Head of Claims Assessment

Partners Life Limited; Devonport-Takapuna; Hybrid; NZD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus after 12 months

Life insurance

Income protection

Birthday leave

Long service leave

Parental leave top-up

Flexible hybrid work

Takapuna office

Job summary

Partners Life seeks an experienced Head of Claims Assessment to lead the end-to-end assessment capability across Claims, ensuring fair, consistent and timely outcomes. Reporting to the General Manager Claims, you will drive transformation using AI, automation and digital tools while keeping human judgement and customer care at the centre of everything we do.

You will lead claims assessment teams, shaping strategy, building capability and ensuring regulatory compliance, governance and risk

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in complex insurance/claims environments.
• Deep technical expertise in claims, policy interpretation and governance.
• Experience leading transformation with AI, automation or digital enablement.
• Proven ability to raise assessment quality, triage and workflow standards.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end claims assessment and determination with high performance.
• Drive transformation initiatives using AI, automation and digital tools.
• Set standards for assessment quality, policy interpretation, escalation and review.
• Partner with stakeholders to resolve complex matters and improve outcomes.
• Ensure governance, regulatory compliance and risk management are embedded.
• Balance quality, service and productivity to deliver strong performance.
• Use data and insights to improve decision quality and workflow.

Skills

Leadership

Claims expertise

Policy interpretation

AI & automation

Data-driven

Regulatory risk

Stakeholder management

Customer centric

Job description

• Make a meaningful difference for customers during some of life's most important moments

• Lead a high performing team responsible for fair, consistent and customer focused claims decisions and outcomes

• Build a future focussed assessment model that includes AI, automation and process transformation that supports customers when it really matters

Partners Life is one of New Zealand’s largest life and health insurance companies. As part of the Daiichi Life Group, a leading global insurance provider, we are writing our next chapter of growth and opportunity.

We know the industry needs bold thinkers and passionate people to help reshape the future of insurance, and that is exactly who we are looking for. We are committed to doing things differently, lifting industry standards, challenging the status quo, and delivering real value through innovation and personalised advice.

If you are looking to join a company that’s redefining the insurance landscape and backed by the strength of a global group, Partners Life is the place to grow your career and make a real impact.

About the opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Head of Claims Assessment to join our Claims Leadership Team. This is a critical leadership role responsible for leading the end to end assessment capability across Claims, ensuring fair, consistent and timely claims outcomes while designing and evolving a future fit assessment model that supports customers through the moments that matter.

Reporting to the General Manager Claims, you will lead our claims assessment teams, driving technical excellence, strong decision making, disciplined case management and operational performance. You will play a key role in shaping claims strategy, building capability, and leading transformation initiatives that use AI, automation and digital tools to improve efficiency and consistency while keeping empathy, human judgement and customer care at the centre of everything we do.

As our Head of Claims Assessment, you will:

• Lead the end to end assessment and determination of claims, supporting Claims Managers and technical specialists to strengthen capability, decision quality and a high performance culture.

• Lead claims transformation, AI, automation and digital initiatives that improve efficiency, decision support and scalability, while ensuring human judgement and interaction remain central to complex, sensitive or high impact claims.

• Set clear standards for assessment quality, policy interpretation, escalation, peer review and decision making.

• Partner closely with stakeholders across the business to resolve complex matters and improve outcomes.

• Ensure robust governance, regulatory compliance and risk management frameworks are embedded across the function.

• Balance quality, service, productivity and customer experience to deliver strong operational performance.

• Use data, insights and trends to identify opportunities to improve assessment standards, workflow and triage.

About you

You are an experienced insurance leader who combines deep technical claims and case management expertise with a genuine commitment to fair, customer focused outcomes. You balance empathy with sound judgement and can confidently lead teams through complex decisions while maintaining high standards of quality, consistency and defensibility.

You are equally comfortable coaching technical specialists, partnering with senior stakeholders and driving meaningful change. You bring a modern, improvement focused mindset and can lead the thoughtful adoption of AI, automation and digital tools so technology enables better outcomes while preserving human judgement, empathy and personalised support where it has the greatest impact on customers.

Attributes that will help you thrive in this role:

• Significant leadership experience in a complex operational environment within insurance or claims assessment

• Deep technical expertise in claims, case management, policy interpretation, decision quality and claims governance

• Experience leading transformation, AI, automation or digital enablement initiatives, with the judgement to balance efficiency and consistency with human empathy and decision making where it matters most.

• Demonstrated experience improving assessment practices, case management, triage, workflow and decision support frameworks

• Strong understanding of regulatory, conduct, privacy, complaints and risk obligations

• Ability to use data, insights and feedback to improve decision quality, workflow and operational performance

• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the ability to build credibility across the business

• A customer centric mindset, with sound judgement, resilience and a commitment to continuous improvement

What we offer

At Partners Life, we believe our people are our greatest asset and are proud to invest in their growth, wellbeing and success. As part of our team, you will have access to a range of benefits, with eligibility varying by benefit and employment type:

• Support to make a meaningful leadership impact in a growing, evolving business

• Genuine career development and progression opportunities

• Participation in our discretionary bonus scheme after 12 months of service

• Life insurance and income protection covers at our cost, plus discounted medical insurance

• Birthday leave (where eligible)

• Long service leave

• Parental leave salary top-up, reduced hours options and secondary parental leave

• Flexible hybrid working arrangements (where eligible)

• A modern office with stunning views in the heart of Takapuna

To be eligible to apply for this role, you must have the legal right to work in New Zealand.

We are not engaging recruitment agencies for this role.