Director Appeals Review Unit

The next part of your journey is right around the corner — with The Standard.

A genuine desire to make a difference in the lives of others is the foundation for everything we do. With a customer-first mindset and an intentional focus on building strong teams across the nation, we’ve been able to uphold our legacy of financial stability while investing in new, innovative technologies that support the needs of our customers. Our high-performance culture focused on operational excellence thrives thanks to remarkable people united by compassion and a customer-first commitment. Are you ready to make a difference?

Job Summary

The Director Appeals Review Unit provides overall management of the Appeals Review Unit (ARU) team and processes to ensure timely and accurate reviews of adverse benefit determinations. This role is a contributing member of the Legal & Compliance leadership team and works collaboratively with other members of the department management team and executive level management across the organization.  

Principal Duties & Responsibilities:

• Directs unit operations and team members to meet goals for accurate and timely review of contested disability and life insurance claim decisions. Responsible for unit performance and results that align with organizational goals and established metrics.
• Contributes to the development of strategies to achieve department objectives, meeting or exceeding target metrics. Create goals that support unit objectives and maximize the opportunity to achieve those goals through proper resource allocation and providing continuous process improvement and problem solving.
• Provides oversight of the administration of The Standard’s employee disability claims and timely processing/resolution.
• Works with key stakeholders in Employee Benefits, Northwestern Mutual, IDI, CTA, and Quality Management to resolve claim escalations, and to provide feedback, trend analysis, and recommendations to ensure continued improvements in claim administration.  
• Responsible for hiring, leading and developing the ARU team, identifying workforce needs and ensuring alignment with organizational expectations, values and vision.
• Leverages industry network and resources and serves as a company liaison and expert within the disability claim appeals industry.

  
Skills and Background You’ll Need:

Education:  Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience  

Certification: FLMI or CEBS (preferred)

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years experience managing or leading disability claims/appeals teams, either directly or through matrixed relationships is required. (or) equivalent combination of education and/or relevant experience.  
• STD/LTD claims experience (required)
• IDI, Life, & AD&D experience (preferred)
• Hands-on experience with Claim Vantage or other claims processing software (required)

Key Behaviors of a Successful Candidate

• Winning together: Demonstrated experience in partnering with stakeholders across the organization to solve problems and achieve business results. Ability to build relationships, collaborate, and influence others, and is viewed as a trusted and influential thought partner.
• Driving success: Constantly pursues exceptional results that take us to the “next level.” Comfortable proposing, justifying, initiating, and implementing change. Acts as a strategic thought partner and provides guidance when strategizing change within and across departments.
• Developing People: Provides coaching & learning opportunities to enhance the skills of the team to increase unit expertise and deliver excellent customer service.
• Adaptability: Ability to navigate ambiguity and adjust priorities to fit new circumstances or change initiatives.

Why join The Standard?

We have built an enduring legacy of stability, innovation and financial strength thanks to the contributions of the talented, creative and compassionate people who choose to work at The Standard. To ensure we can attract and retain the best talent, when you join The Standard you can expect:

• A rich benefits package including a 401(k) plan with matching company contributions
• An annual incentive bonus plan
• Generous paid time off
• A supportive and responsive management approach
• Opportunities for career growth and advancement 
• Paid time off to volunteer
• An employee giving program that double matches your donations to eligible nonprofits and schools
• Much more!

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Why Join The Standard?

We have built an enduring legacy of stability, financial strength and exceptional customer service through the contributions of the service-oriented people who choose to work at The Standard. To ensure we can attract and retain the best talent, when you join The Standard you can expect:

• A rich benefits package including medical, dental, vision and a 401(k) plan with matching company contributions

• An annual incentive bonus plan

• Generous paid time off including 11 holidays, 2 wellness days, and 8 volunteer hours annually — PTO increases with tenure

• A supportive, responsive management approach and opportunities for career growth and advancement 

• Paid parental leave and adoption/surrogacy assistance

• An employee giving program that double matches your donations to eligible nonprofits and schools

In addition to the competitive salary range below, our employee-focused benefits support work-life balance. Learn more about working at The Standard.

• Eligibility to participate in an incentive program is subject to the rules governing the program and plan. Any award depends on a variety of factors including individual and organizational performance.

Salary Range:

$119,000.00 - $190,250.00

Standard Insurance Company, The Standard Life Insurance Company of New York, Standard Retirement Services, Inc., StanCorp Equities, Inc. and StanCorp Investment Advisers, Inc., marketed as The Standard, are Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, or veteran status or any other condition protected by federal, state or local law. The Standard offers a drug and alcohol free work environment where possession, manufacture, transfer, offer, use of or being impaired by an illegal substance while on Standard property, or in other cases which the company believes might affect operations, safety or reputation of the company is prohibited. The Standard requires a criminal background investigation, employment, education and licensing verification as a condition of employment. All employees of The Standard must be bondable.