Claims Optimization Program Manager

Overview:

If you're looking for the stability of a profitable, growing company with the entrepreneurial spirit of a startup, we’re hiring. SageSure, a leader in catastrophe-exposed property insurance, is seeking a Program Manager to build and scale our Direct Repair Program (DRP) within the property claims organization.

This role is responsible for designing, implementing, and optimizing an end-to-end contractor network that improves claim cycle time, estimate accuracy, customer experience, and indemnity control. The Program Manager will establish the strategy, operational framework, performance standards, and governance model for the DRP while partnering closely with Claims, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Vendor Management, and Technology teams.

This is a highly cross-functional role requiring both strategic vision and hands-on execution to stand up a best-in-class repair network that delivers measurable results.

What you’d be doing:

Program Strategy & Design

• Design and implement the Direct Repair Program strategy, operating model, and roadmap.

• Define contractor participation standards, onboarding criteria, credentialing requirements, and performance expectations.

• Develop the governance framework, including quality controls, compliance standards, and escalation processes.

• Establish customer experience standards aligned with brand expectations.

Vendor Network Development

• Identify, evaluate, and recruit qualified mitigation and reconstruction vendors.

• Aid in contract development in partnership with Vendor Management, Legal and Procurement.

• Assist in developing pricing frameworks, service level agreements (SLAs), and performance scorecards.

• Build a scalable vendor segmentation strategy (geographic, catastrophe response, specialty trades).

Operational Integration

• Partner with Claims leadership to embed the DRP model into claim workflows.

• Align estimating standards, scoping expectations, and documentation requirements.

• Collaborate with Technology to enable system integration, reporting, and visibility.

• Establish catastrophe surge strategies for vendor capacity management.

Performance Management & Analytics

• Define and implement KPIs including cycle time, severity impact, estimate accuracy, supplement frequency, customer satisfaction, and reinspection rates.

• Assist in developing executive reporting dashboards and ongoing performance reviews.

• Monitor financial impact including indemnity control and expense management.

• Identify continuous improvement opportunities across the vendor lifecycle.

We’re looking for someone who has:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree or industry certifications a plus.

• 7–10 years of experience in property claims, vendor management, contractor network management, or program leadership.

• Direct experience building or managing a Direct Repair Program or contractor network preferred.

• Strong understanding of property estimating platforms (e.g., Cotality) and repair cost drivers.

• Experience managing third-party vendor performance.

• Demonstrated ability to build programs from concept to execution.

• Strong financial acumen with the ability to measure severity, leakage, and operational impact.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

• Ability to operate independently in an ambiguous, build-mode environment.

• Strong analytical skills with experience developing KPIs and executive-level reporting.

About the Claims team at SageSure:

On SageSure’s Claims team, you’ll be doing more than investigating and resolving losses. From the ground up, you’ll be pioneering a best-in-class claims handling approach that leverages transformative technology to support our customers, agents and employees. As a part of this customer-focused, process-oriented team you will be the face of SageSure, helping our policyholders through some of their most trying times. Whether you hold a formal leadership role or are a key team player, you’ll coach, mentor and engage with those around you in ways that bring out the best in people and effect change.  

You can easily distill complex processes in ways those outside the industry can understand and know the importance of aligning communication tools to customer preferences.  You thrive on setting and exceeding expectations, and know building relationships, not completing transactions, is the heart of the insurance business. 

About SageSure:

Named among the Best Places to Work in Insurance by Business Insurance for four years in a row (2020-2023), SageSure is one of the largest managing general underwriters (MGU) focused on catastrophe-exposed markets in the US. Since its founding in 2009, SageSure has experienced exceptional growth while generating underwriting profits for carrier partners through hurricanes, wildfires, and hail. Available in 16 states, SageSure offers more than 50 competitively priced home, flood, earthquake, and commercial products on behalf of its highly rated carrier partners. Today, SageSure manages more than $1.9 billion of inforce premium and helps protect 640,000 policyholders.

SageSure has more than 1000 employees working remotely or in-office across nine offices: Cheshire, Connecticut; Chicago, Illinois; Cincinnati, Ohio; Houston, Texas; Jersey City, New Jersey; Mountain View, California; Marlton, New Jersey; Tallahassee, Florida; and Seattle, Washington.

SageSure offers generous health benefits and perks, including tuition reimbursement, wellness allowance, paid volunteer time off, a matching 401K plan, and more.

SageSure is a proud Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a workforce that reflects the spectrum of perspectives, experiences, and abilities of the world we live in. We recognize that our differences make us strong, and we actively seek out diverse candidates through partnerships with organizations, institutions and communities that represent various backgrounds. We champion belonging and inclusion for all identities, including, but not limited to, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, ability status, gender, and country of origin, striving to create a culture where all individuals feel valued, respected, and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work.

Our nimble, highly responsive culture nurtures critical thinkers who run toward problems and engineer solutions. We relentlessly pursue better outcomes by investing in the technology, talent, and tools that position us to succeed in demanding markets. Come join our team! Visit sagesure.com/careers to find a position for you.