Position Number: P00128
Directorate: OCEO
Service: Risk and Audit
Location: Katoomba HQ
Date Created/Updated 2025
Position Classification: Band: 8
POSITION PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE
The Risk and Insurance Officer manage a portfolio of insurance claims from across a range
of insurance policies. The position requires you to build empathetic and courteous
relationships with claimants and focus on fair and just evaluation of their claims.
RELATIONSHIPS
Reports to: Program Leader Risk & Audit
Staff Responsibility: Nil
Key Internal Relationships: All Council staff
Key External Relationships: Claimants
Council's contractors Insurers
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
* Contribute to help Council deliver its sustainability goals.
* Manage a portfolio of claims from lodgment to completion.
* Make regular contact with claimants to provide timely update on their claims.
* Build professional relationships with council staff and Council's insurers.
* Investigate supporting evidence provided by claimants and gathered from council staff
and contractors, and other interested parties.
* Assess and make recommendations on the decision of each claim.
* Complete quarterly reports on claims history, payout frequencies and amounts, and trend
monitoring and analysis for Council's governance committees.
* Identify opportunities to minimise future claims.
* Ensuring Council's policy coverage is suitable and current.
* The role also provides the opportunity to be involved in other team tasks such as internal
audit, enterprise risk management, fraud and corruption prevention and business
resilience and on occasion assist with Workers Compensation claims.
Guiding Principles
* We act as one organisation responding to the changing needs of our community while
protecting and enhancing our World Heritage environment
* We are strategy led, driven by our Community Strategic Plan with clear priorities and focus
* We are service focused we continuously improve service provision and provide excellent
customer service
* We collaborate and work together to achieve our outcomes
* We ensure safety and well-being is at the centre of our organisation, operations and
culture for our employees, our community and our environment
* We are a socially, environmentally and financially sustainable organisation, living within
our means, ensuring best value resource allocation
These Guidelines complement the Council's adopted Values of: Work Together; Work Safe
Home safe; Service Excellence; Value for Money; Trust and Respect; and, Supporting
Community
Workplace Health & Safety
Ensure compliance with WHS obligations and responsibilities as outlined in Councils policies
and procedure and under the relevant WHS legislation. These include but are not limited to
implementation of policies, procedures and work practices within your relevant portfolio and
provision of sufficient resources to ensure compliance with WHS legislation; ensuring duty
of care through keeping updated on relevant WHS and well-being matters within your
relevant portfolio; ensuring incidents, hazards, risks and well-being are understood,
minimized and managed effectively in a timely manner within your relevant portfolio including
escalation of issues where appropriate; provision of advice, support, equipment and training
to your staff members to enable compliance with Councils WHS policies and WHS legislation.
Council supports workers right to cease or direct cessation of unsafe work.
COMMUNICATION
This position undertakes written communication in the form of reports, memos
and emails.
Examples will include:
* Emails to staff clarifying details of claims and to insurance providers to clarify and submit
details of claims;
* Memos describing recent trends and cases which shall be provided to the Executive and
Audit, Risk and Improvement Committee;
* Reports of claim frequencies, payout amounts and trend analysis.
This position also requires empathetic verbal communication over the phone and in person
with claimants, staff and insurance providers.
JUDGEMENT & PROBLEM SOLVING
This role ensures that current processes are fit-for-purpose and efficient, and will offer an
opportunity to identify areas for improvements that reduce staff effort and / or reduce costs to
Council.
The position requires the incumbent to ensure all claims follow a transparent and standard
process that ensures claimants are treated in a fair and just manner. All decisions and
recommendations will be supported by senior team members, as well as Council's insurers
where required.
SKILL, EXPERIENCE, QUALIFICATIONS & BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES
ESSENTIAL
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills
* Ability to explain complex issues and concepts
* Positive and proactive attitude to change
* An empathetic disposition, with an understanding of the importance of fair and just
decisions
* Ability to identify improvement opportunities
* Experience in report writing and trend analysis
* A team player with a passion for learning
* Ability to use MS Office
DESIRABLE
* Previous experience or education related to insurance, business management, customer
service or process improvement.
* Previous experience in claims management.