Director, TPA Claims

Hippo; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthy Hippos Benefits

Equity

Training and Career Growth

Flexible Time Off

Little Hippos Program

Hippo Habitat

Job summary

Hippo is seeking a Director, TPA Claims to lead the strategy and execution for Hippo’s Claims TPA function. You will own in-house claims handling for third-party MGA partners and build the claims organization from scratch, shaping the operating model and governance for a rapidly scaling platform.

You’ll hire and mentor adjusters, set licensing strategies, and drive service levels in collaboration with product and client success teams, ensuring strong outcomes across new and existing partnerships.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years GL claims experience with knowledge of coverage and handling.
• 10+ years claims handling with 5+ years leading a team.
• Litigation management experience with defense counsel and budgets.
• Active adjuster license or ability to obtain multi-state licensing.
• Experience in MGA/program/Insurtech environment preferred.
• Experience building and scaling a high-performance team.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and written/verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Own claims performance reporting and lead the annual operating plan for the Claims TPA line.
• Direct the claims technology requirements roadmap for the TPA offering.
• Own the claims service-level framework and onboarding for new business.
• Represent Claims TPA in enterprise claims governance and escalation.
• Build and lead the Claims TPA organization with hiring and development.
• Set caseload standards, workflows, and quality benchmarks for in-house handling.
• Ensure licensing compliance and multi-state readiness with regulatory partners.
• Own QA, file audits, reserving accuracy, and litigation budgeting.

Skills

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication

Licensing knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

Job Title: Director, TPA Claims

Reports To: Chief Claims Officer

About Hippo:

Hippo Holdings consists of national property and casualty insurance companies—including Spinnaker Insurance Company and its subsidiaries, rated A- (VIII) by A.M. Best—along with an insurance agency and a managing general agent. Enabled by technology, Hippo brings products to market through a diversified range of offerings sourced from both owned and third-party programs, available on an admitted and surplus lines basis. We partner with innovative market leaders across personal, commercial, and specialty lines, as well as traditional and non-standard opportunities.

The Role:

The Director, TPA Claims owns claims strategy and execution for Hippo ’s Claims TPA function. T his role has full accountability for direct, in-house claims handling for our third-party MGA partners . As the accountable claims leader for a new and rapidly scaling business line, this Director builds the claims organization from the ground up, sets the claims operating model for a net-new external customer base, and represents claims in executive-level planning for the platform's commercial strategy.

About You:

You're a claims leader who wants the whole build—the team, the operating model, the technology, and the P&L that comes with a business line finding its shape. You've led adjusters and supervisors before and you're ready to hire your own bench, set the standard, and grow the layers underneath you as the book scales. You think claims technology should make good handling faster rather than just tracking it, and you want a seat in the product conversation to make sure it does.

What You’ll Do:

• Own claims performance reporting (loss ratios, cycle time, litigation rate, customer satisfaction) and lead the annual operating plan and forecast for the Claims TPA business line from a claims cost and staffing perspective, reporting results directly to the Chief Claims Officer
• Direct the claims technology requirements roadmap for the TPA offering—serving as the accountable claims voice in platform product decisions and prioritization with the product management function
• Own the claims service-level framework that underpins customer retention and satisfaction, and leads claims capacity and service-level scoping with the client success function for new business customer onboarding
• Represent Claims TPA in enterprise claims governance, standard-setting, and escalation with Hippo's core claims organization
• Build and lead the Claims TPA organization: hire, train, and develop adjusters, and establish supervisory layers as the team and book of business scale alongside new external TPA customers
• Set caseload standards, workflows, and quality benchmarks for an in-house claims handling model, distinct from traditional TPA models.
• Own adjuster licensing compliance and claims handling practices consistent with state regulatory requirements across all jurisdictions and product lines in which B2B customers operate, in partnership with enterprise Operations
• Own quality assurance, file audits, and reserving accuracy for the TPA claims book, including full accountability for litigation strategy, defense counsel management, and litigation budget

Must Haves:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of general liability (GL) claims experience, with deep knowledge of GL coverage, liability and claims handling across premises, products, and other GL exposures
• 10+ years of claims handling experience with five or more years leading a team of adjusters and supervisors
• Demonstrated experience managing litigated claims, including working directly with defense counsel and overseeing litigation strategy and budgets
• Active adjuster license(s), or demonstrated ability to obtain multi-state licensing
• Experience in an MGA, program business, or Insurtech environment strongly preferred
• Experience building and scaling a high-performance team
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills and clear written and verbal communication

Nice to Haves:

• Experience with sports and fitness claims handling is a plus
• Experience in Snapsheet claims system a plus

Benefits and Perks

Hippo treats its team members with the same level of dedication and care as we do our customers, which is why we’re fortunate to provide all of our Hippos with:

• Healthy Hippos Benefits- Multiple medical plans to choose from and 100% employer covered dental & vision plans for our team members and their families. We also offer a 401(k)-retirement plan, short & long-term disability, employer-paid life insurance, Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) for health and dependent care, and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Equity-This position is eligible for equity compensation
• Training and Career Growth- Training and internal career growth opportunities
• Flexible Time Off- You know when and how you should recharge
• Little Hippos Program- We offer 12 weeks of parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers
• Hippo Habitat- Snacks and drinks available for onsite employees

Hippo is an equal opportunity employer, and we are committed to building a team culture that celebrates diversity and inclusion.

Hippo’s applicants are considered solely based on their qualifications, without regard to an applicant’s disability or need for accommodation. Any Hippo applicant who requires reasonable accommodations during the application process should contact the Hippo’s People Team to make the need for an accommodation known.