Manager Claims

Athene; West Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Athene in West Des Moines, IA, seeks a Claims Manager to lead high-performing teams and deliver timely, accurate claims processing. You will coach staff, manage workflow, and partner across the organization to improve the customer and beneficiary experience.

This role requires 5+ years in claims/insurance and at least 2 years of leadership. You’ll drive change, use data to improve performance, and ensure regulatory compliance while advancing initiatives across Claims.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of claims processing or related financial services experience, including 2+ years in a leadership role.
• Experience with annuity products preferred.
• Ability to coach, develop, and hold teams accountable during change.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop teams to achieve strong performance and growth.
• Direct day-to-day claims operations to ensure timely, accurate processing.
• Lead through organizational and technology changes and partner across the business.
• Use data to improve performance, capacity, and customer outcomes.
• Manage risk, ensure compliance, and support department goals.

Skills

Leadership

Coaching

Change management

Data-driven

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Job description

We are driven to do more. More for our customers and the financial professionals who offer our products. If you are driven to do more and love the challenge of pursuing more, Athene is your kind of company. You will find we offer more than the basics to create an inclusive and dynamic work environment at our various locations.

Purpose:

At Athene, we’re focused on delivering an exceptional claims experience while supporting employees through change, growth, and continuous improvement. We’re looking for a leader who can combine strong service expertise with a passion for developing people, improving processes, and delivering results.

This role is about more than managing day-to-day operations. The Claims Manager builds high-performing teams, ensures timely and accurate claims processing, leads through organizational and technology change, and partners across the business to solve complex issues and improve the experience for customers and beneficiaries.

Accountabilities:

Lead and Develop Teams

• Coach, develop, and motivate claims professionals to achieve strong performance and grow their capabilities.
• Create a culture of accountability, engagement, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Set clear expectations, provide timely feedback, recognize performance, and support individual development.
• Participate in the selection and onboarding of new employees and oversee training, knowledge development, and readiness.

Lead Claims Operations

• Direct day-to-day Claims operations to ensure timely, accurate, and customer-focused processing.
• Monitor workflow, service levels, quality, staffing capacity, and productivity; adjust resources and priorities as needed to meet business expectations.
• Serve as an escalation point and resource for complex or sensitive claims, customer situations, and operational issues.
• Ensure employees have current procedures, tools, and knowledge needed to handle claims consistently and effectively.

Lead Through Change

• Help teams successfully navigate organizational, process, product, and technology changes.
• Communicate with clarity, connect change to business purpose, and build commitment to new ways of working.
• Maintain employee engagement, service, and performance during periods of transformation.
• Support implementation of new products, initiatives, technologies, and operating models within Claims.

Drive Results and Continuous Improvement

• Use data, trends, and insights to improve team performance, customer outcomes, quality, and operating efficiency.
• Identify and lead opportunities to simplify processes, reduce friction, improve workflow, and strengthen the claims experience.
• Establish meaningful performance measures and use them to coach employees, identify opportunities, and drive results.
• Encourage innovation, thoughtful problem-solving, and a willingness to challenge the status quo.

Manage Risk and Partner Across the Organization

• Evaluate exceptions and complicated cases with consideration for compliance, business risk, tax and legal implications, customer impact, and administrative cost.
• Ensure adherence to policies, procedures, regulatory requirements, and applicable controls.
• Partner effectively with Post Issue Processing, Customer Contact Center, Sales, Audit, Compliance/Legal, Technology, and other teams to resolve issues and improve end-to-end processes.
• Participate actively on the leadership team to shape department goals, priorities, and strategic direction.

What Success Looks Like

• Employees are engaged, growing, accountable, and performing at a high level.
• Claims are processed accurately, efficiently, and with a strong focus on the customer and beneficiary experience.
• Service levels, quality, productivity, and operational risks are actively managed.
• Change is implemented effectively, with strong employee understanding and adoption.
• Process improvements create measurable business and customer impact.
• Cross-functional partners view Claims as a collaborative, solutions-oriented business partner.

Qualifications and Experience:

• 5+ years of relevant experience in claims processing, insurance, annuities, financial services, or relevant experience; including 2+ years of formal or informal leadership.
• Experience with annuity and/or financial services products required; knowledge of annuity administration systems and procedures preferred.
• Proven ability to coach, develop, motivate, and empower teams through change while sustaining performance, engagement, and accountability.
• Strong operational judgment and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities, complex cases, escalations, and business risk while acting with urgency.
• Demonstrated ability to use data, insights, technology, and AI-enabled tools appropriately to improve performance, capacity, processes, and customer outcomes.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence across functions and levels and communicate complex information clearly.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience preferred.

Drive. Discipline. Confidence. Focus. Commitment. Learn more about working at Athene.

Athene is a Military Friendly Employer! Learn more about how we support our Veterans.

Athene is committed to inclusion and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, marital status, sexual orientation, veteran status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.