Deputy Head of Defence - Job Description 

Department: Claims
Reports to: Head of Defence and Group Head of Claims

Key Responsibilities:

1) Defence claims management:

a) To assist the Head of Defence in managing the Club’s Defence Class by providing support and leadership to enable the Defence claims handlers to deliver the best possible and appropriate service to the Club’s Members by:

· Monitoring Defence claims handlers’ workloads and allocation of Defence claims and contributing, in liaison with team leaders, to the ongoing assessment of resource requirements for Defence claims handlers to meet the company’s service standards.

· Motivating and developing Defence claims handlers by demonstrating good leadership qualities through the use of management best practice and through the implementation of the Company’s Performance Management processes, to facilitate their development in order to optimise their contributions to business objectives.

· Reviewing Defence claims estimates and payments that exceed Defence claims handlers’ payment authorities/any agreed budget.

· Actively reporting/monitoring of Defence claims that exceed Defence claims handlers’ budgetary authority.

· Ensuring the accuracy and consistency of Defence claims estimating (all offices).

· Ensuring consistency of approach in the handling of Defence claims (all offices).

· Maintaining effective liaison with Claims Team Leaders, Claims Management and the underwriting department in respect of Defence claims, especially for larger Defence claims (ie those with excess US$60,000 net incurred/net budget) and/or where Membership issues arise.

· Auditing Claims Team claims files in accordance with the company’s requirements.

· To provide feedback to team leaders about Defence claims handlers’ performance in preparation for claims handlers’ performance reviews

2) Defence reporting:

a) In conjunction with the Head of Defence and claims handlers, to identify claims which need to be re/reported for support and a net budget, noting that claims handlers have primary responsibility to identify which of their cases need to be re/reported.

b) To review and edit agenda reports being submitted to the Luxembourg Class 2 Advisory Committee and the Defence Review Committee; in such review, to consider with the claims handler the merits, appropriate strategy and what Defence support and net budget should be requested for the case.

c) To present the claims being submitted to the Luxembourg Class 2 Advisory Committee and the Defence Review Committee, and to report the Committee’s decision for each claim to the claims handler, discussing any issues arising from the decision and/or the Committee’s review of the case generally.

d) To consider requests for support where the net budget requested does not exceed US$60,000.

e) To authorize payments in Defence cases which exceed the claims handlers’ Defence authority/the current net budget (whichever is higher), up to US$60,000 (net).

f) To support the Club’s knowledge management practices and communicating key legal developments, particularly in England and the US to claims handlers, the Luxembourg Class 2 Advisory Committee and/or Defence Review Committee, as appropriate.

g) To assist in identifying areas for Defence claims handlers’ training and to assist in the provision of such training.

h) To provide training in Defence procedures and claims handling guidelines to new members of staff who are expected to handle Defence cases.

3) Claims handling responsibilities:

To handle a limited number of Defence claim files as required by the Head of Defence.

4) Third party suppliers:

a) To assist in reviewing the performance of solicitors instructed in Defence.

b) To assist in conducting an appraisal of the Company’s “core” London and regional UK solicitors from time to time.

c) To communicate the results of any appraisal and to claims handlers in an efficient manner so that claims handlers can assess which firm/partner is the most appropriate for each case.