Vendor Relationship Manager

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Division: Claims

Reports To: Per Beazley's Org Chart

Key Relationships: Head of Claims Business Management, the Claims Business Management Team, Claims Team Leadership, and Claims Team Members. The role also interacts closely with the delegated claims administrators, law firms, external auditor firms, regulators (including Lloyd's, PRA, FCA, CBI, CID, California) Risk, Compliance, Procurement and Operations Resilience Teams, and other Beazley departments involved in upstream and downstream processes.

Job Summary: The Vendor Relationship Manager is responsible for the end-to-end management of key third-party vendors supporting the claims function, including Delegated Claims Administrators (DCAs), panel law firms, and loss adjusters. The role ensures that vendors are sourced, contracted, onboarded, and overseen in line with regulatory standards, company policies, and operational objectives. Acting as the primary liaison between the business and its claims service providers, the role balances performance management, governance, and relationship development to drive quality claims outcomes, cost control, and customer fairness.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Alignment: Understanding business priorities as determined by the Head of Claims Business Management and Group Claims Management Committee and aligning with stakeholder goals. Translating strategy into actionable plans. Connecting the dots across departments (e.g. aligning with Group Procurement policies, enterprise level responsible business initiatives).
• Vendor Lifecycle Management: Lead sourcing and selection processes for DCAs, law firms, and loss adjusters. Conduct due diligence and onboarding assessments to ensure alignment with claims, compliance, and regulatory requirements. Manage onboarding activities, including contractual agreements, service level definitions, reporting requirements, and training.
• Oversight and Performance Management: Develop and maintain an oversight framework for DCAs, law firms, and loss adjusters in line with PRA, FCA, Lloyd's, CID, California Solvency II, Consumer Duty and Consumer Code of Practice obligations and ensure the framework remains up-to-date as the regulatory landscape evolves and changes. Monitor vendor performance against KPIs, SLAs, and compliance standards, producing regular MI and dashboards for senior management and committees. Conduct periodic audits, file reviews, and quality assurance checks to identify risks, inefficiencies, or breaches. Ensure claims vendors deliver fair outcomes for policyholders, balancing indemnity spend with customer service.
• Contract Negotiation and Management: Drafting and reviewing contracts. Negotiating terms, SLAs, and pricing. Understanding legal and compliance requirements and operationalising into the Claims vendor management frameworks.
• Relationship Management: Act as the primary point of contact for vendors, fostering strong, collaborative partnerships. Facilitate regular review meetings, performance workshops, and escalation forums to resolve issues and strengthen engagement. Support the continuous improvement of vendor processes, technology integration, and claims practices.
• Risk, Governance and Compliance: Maintain a comprehensive register of claims vendors and associated risks, issues, and remediation actions. Support regulatory reporting, internal audits, and board/committee papers on vendor oversight. Ensure contractual terms, panel structures, and remuneration models remain compliant and effective. Escalate material risks, breaches, or underperformance through appropriate governance channels.

Personal Specification

• Education and Qualifications: Degree in any discipline (preferred but not essential).
• Knowledge & Experience: Strong experience in governance, internal controls, audit, risk management, or compliance (typically 5+ years). Demonstrable knowledge of regulatory frameworks and governance best practices. Proven experience managing third-party service providers, preferably within insurance claims (DCAs, law firms, loss adjusters). Strong knowledge of insurance regulation, and oversight requirements (e.g., PRA, FCA, Lloyd's Oversight Principles, Solvency II, Outsourcing and Third Party Risk Management). Excellent vendor management, negotiation, and relationship-building skills. Strong analytical ability with experience producing MI, dashboards, and performance reports. Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive improvement through others. Experience managing or operating within formal governance structures and assurance frameworks.
• Skills & Abilities: Excellent written and verbal communication skills are essential for conveying complex information to various stakeholders. Language skills (in addition to English) with a preference for Spanish, French and German. Ability to adapt to changing regulations and business environments. Ability to build and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Ability to prioritise tasks, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines. Ability to negotiate with stakeholders and influence their behaviour to ensure compliance. Governance & Control Mindset - ensures oversight obligations are met with robust frameworks. Ability to interpret performance metrics and identify actionable insights. Understands evolving requirements for claims outsourcing and delegated authority. Commitment to staying up-to-date with the latest regulations and best practices.

General: It is important that within all your interactions both internally and externally you adhere to Beazley's core values - Being Bold, Striving for Better, and Doing the Right Thing - as they contribute to an internal environment of teamwork and promote a positive brand image and experience to our external customers. We also expect Beazley employees to comply with Beazley procedures, policies and regulations including the code of conduct which incorporates the FCA and PRA Conduct. Undertake training on Beazley policies and procedures as delivered by your line manager, the Culture & People or assurance teams (compliance, risk, internal audit) either directly, via e-learning or the learning management system. Display business ethics that uphold the interests of all our customers. Ensure all interactions with customers are focused on delivering a fair outcome, including having the right products for their needs. Comply with any specific responsibilities necessary for your role as outlined by your line manager, the Culture & People or assurance teams (compliance, risk, internal audit) and ensure you keep up to date with developments in these areas. This may include, amongst others, Beazley's underwriting control standards, Beazley's claims control standards, other Beazley standards and customer relationship management. Carry out additional responsibilities as individually notified, either through your objectives or through the learning management system. These may include membership of any Beazley committees or working groups.