Head of Platform Travel & Medical Assistance

What you do: As part of the Insurance Operations Department, the Head ofPlatform Travel & Medical Assistance is responsible for the management of all end to end functions associated with the claims management of all travel claims and medical services for Allianz Global Assistance.

The incumbent will provide work directly with the Regional Chief Operations Officer and Insurance Operations Leaders to set the department's direction, plan the service delivery model within the agreed budget and customer satisfaction targets.

This role will own the development and maintenance of productive, high quality working relationships with a wide range of local and global stakeholders.

The Head ofPlatform Travel & Medical Assistance will ensure compliance with the General Insurance Code of Practice, contract obligations and relevant legislations including management and financial reporting.

As Head ofPlatform Travel & Medical Assistance you are a people leader, responsible for the development of a productive team environment fostering commitment to the Allianz People Attributes. Part of this role will include enhancing staff engagement and retention while empowering and developing people to deliver exceptional customer experiences every day.

Working with your direct reports, you will set the department's direction and plan the service delivery model required to meet partner contractual deliverables, ensuring key KPI's are consistently met and exceeded in delivering to our premium customer base. This role will oversee the management of all customer contact staff, related support staff, and network management teams to achieve operational excellence.

What your key responsibilities are:

Medical and Travel Claims Management

• Oversees the ongoing maintenance of effective and consistent claims processes that are in accordance with the relevant legislations across each claims function.
• Works with Quality and Performance to audit claims processes to ensure integrity and improvement within each claims function
• Leverages group relationships to identify and create opportunities for improving claims processes across the unit and establishing cost effective use of labour pools.
• Works to achieve cost reductions without degradation of service.
• Ensures technology and other enhancements are explored to ensure optimisation of customer experience and process enhancements are achieved.
• Develops understanding of actuarial and reserve management analysis and relationship with claims.
• Has an intrinsic knowledge of the average cost of claims.
• Imports new risk ratings for claims assessments based upon claims type and segmentation of claim.
• Develops strong relationships with the underwriting and actuarial teams to understand and explain claims patterns and impacts on reserves
• Ensure highly contentious and complex cases are well managed by team members and communicated to the appropriate stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Appropriately informs executive management of key issues to manage key intermediary relationship and market and brand perceptions.
• Oversee ongoing review and implementation of efficient and effective processes which ensure customer safety and well-being in relation to travel and Medical Assistance/services in a cost-effective manner
• Review decisions on escalated high cost claims to consider implications for policy coverage and company external positioning in accordance with the relevant legislations.
• Ensure claims leakage is managed to company standards, improving profitability of the claims book by ensuring staff adherence with claims policies.
• The incumbent will be able to apply a highly developed understanding of underwriting principles to claims functions in order to clearly define and outline accuracy, frequency, trends and costs origination and drivers of claims.

Strategic Growth and Transformation

• To monitor and review the required operational systems, process, and delivery platforms through annual operation plans to support the company's strategic direction and objectives.
• Maintain and review claims operational processes to ensure greater digitalisation and management of the claims processes.

Risk Mitigation

• Ensure processes and systems are in place within the departments to ensure that risks are mitigated for the organisation in relation to travel claims, Medical Assistance, repatriation of customers and pre-existing assessments.

Customer Centric

• Passionate about achieving the best customer experience at every touch point, while ensuring department performance indicators are met.
• Ensure the operational efficiency of the departments whilst ensure optimum customer service is provided.
• Support the Sales division with key client pitches and relationship management when required.

Team Management

• Provide guidance and leadership to team members working within the department to achieve the key result areas of the organisation's strategic goals.
• Act as a positive role model to all employees by always respecting individuals, working collaboratively, sharing experience and by being a mentor.

Budget Management

• Development and implementation of annual business plan, budget and achievement of agreed outcomes and key performance indicators for Claims, Medical and Recoveries Unit.
• Oversees recoveries practices to maximise opportunities to secure recoveries and improve claims recoveries.

GCC Relationship and KPI Management

• Builds effective relationships with matrix managers to ensure good understanding of both local and global strategy and needs.
• Develops key working relationships with managers and key staff within the GCC.
• Ensure performance and standards of the GCC are met with agreed SLAs.
• Reports activity and progress of initiatives (both local and across GCC) to ensure effective delivery of the claims service from both platforms.

As the successful candidate you will be able to show experience having:

Leadership and Supervision

• To monitor and staff to enable timely, efficient and innovative solutions to the Allianz Global Assistance business
• Ensure necessary unit support (both internally and externally) to enable the production, development and support of operating systems within the claims platform.
• Manage team performance individually and as a group to ensure KPI achievement and maintenance of professional standards within the Industrial Instrument relevant to your team members

Learning and Development

• To ensure that staff learning and development requirements are met in-line with Operational and Human Resources strategy

Workforce Planning

• Ensure key positions are always risk managed to prevent skill / knowledge gaps in teams
• Ensure appropriate strategies to assist retention in team
• Ensure that the team is adequately resourced with the appropriate skills and experience

Recruitment

• Proactively involved in the recruitment process
• Ensure position accountabilities are completed for each direct report
• Ensure selection criteria is developed and adhered to during recruitment process

Customer/Client Management

• Ensuring that the expected level of service is always delivered to Clients and their customers and prospects at all times
• Developing and maintaining effective business relationships with key stakeholders across the business
• Develop and maintain effective relationships that may reasonably provide future business opportunities
• Ensure customer complaints and comments are resolved promptly
• Manage the learning outcomes resulting from customer feedback into the team
• Ensure effective relationships are built with global Managers and stakeholders.
• Provide administrative support in the implementation of strategies and campaigns and assist with the co-ordination of any associated procedures in relation to new products, services or campaigns

Reporting

• Ensure agreed deadlines are adhered to at all times for reporting and implementations
• Assist in the preparation of product presentations, proposals and reports
• Timely delivery of required reports to Clients

49718 | Operations | Management | Non-Executive | Allianz Partners | Full-Time | Permanent .