Claims Team Leader

Lead the team that makes a real difference when our customers need us most.

At initio, we’re a digital-first insurance provider offering personal lines insurance (home, contents, motor vehicle). We sell direct to customers, and we also write business through brokers under our NZI Blue Brand. We keep insurance simple, fast and actually helpful; Our claims experience is a big part of why customers stay with us.

This role provides leadership to our team of claims handlers, covering claims across both of our platforms, direct to customer and broker-intermediated. Your job is to make sure they have the tools, knowledge and support to get good outcomes for customers, and to keep the function running well day to day.

🧰 About the role:

You’ll set the operating rhythm, hold the technical standard, and stay close enough to the work to notice when something needs attention.

The two books run similar claims processes but sit on different platforms, and they serve different audiences. Part of the job is holding the same standard across both, and keeping our broker relationships in good shape on the intermediated side.

We work closely with our policy underwriters and looking after our relationship with them is a core part of this role. You’ll keep the reporting and the conversations flowing, and escalate technical or coverage matters to them when a claim calls for it.

You’ll keep close to the details on complex and high-value claims, but you won’t be carrying a general file load. You’ll report to our General Manager.

📌 What you'll be doing:

• Lead and support a team of nine claims handlers
• Make sure the team has the tools, training and technical knowledge to get decisions right first time
• Keep the day-to-day claims function running across both platforms, including workload allocation, service standards and performance
• Take ownership of complex and high-value claims
• Look after the relationship with our underwriters, and escalate technical and coverage matters to them when a claim calls for it
• Manage the claims supply chain, including loss adjusters, assessors, builders and suppliers
• Look after our broker relationships, including claims updates, escalations and the harder conversations
• Provide oversight of claim disputes and complaints, including escalation through our internal process and to IFSO
• Be the point of contact for claims across the business, and give a claims view on process and system changes that affect the team
• Keep our claims practice consistent with our regulatory obligations and the terms of our delegated authority

💡 What you bring to the table

• Solid technical grounding in New Zealand claims, ideally domestic property
• Experience leading or supervising a claims team
• Confidence with policy interpretation, and the judgement to make a decision you can defend
• Familiarity with complaints handling and the IFSO process
• Experience dealing with brokers, or confidence working an intermediated channel
• Comfortable working alongside an underwriter and keeping that relationship in good order
• Clear, direct communication, with customers and with the people we work with
• A steady head. You keep things moving and deal with problems as they come up
• Comfortable in a digital-first environment. We’re tech-led, not paperwork-led

🎁 What we’re offering:

• An experienced team and an established claims function
• A role with clear scope and genuine ownership of it
• Ongoing training and development
• Central Hamilton office with coffee, snacks and drinks, plus yoga, in-office massages, table tennis, a golf sim and cheeseburgers on Fridays