Head of Auto Physical Damage

Position Summary:

At United Auto Insurance Company Head of Auto Physical Damage is a senior Claims Operations leader responsible for the strategic direction, operational performance, financial results, technical quality, and continued development of the company’s Auto Physical Damage organization.

We're looking for a Head of Auto Physical Damage to set the direction for that work and take it to the next level.

You'll lead our full APD organization, including field, desk, virtual, dispatch, repair network, and external appraisal operations. You'll own its operational, financial, and quality results. You'll also modernize how we work, bringing analytics, automation, AI, virtual inspection, and modern estimating technology into an operation that is ready for it. Above all, you'll build a transparent, performance-driven culture where leaders know what's expected, decisions are grounded in data, and results are measured and owned.
This role is for a leader who spots problems early, owns the fix, brings in the right partners, and tells senior leadership the straight story on performance, risks, and recommendations.

Remote candidates in the Southeast preferred.  Travel required based on business needs.

What you'll do
Lead people and performance
- Lead managers, supervisors, appraisers, dispatch, and external appraisal resources, setting clear expectations and holding leaders accountable for operational, financial, quality, customer, and employee results.
- Recruit, coach, and retain strong talent, build a sustainable leadership pipeline, and partner with Learning & Development to grow technical and leadership skills.
- Assess staffing, structure, workload, and resource allocation to improve capacity and efficiency.
Drive operational excellence
- Own the APD performance framework, balancing quality, productivity, cycle time, estimate accuracy, severity, expense, and customer experience.
- Remove bottlenecks, rework, and delays, and build scalable processes that work consistently across field, desk, virtual, and external resources.
- Keep the operation ready for volume swings, geographic expansion, and catastrophe events.
Own financial and severity outcomes
- Own appraisal expense, repair severity, supplements, and vendor costs, with a sharp focus on cost drivers such as labor rates, parts, repair-versus-replace, and repair cycle time.
- Reduce leakage and unnecessary expense while keeping estimates accurate, outcomes fair, and handling compliant.
- Compare the cost effectiveness of staff, independent, and virtual appraisal, and support budgeting, forecasting, and resource planning.
Set the technical standard
- Define standards for estimating accuracy, repair methodology, supplements, parts selection, and file quality.
- Build a structured QA and audit program and lead regular estimating calibration across internal teams and external partners.
- Serve as the expert on complex damage assessments, disputed estimates, and high-exposure appraisals, and partner closely with Total Loss and SIU.
Shape the vendor and repair network
- Oversee independent appraisers, repair facilities, DRP partners, and estimating providers.
- Build vendor scorecards, optimize the network for performance, coverage, and cost, and manage underperformance through structured corrective action.
- Negotiate pricing, service levels, and operating requirements with business partners.
Modernize through data and technology
- Set meaningful KPIs and turn analytics into concrete operating plans.
- Apply automation, AI, virtual appraisal, and estimating technology to improve speed, accuracy, capacity, and cost.
- Partner with Technology and Claims leadership to improve Guidewire ClaimCenter, estimating platforms, reporting, and workflows, and build ROI-based business cases for new tools and changes.
- Run operating reviews that make what's working visible and objectively surface gaps, root causes, and next steps.
Deliver for customers and partners
- Set the bar for timely, professional communication with customers, repair shops, and partners, and act as the senior escalation point for significant appraisal disputes and complaints.
- Work across Property Damage, Total Loss, SIU, Subrogation, Customer Service, Legal, Compliance, Finance, Analytics, and Technology to improve the end-to-end claim outcome.
- Report performance, financial results, emerging risks, and strategic recommendations to Claims senior leadership.
What you'll bring
Required
- 10+ years of progressive auto claims or Auto Physical Damage experience, including significant appraisal experience.
- 5+ years of progressive leadership experience, including leading managers, supervisors, or multiple APD operations.
- Advanced knowledge of damage estimating, repair procedures, supplements, parts, labor operations, repair-versus-replace decisions, and total loss identification.
- A track record of improving operational performance, repair-cost outcomes, expense management, and technical quality.
- Experience managing independent appraisers, repair networks, DRPs, and vendor relationships.
- Experience leading significant operational change, such as process redesign, technology implementation, or organizational change.
- Strong analytical and financial acumen, with the ability to connect operating decisions to claim costs and profitability.
- Experience building KPIs, quality programs, performance standards, and measurable improvement plans.
- Executive presence and the ability to communicate complex operational and financial matters clearly, objectively, and confidently to senior leadership.
- Strong leadership, negotiation, decision-making, and change-management skills, with a proactive, ownership-minded approach to problem solving.
- Proficiency with vehicle estimating platforms, claims systems, and reporting tools.
- Ability to lead a geographically dispersed team in a remote operating environment.
- Active adjuster license, with additional licenses maintained as applicable.
Preferred
- Guidewire ClaimCenter experience.
- Multistate and nonstandard auto insurance experience.
- Bachelor's degree, or equivalent relevant experience.

BENEFITS:
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan with employer match.
- Comprehensive Medical, Prescription Drug, Vision, and Dental Insurance
- Paid Time Off, Holidays, and Leave programs.
- Flexible spending accounts
- Basic Life Insurance and Voluntary Life/ADD
- Voluntary Short Term and Long-Term Disability