Director, Claims and Loss Prevention

Locations 6700 Port Road, Groveport, OH, 43125, US 954 W Washington Blvd, Chicago, IL, 60607, US 255 Wille Rd, Des Plaines, IL, 60018, US 250 Wille Road, Des Plaines, IL, 60018, US Job Category Corporate: Leadership Job Category Logistics and Transportation Job Function Quality Assurance and Claims Job Description The Director, Claims provides strategic leadership and oversight of the organization's claims management function across a distributed LTL, brokerage, and multimodal transportation network. This role is responsible for the financial performance, operational effectiveness, compliance, and continuous improvement of claims operations, including claims intake, investigation, defense, settlement, and recovery. The Director partners closely with Operations, Sales, Legal, Risk, Insurance, and Quality teams to drive consistent claims handling practices and improve claim outcomes across the enterprise. This leader will establish governance frameworks, ensure regulatory compliance, and serve as a key advisor on claims-related matters while fostering a high-performing, customer-focused claims organization. How Success is Measured: Claims severity and settlement outcomes Total paid claims vs. revenue Claims cycle time and settlement consistency Remote team performance and engagement Audit and compliance outcomes Responsibilities Lead the end-to-end claims lifecycle across LTL, brokerage, and multimodal operations, ensuring timely and consistent resolution of claims. Establish and maintain claims handling standards, settlement authority guidelines, escalation protocols, and documentation requirements. Manage claims severity, financial exposure, and total paid claims through disciplined governance and sound decision-making practices. Ensure claims decisions are aligned with contractual liability obligations, insurance coverage provisions, company policies, and regulatory requirements. Partner with Legal, Risk Management, and Insurance teams to manage high-exposure claims, litigation matters, and liability-related issues. Lead, coach, develop, and evaluate a geographically dispersed team of claims professionals while building organizational capability and succession plans. Establish performance expectations, key performance indicators, and accountability measures for direct and indirect reports. Develop and manage claims analytics, dashboards, executive reporting, and trend analyses to drive informed business decisions. Analyze claims frequency, severity, customer, commodity, lane, terminal, and operational trends to identify risk reduction and cost containment opportunities. Quantify financial leakage and implement strategies to improve claims handling effectiveness, recovery outcomes, and operational performance. Collaborate with Operations, Sales, Quality, and other business partners to improve investigations, customer communication, and claims resolution processes. Own and maintain claims policies, procedures, and standard operating processes while ensuring enterprise-wide consistency. Ensure compliance with the Carmack Amendment, company Terms and Conditions, insurance requirements, and all applicable regulatory standards. Lead internal claims audits, corrective action initiatives, and continuous improvement efforts to strengthen claims performance and compliance. Serve as the organization's subject matter expert on transportation claims, carrier liability, and claims management best practices. All other duties as assigned to meet evolving business needs. Qualifications Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, Risk Management, Transportation, or a related field from an accredited college or university required. Certification/Licensure: Professional claims, risk management, insurance, or transportation-related certifications preferred. Experience: 8+ years of progressive experience in claims, risk management, transportation operations, or a related field, including significant claims leadership experience. Leadership: 5+ years of experience leading remote, multi-site, or geographically dispersed teams. Strong knowledge of LTL transportation operations, carrier liability, freight claims management, and claims defense practices. Experience supporting multimodal and/or brokerage transportation environments. Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with executive leadership, legal counsel, risk management, and insurance stakeholders. Proven success leveraging claims analytics, financial metrics, and operational data to drive strategic decision-making and performance improvement. Strong leadership, communication, influence, and organizational development skills with the ability to drive results through others. Demonstrated discretion and confidentiality in handling and protecting sensitive information. Technical: Proficient with common office technologies, including Windows PCs, Microsoft O365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) and web conferencing (Teams, Zoom, Webex, etc.) Environment: Comfort commuting to/from and working in a 100% on-site setting (listed in this posting), with travel for related meetings/events. -- #LI-Onsite #LI-DR1 WHAT WE OFFER Compensation: Competitive base pay based on experience, industry/geographic benchmarks and internal equity. Some positions may be eligible for incentive pay programs and/or equity-based incentives. Pay ranges published on job boards are not provided nor verified by the Company. Health: Medical and Pharmacy insurance; Health Savings Account (HSA); Vision; Dental; Life and Disability; Critical Illness; Accident Indemnity; Hospital Indemnity; On-demand telehealth via Teladoc; Employee Assistance Program (counseling and financial/lifestyle coaching). Wealth: 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer match; Employee stock purchase program; Flexible Spending Account (FSA); Commuter Benefits; LegalEASE legal coverage. Time: 7 paid holidays and generous Paid Time Off (PTO) tiers ranging from 10–25 days annually. Culture: A collaborative, transformation-driven, solutions-first environment full of "can do" attitude and "will do" work ethic. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Agencies: The Company does not accept unsolicited outreach from third parties. Absent an agreement signed by internal Talent Acquisition and Procurement, and a documented request from Talent Acquisition to submit candidates for a specified requisition, we will not approve payments to any third party. Work Authorization: Within the United States, the Company is an E-Verify employer. Unless otherwise indicated, U.S.-based workers must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship, including but not limited to F-1, H-1, H-2, L, J, and TN visas, etc. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): The Company is proud to be an equal opportunity employer . Applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status. Reasonable Accommodations: Physical/mental requirements are listed only to identify where potential accommodations may be needed, not as qualification standards. In compliance with applicable laws and regulations (including ADA, ADEA, and FMLA), accommodations may be available to qualified individuals unable to perform essential duties without them. Additional requirements may apply to meet legal, regulatory, and Company standards. Recruitment Fraud: We will only contact you from @forwardair.com or @omnilogistics.com emails (system messages may come from @workflow.email.us-phoenix-1.ocs.oraclecloud.com). If reached via Indeed or LinkedIn, verify recruiters by reviewing their LinkedIn profiles. We will never request sensitive personal information outside secure systems, nor ask for purchases. Report suspected scams to the Federal Trade Commission and your state Attorney General . #J-18808-Ljbffr Forward Air Corp.