team of adjusters, instilling a culture of empathy and efficiency."

Great claims managers are the operational heart of an insurance business. They often lead teams of 7-10 adjusters and use their sharp analytical skills to manage costs effectively. Most job descriptions will ask for 8+ years of property-casualty experience, with national average salaries around $81,020. For startups that need specialized expertise without the full-time commitment, freelance rates can range from $33-$106 per hour, making senior talent accessible for key projects.

By leading with your mission and the opportunity for real impact, you transform a passive job listing into an active recruitment tool. You start attracting candidates who are driven by purpose, not just a paycheck.

How to Define Responsibilities That Actually Have an Impact

This is the heart of your Claims Manager job description. Too many companies fall into the trap of listing dry, generic duties. Think "oversee claims processing" or "manage team." Sure, those are accurate, but they do nothing to get a top candidate excited. They don't communicate the strategic importance of the role.

If you want to attract a real leader, you have to frame the responsibilities around the impact they'll make. It’s a simple but powerful shift: move from what the person does to what they will achieve. This shows candidates you have a clear vision and value them as more than just a task manager.

Instead of just listing a duty like "manage claims," try reframing it as a strategic goal: "Architect and lead a high-performing claims function designed to cut claim resolution times by 20% while maintaining exceptional customer satisfaction."

See the difference? One is a passive description, the other is an active, results-driven challenge. That's what gets ambitious people to stop scrolling and start reading.

From Vague Duties to Actionable Outcomes

Let's break down how to do this for the key areas a Claims Manager owns. The trick is to use strong verbs that scream ownership and results.

• Leadership & Team Development: Don't just say "manage a team." Tell them what you expect them to build. A much better description is: "Mentor and develop a team of 10+ claims adjusters, building a culture of continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making."

• Process Optimization & Innovation: The generic "improve processes" is a classic. Get specific about the why. Try this instead: "Drive a 15% reduction in claim cycle time by hunting down bottlenecks and bringing in new, data-informed workflows and technologies."

• Compliance & Risk Management: Connect the dots between compliance and the health of the business. You could phrase it like this: "Serve as our go-to expert on multi-state insurance regulations, ensuring 100% compliance and protecting us from financial risk as we scale nationally."

This level of detail paints a clear picture. It tells a candidate exactly what problems they'll be hired to solve and the tangible impact they'll have on your company's success.

It’s a Team Sport: Highlighting Collaboration

A great Claims Manager never works in a vacuum. Their decisions directly affect legal, finance, product, and customer success. Your job description needs to reflect this reality.

Be explicit about how they'll partner with other departments. For example:

• Work closely with the Product team, sharing insights from claims data to help them build a better user experience.

• Partner with the Legal team to navigate complex settlements and stay ahead of litigation risks.

• Collaborate with Finance to ensure our reserving is accurate and the department’s budget is on track.

In the fast-paced insurance and insurtech space, getting this role right is non-negotiable. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects about 21,500 openings for claims managers and related roles each year, showing just how critical this position is. For a growing company, handling claims quickly and fairly is how you build trust and keep customers.

Hiring a Claims Manager with the typical 5-7 years of experience is a smart investment in your operations. With a national average salary sitting around $75,760, it's a competitive field. To learn more about what makes a great claims manager and what the market looks like, you can find additional insights on ReadySetHire.com.

Specifying the Right Skills and Qualifications

Once you’ve outlined the day-to-day work, it’s time to define the person who can actually do it. This is where you get specific about the skills and qualifications that will set a great candidate apart from a merely good one.

Let’s be honest: a vague wish list like "strong communication skills" is useless. It tells candidates nothing and attracts everyone, which is the last thing you want.

Instead, you need to get granular and tie skills to real-world outcomes. A job description for claims manager should turn that generic phrase into something tangible, like, "Proven ability to negotiate complex, multi-party settlements and de-escalate emotionally charged customer disputes with empathy and clarity." See the difference? One is a cliché, the other is a core competency.

This level of detail does two critical things: it attracts people who have actually performed these tasks, and it politely discourages those who only have a surface-level understanding of the role.

Differentiating Must-Haves from Nice-to-Haves

Not all skills carry the same weight. It’s absolutely essential to separate your non-negotiable requirements from the skills that would be a fantastic bonus. If you don't, you risk writing a "unicorn" job description that no real person can meet, which shrinks your talent pool from the get-go.

I've found it helpful to think in three distinct buckets: hard skills, soft skills, and industry knowledge.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Hard Skills: These are the teachable, technical abilities. Think proficiency with specific claims management software like Guidewire or your own internal system. Also, include data analysis tools like Excel or Tableau, and hands-on experience with financial reserving.

• Soft Skills: These are the interpersonal traits that are tough to teach but make or break a manager. This is where you list things like mentoring junior adjusters, building strong relationships with legal and underwriting teams, and high-level strategic problem-solving.

• Industry Knowledge: This is all about regulatory and operational expertise. Be specific! Don't just say "knowledge of regulations." Instead, write "Deep understanding of state-specific insurance regulations across key markets like California, Florida, and Texas."

The following infographic really drives home the key pillars of this role, each demanding a unique mix of these skills.

As you can see, the job is a balancing act. Your manager needs to be a great leader for their team while also mastering the complex systems and rules that govern the claims world.

To help you crystallize your thinking, here’s a quick comparison of what you absolutely need versus what would be a great bonus.

Must-Have vs. Nice-to-Have Skills for a Claims Manager

A comparative look at essential qualifications versus desirable attributes to help you prioritize your hiring criteria.

Drawing a clear line between these categories helps you build a realistic profile of your ideal candidate.

A critical mistake I see companies make is getting hung up on certifications like CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter) or ARM (Associate in Risk Management). While these are excellent indicators of dedication, making them a mandatory requirement can exclude a fantastic candidate with years of proven, real-world experience. This is especially true in a fast-moving insurtech environment where practical skill often trumps formal credentials.

By clearly defining what’s essential versus what’s simply preferred, you cast a wider net without lowering your standards. If you want to take this a step further, consider performing a formal analysis to map out your team's current competencies. You can learn more about this in our guide on how to create a skills gap analysis template.

This clarity ultimately helps you write a more effective and realistic job description for a claims manager that attracts the exact talent you need.

How to Show Candidates What Winning Looks Like

Top candidates aren't just looking for a job. They’re looking for a challenge they can win. That’s why a "What Success Looks Like" section in your job description for a claims manager is one of the most powerful tools you have to attract goal-oriented leaders.

Instead of making them guess what you want, you’re laying it all out on the table. This tells a candidate exactly how their performance will be measured, setting clear expectations from the very start. It’s a strong signal that you value results and have a concrete plan for how this role contributes to the company's big-picture goals.

For startups and insurtech firms, this clarity is non-negotiable. Every hire has a magnified impact, and a claims manager’s performance is directly tied to your financial health and customer trust. Showing them a clear roadmap to success proves you've thought deeply about their position and are ready for them to make an immediate impact.

Lay Out the First 90 Days

A 30-60-90 day plan is a fantastic way to do this. It breaks down the intimidating ramp-up period into manageable, achievement-focused sprints. More importantly, it shows a candidate exactly what they need to do to prove they were the right hire in their first three months.

• First 30 Days: Learn & Assess. The initial goal should be total immersion. They need to get a deep understanding of your current claims processes, your team's strengths and weaknesses, and the tech you use. A great first deliverable is a high-level report with their initial observations and a few quick wins they’ve identified.

• First 60 Days: Plan & Initiate. Now, it’s time to move from observing to doing. The manager should use their 30-day assessment to build a strategic plan. A key milestone here is launching one or two small pilot projects aimed at improving a specific metric, like claim cycle time or customer satisfaction scores.

• First 90 Days: Execute & Measure. By this point, the training wheels are off. The manager should be fully executing their plan and starting to show tangible results. They should be able to present initial progress on key performance indicators (KPIs) and have a clear roadmap for what’s coming next quarter.

This structured approach shows candidates you’ve already set them up for a win.

A great claims manager does more than just process files; they build a system of trust and efficiency. By outlining clear success metrics in your job description, you're not just hiring an employee—you're recruiting a partner who is invested in achieving measurable outcomes.

Put Key Performance Indicators Front and Center

Beyond the first 90 days, be direct about the long-term KPIs that define success in the role. These are the numbers that turn abstract responsibilities into concrete, motivating targets. For a job description for a claims manager, these might look like:

• Achieve a target claim closure rate of 95% within the first six months.

• Reduce the average cost per claim by 10% through improved fraud detection and negotiation strategies.

• Maintain a customer satisfaction (CSAT) score of 4.8/5 or higher for all resolved claims.

When you're thinking about the skills needed to hit these targets, don't forget the balance of hard and soft skills. Both are crucial for building a team that performs. A manager needs the analytical chops to track the metrics, but they also need the leadership and communication skills to motivate their people to get there.

Common Questions About Hiring a Claims Manager

Even with the perfect job description in hand, you'll still have questions pop up during the hiring process. Founders and hiring managers often run into the same tricky decision points. Let's walk through some of the most common ones and get you clear, practical answers for finding the right claims leader.

What Salary Should I Offer for a Claims Manager Role?

This is always the million-dollar question, isn't it? The truth is, salaries for claims managers can be all over the map depending on experience, location, and how complex your business is. You might see national averages hovering around $80,000, but that number can be really misleading.

For top talent in competitive markets—especially if you're an insurtech or a high-growth startup—you should expect to offer a base salary well over $100,000. To sweeten the deal, think about pairing a strong base salary with meaningful equity. This is how you attract candidates who are genuinely invested in your company's long-term success, not just looking for a paycheck.

Keep in mind that project-based or flexible roles can often be benchmarked against freelance rates, which can run anywhere from $33 to over $100 per hour.

How Much Experience Is Really Necessary?

It’s easy to get fixated on a number. Many job descriptions ask for 5-8+ years of experience, but what really matters is the quality of that experience, not just the time spent in a chair. Someone with three years at a fast-paced startup might be far more valuable than someone with ten years at a slow, traditional insurance company.

So, instead of getting hung up on a specific number, dig into their actual achievements. Look for candidates who have not only managed claims but have actively built or scaled a claims process from the ground up. Ask them for concrete examples of process improvements they spearheaded, technology they implemented, and how they used data to make better decisions. This shifts the conversation from time served to tangible impact.

What Are the Most Critical Red Flags to Watch For?

A few warning signs should set off alarm bells during an interview. The biggest one? A lack of specific, data-backed examples. If a candidate talks in vague terms about "improving efficiency" or "leading teams" but can't provide hard numbers to back it up, be very wary.

Another huge red flag is any resistance to technology or new ways of doing things. Modern claims management is a data-driven world. An unwillingness to adapt or learn new tools is a dealbreaker for any company that wants to grow.

Finally, pay close attention to their communication style. This role is all about negotiation and collaboration. If they're a poor communicator in the interview, you can bet it will cause problems down the line.

A subtle but critical red flag is a manager who seems to prioritize the carrier’s interests over ethical, transparent communication with the policyholder. As highlighted in a recent Florida ethics rule, adjusters have a legal duty to provide estimates to the insured. A manager who encourages secrecy or withholding information creates significant compliance and reputational risk.

Should I Prioritize Industry Certifications like CPCU?

Certifications like the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU) are great. They signal deep industry knowledge and a real commitment to the profession. It shows a candidate has invested time and effort into mastering the technical foundations of insurance.

That said, you should treat them as a strong "nice-to-have," not a dealbreaker. A candidate with a proven track record of scaling a claims department in a similar fast-paced environment could be far more valuable than someone with a certification but no relevant hands-on experience.

Weigh certifications as one part of the whole picture, not the sole deciding factor. Getting all these details right is a crucial part of successful insurance agency recruiting.

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