By Doug Blair, Managing Partner — The Blair Kenner Group
It hits between meetings, usually. Another retirement email. Another resignation letter from a senior adjuster who’s “going to explore options.” Another requisition sitting unapproved because nobody agrees on what the role should actually look like anymore. If you run a TPA, an IME company, a medical case management network, or a claims operation at a regional carrier, you already know this feeling. The talent pipeline that sustained this industry for 30 years is running thin — and the organizations that aren’t paying attention will feel it before they see it coming.
This is the talent crisis in the P&C claims ecosystem. It doesn’t get the headlines that underwriting or actuarial shortages do. But it’s just as real, and in some corners of claims, it’s already here.
Act One: The Great Exit
The claims world built its leadership bench the hard way — through years of field experience, mentorship, and institutional knowledge that doesn’t transfer through a job description. A VP of Claims at a mid-sized TPA didn’t become effective by reading a manual. They became effective by handling complex files, navigating difficult vendors, managing carrier relationships under pressure, and learning what reserve discipline actually looks like when it’s stress-tested.
That generation is leaving. Retirements are accelerating across adjusting, case management, utilization review, and TPA operations. And unlike some industries where experienced talent can be replaced with a fast learner and a training program, claims leadership requires a depth of contextual knowledge that takes years to build. When a 25-year Director of Claims walks out the door, they take with them relationships, judgment, and pattern recognition that no onboarding checklist replaces.
The bench behind them is thinner than most organizations want to admit.
Act Two: The Claims Tech Disruption
While succession planning drags on, automation, AI triage, and advanced analytics are being written into nearly every function. Bill review, utilization management, IME scheduling, and first-notice-of-loss handling are all becoming more technology-dependent — and the job descriptions are mutating accordingly.
The ideal Director of Claims Operations at a modern TPA now needs to understand AI-assisted adjudication workflows, data integrity across platforms, and vendor performance analytics, in addition to the traditional claims fundamentals. That’s a different profile than what the industry hired a decade ago, and the talent pool that meets both criteria — seasoned claims expertise plus technology fluency — is genuinely small.
Organizations that try to hire purely from the “experienced claims professional” pool will miss the tech evolution. Those that chase pure tech talent will hire people who don’t understand how claims actually work on the ground. The winning hire sits at the intersection, and that person is in high demand.
Act Three: The Insure-Tech Drain
Meanwhile, claims technology companies — SaaS platforms, AI-driven triage vendors, managed care networks — are actively recruiting from the same TPA and carrier benches that traditional organizations are trying to protect. They move faster, often pay differently, and offer the appeal of building something new rather than managing something established.
The result is a quiet but real drain. Senior claims professionals with technology comfort and strategic thinking — exactly the people every TPA and carrier wants as their next VP or Director — are increasingly fielding calls from insure-tech firms that didn’t exist five years ago. Traditional organizations aren’t just competing with each other for this talent anymore. They’re competing with an entirely different type of employer.
What It Means for Hiring Leaders
The claims talent crisis is not an HR problem. It’s a business continuity problem. Organizations that treat executive hiring as a reactive process — post a requisition when a seat opens, review whoever applies, make a decision — are already behind.
The organizations navigating this well are doing a few things differently. They’re mapping their succession vulnerabilities before they become vacancies. They’re actively building relationships with senior claims professionals who aren’t looking yet but could be open to the right conversation. And they’re working with recruiting partners who already know the ecosystem — who can identify the right candidate profile before it becomes an emergency search.
That last part matters more than most hiring leaders acknowledge. In a talent pool this specialized, the difference between a three-month search and a six-month search often comes down to who your recruiter already knows and who they can reach.
The Script Doesn’t Have to Write Itself
The talent crisis in P&C claims is real, but it’s not inevitable for every organization. The ones that plan ahead — that treat leadership hiring as a strategic function rather than an administrative one — will be the ones that build durable, high-performing claims teams while their competitors scramble to backfill.
At The Blair Kenner Group, we work exclusively inside this ecosystem. We know the companies, the roles, and the professionals who can move the needle. When the retirement email lands or the resignation comes in, we’d rather you already have a conversation in progress than be starting from zero.
BKG places executive talent exclusively in the P&C claims ecosystem — TPAs, IME firms, medical case management, bill review, and claims technology organizations. Let’s talk before the vacancy is urgent.