Director, Claims and Loss Prevention

Forward Air Corporation; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Forward Air Corporation seeks a Director of Claims to lead the organization’s claims management across LTL, brokerage, and multimodal networks. This role drives strategic leadership, governance, and performance improvement for claims intake, investigation, defense, settlement, and recovery, partnering with Operations, Legal, Risk, and Insurance.

The Director guides governance frameworks, regulatory compliance, and executive reporting while building a high-performing, customer-focused claims

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Risk Management, Transportation, or related field is required.
• 5+ years leading remote or multi-site teams.
• 8+ years in claims/risk management or transportation operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end claims lifecycle across LTL, brokerage, and multimodal operations.
• Establish and maintain claims handling standards and escalation protocols.
• Manage claims severity, financial exposure, and total paid claims via governance.
• Ensure compliance with contractual, insurance, and regulatory requirements.
• Lead, coach, and develop a geographically dispersed team of claims professionals.

Skills

Leadership

Remote team leadership

Claims analytics

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Communication

Risk management

Project management

Microsoft Office 365

Regulatory compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/…/Transportation

Tools

Microsoft Office 365

Web conferencing tools

Job description

Job Description The

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.