Senior Workers’ Compensation Specialist

Title: Senior Workers’ Compensation Specialist

Reports To: Workers' Compensation Claims and Risk Manager

Location: East Lansing, MI

Department: Property Casualty/Workers’ Compensation

SET SEG is looking for a Senior Workers’ Compensation Specialist who is responsible for providing expert oversight, guidance, and strategic support for the SEG Self-Insurer Workers’ Compensation Fund. This role serves as a key liaison between internal stakeholders, members, and a Third-Party Administrator (TPA), ensuring claims are handled in compliance with the Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Act and aligned with organizational best practices. The position plays a critical role in claims governance, member support and service, continuous improvement, and future-focused risk control initiatives.

WHO WE ARE
School Employers Trust (SET) is a non-profit company that was created after a monumental shift in school funding happened in 1965. SET, which began in 1971, served as an employee benefits association focused on offering comprehensive and affordable employee benefit solutions to Michigan public schools and their employees. Two years later, its partner organization School Employers Group (SEG) was formed to administer compensation and fringe benefits for SET. As schools were faced with more challenges related to insurance, SEG evolved and grew into a company that provides workers’ compensation and property/casualty services for Michigan public schools.

Today, SET SEG continues to expand and find creative ways to meet the specialized needs of its members. This, coupled with superior member experience, is why SET SEG has maintained its position as an industry leader in the school insurance market.

We value those who proactively solve challenges, simplify the complex, thrive in a fast-paced setting, have a customer-first mentality, and seek a collaborative and inclusive work environment. We offer 100% employer paid insurance (medical, dental, and vision), Paid Time off (PTO), and paid parental leave.

Our passion is delivering peace of mind to Michigan public schools, and we look for team members who are motivated by our cause. To learn more, visit: .

WHO YOU ARE
You are energized by working with a collaborative team and industry peers to support Michigan public schools through their challenges. You seek understanding and are motivated to tackle projects and problems with the customer in mind. You anticipate needs and preempt challenges and concerns, delivering increasingly relevant customer experiences over time. You value a culture that is rooted in mutual respect, where you can learn from different perspectives and roles.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Serve as the primary relationship lead for member districts, conducting in-person claim reviews, strategic consultations, and ongoing engagement to support strong outcomes and an exceptional service experience.
• Present claim insights, trends, and strategic recommendations to leadership and member districts.
• Design and deliver member-facing training programs, including regional workshops, group sessions, and one-on-one coaching for district workers’ compensation contacts.
• Provide responsive, empathetic interaction with claimants and district representatives, ensuring clarity, professionalism, and trust on complex, high-impact, or escalated claims.
• Oversee and evaluate TPA claims performance, including lost time claims handling, reserving practices, and claim outcomes.
• Analyze claim trends, loss drivers, and performance metrics to deliver data-driven insights that inform proactive risk control initiatives and long-term workers’ compensation strategy.
• Partner with internal leadership and the TPA to refine and elevate claims handling best practices, strengthening governance, consistency, and service quality across the Fund.
• Identify compliance risks and recommend forward-thinking process enhancements.
• Drive continuous improvement through claims administration, member service, and cost containment, identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Conduct internal claims audits and coordinate corrective actions, ensuring accountability and sustained performance.
• Maintain expert-level knowledge of the Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Act and related regulations, serving as a technical resource to the organization.
• Document and strengthen claims workflows, procedures, and internal controls to promote clarity, consistency, and scalability.
• Collaborate closely with the Workers’ Compensation Claims & Risk Manager to support departmental and Fund-wide goals.
• Demonstrate leadership through mentoring, cross-functional collaboration, and project ownership with opportunity for future people leadership responsibilities.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• 3–5 years of workers’ compensation claims experience as a lost time adjuster or claims supervisor.
• Extensive knowledge of the Michigan Workers’ Disability Compensation Act.
• Michigan Workers’ Compensation adjuster’s license.
• Experience working with or overseeing Third-Party Administrators (TPAs).
• Strong customer service skills with the ability to support and educate diverse member organizations.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation communication skills.

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience in a member-owned, pooled risk, public-sector, or self-insured workers’ compensation environment.
• Prior involvement in claims audits, compliance reviews, or governance reporting.
• Leadership, mentoring, or supervisory exposure.
• Interest in growing into a people leadership or expanded program oversight role.

Physical Demands / Work Environment

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.