Assistant Vice President (AVP)– Enterprise Litigation & Claims Counsel

Horace Mann Educators Corporation – Remote (U.S.) or Hybrid (Springfield, IL / Plano, TX / Madison, WI)

Horace Mann was founded in 1945 by two teachers who saw the need for quality, affordable auto insurance for educators. Since then, we have expanded our mission to helping all educators protect what they have today and prepare for a successful tomorrow. We serve school districts nationwide and are publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: HMN). For more information, visit www.horacemann.com.

As a leading insurance and financial services company focused on meeting the evolving needs of K-12 educators and employees of other non-profit organizations, we are seeking an Assistant Vice President (AVP)– Enterprise Litigation Counsel to join our Office of the General Counsel, Law Division. This position offers flexible work arrangements, including fully remote or hybrid options (Springfield, IL, Addison, TX, or Madison, WI), with occasional travel for key meetings and collaboration.

The Opportunity

This is a highly visible role responsible for leading litigation strategy across the enterprise while remaining closely engaged in the management of significant matters. The AVP – Enterprise Litigation & Claims Counsel will oversee complex, high-exposure, and precedent-setting litigation, partner directly with senior leadership, and play a key role in how the organization evaluates and manages legal risk.

This position is well-suited for an experienced litigator with a demonstrated background in insurance coverage and extra-contractual/bad faith matters who is seeking to broaden their impact beyond individual cases into enterprise-level strategy while remaining engaged in substantive legal work.  The position also requires a business-centric, strategic thinker who has the ability to work proactively with claims and other key business stakeholders to provide exceptional counseling to mitigate litigation risk.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and execute litigation strategy for complex, high-exposure, and precedent-setting matters across the enterprise
• Serve as a strategic advisor to senior leadership by providing practical, risk-based legal guidance on significant issues
• Direct and manage outside counsel, including active involvement in litigation plans, budgets, pleadings, discovery, motions, and overall case strategy
• Partner with outside counsel in litigation matters as appropriate, including participation in negotiations and key strategic decisions
• Partner closely with Claims leadership on litigation involving coverage, first-party claims, and extra-contractual/bad faith exposure
• Identify litigation trends and emerging risks, and proactively develop enterprise-wide risk mitigation strategies
• Support regulatory inquiries, market conduct matters, and broader enterprise risk management initiatives
• Establish consistent legal positions and best practices across jurisdictions and business lines
• Manage litigation-related legal spend, including forecasting, budgeting, and cost control

Qualifications

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an accredited law school
• Active bar membership in good standing (ability to register as in-house counsel in applicable jurisdictions as needed)
• 12+ years of legal experience with a strong focus on complex litigation
• Meaningful experience with insurance coverage, first-party claims, and extra-contractual/bad faith litigation
• Experience handling or advising on high-exposure, complex litigation matters involving significant financial or reputational risk
• Demonstrated experience managing significant litigation matters and working closely with outside counsel
• Strong litigation judgment and ability to operate independently with limited oversight
• Executive presence with the ability to communicate effectively and build credibility with senior leadership
• Experience in the insurance or financial services industry and/or prior in-house experience preferred
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to convey complex legal concepts clearly to diverse audiences
• Trial experience required

Why Join Horace Mann

• Opportunity to take ownership of significant litigation matters while shaping enterprise-wide strategy
• Direct engagement with senior leadership and meaningful influence on business decisions
• A role that combines hands-on litigation involvement with broader strategic responsibility
• Flexible work environment with fully remote or hybrid options
• Competitive compensation and company-wide bonus program
• Comprehensive benefits, including health, dental, and vision coverage
• Matching 401(k) plan and generous paid time off

The duties listed in this job description do not limit the assignment of work. They are not to be construed as a complete list of duties to be performed in this position.

EOE/Minorities/Females/Veterans/Disabled. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Pay Range:

• $124,200.00 - $175,800.00/annually

Salary is commensurate to experience, location, etc.

#APP

Horace Mann is seeking a detail-oriented and customer-focused Senior Billing Resolution Specialist to support billing operations across Individual Supplemental and Group Products. In this role, you will review, evaluate, and process billing changes and premium receivables while ensuring accuracy, compliance, and an exceptional customer experience.

This position plays a key role in maintaining service standards, resolving complex billing inquiries, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives within Premium Services.

Key Responsibilities

Billing Operations & Processing

• Prepare daily morning deposits and process daily carrier payments, ensuring all transactions are accurate, timely, and aligned with established financial controls and procedures.
• Maintain Billing Administrative system to ensure accurate invoice generation and premium billing.
• Review, evaluate, and process change requests, comparison reports, and suspense reports across multiple lines of business.
• Accurately process and apply premiums and contract deposits, ensuring compliance with all business rules and regulatory requirements.
• Maintain a strong understanding of Policy Administration systems to support efficient and accurate processing.
• Ensure all transactions are completed within established service level and quality standards.
• Remain available in the phone queue while completing daily work and handle inbound calls from clients, agents, payroll administrators and third parties, providing timely and accurate support.

Customer Service & Resolution

• Evaluate and act on billing inquiries and payments from clients, agents, school payroll administrators, and third parties.
• Provide a high level of customer service, ensuring a positive experience for all stakeholders.
• Maintain a client-focused mindset, striving to exceed agent and customer expectations in every interaction.
• Resolve billing issues efficiently with a focus on first-call or “once and done” resolution.
• Maintain strong relationships with assigned groups, ensuring consistent communication, responsiveness, and a high level of service.

Quality, Compliance & Performance

• Uphold all regulated and filed rules, ensuring compliance across all billing activities.
• Maintain individual production and quality standards across individual, group, and suspense processing.
• Provide updates on assigned work to ensure transparency and adherence to service level expectations.

Collaboration & Team Support

• Actively facilitate or participate in team meetings, training sessions, and collaborative work efforts.
• Partner with peers and leadership on work prioritization and distribution to meet service expectations.
• Support team members as needed to ensure overall team success and service level achievement.

Process Improvement & Continuous Learning

• Identify opportunities for process improvements, eliminating inefficiencies and enhancing controls and procedures.
• Execute improvement initiatives that drive operational efficiency and accuracy.
• Participate in professional development opportunities, including AINS and/or LOMA coursework (preferred).

Qualifications & Experience

• H.S. Diploma or GED required.
• Experience in billing, premium processing, or insurance operations across multiple lines of business preferred.
• Strong understanding of policy administration and billing systems.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
• Strong communication skills with a customer-first mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrated commitment to accuracy, compliance, and quality performance standards.

Pay Range:

• $24.18 - $33.05/hr.

Salary is commensurate to experience, location, etc.

Horace Mann is seeking a detail-oriented and experienced Claims Examiner to join our team in a hybrid work environment in Plano, TX office. This role is responsible for setting up and adjudicating claims efficiently while providing exceptional quality service to build customer satisfaction and loyalty. The ideal candidate will have experience in life/health claims, strong organizational skills, and the ability to communicate effectively with policyholders, healthcare providers, and internal teams. If you thrive in a fast-paced environment, have a keen eye for detail, and enjoy making a meaningful impact, this is the perfect opportunity for you!  This is not a fully remote position, and you must be able to commute to the Plano office.

Responsibilities:

• Link and set up Substantive, Group, Wellness, and Physician Consult claims in the work distribution and policy administration system.
• Evaluate submitted claims by reviewing policy provisions and applicable laws to accurately adjudicate claims.
• Provide claimants with necessary forms, instructions, and assistance to ensure a smooth claims process.
• Draft and send letters requesting medical or other necessary information relevant to claim analysis.
• Ensure timely requests, follow-ups, and closeouts on all submitted claims.
• Maintain claim files in compliance with Fair Claims Settlement Practice Regulations and company standards.
• Communicate with policyholders, beneficiaries, and healthcare providers regarding claim handling, denials, payments, and policy provisions in a caring, courteous, and professional manner.
• Process payment, denial, or requests for additional information for Wellness, Physician Consult benefits, group, and substantive products.
• Utilize existing knowledge of medical terminology, diseases, conditions, and treatments relevant to company product lines.
• Maintain satisfactory monthly performance rates for processing multiple substantive and group products.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements:

• 2+ years of experience in life/health claims or a related field.
• High School Diploma or GED required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• LOMA or AHIP coursework completed or willingness to enroll.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel; ability to type 40+ WPM.
• Strong written/verbal communication, organizational, and analytical skills.
• Ability to interpret policy provisions, prioritize tasks, and manage workload efficiently.
• Maintain a service-oriented and professional environment while collaborating with other departments.

Pay Range:

                $19.66 - $29.04/hr. 

Salary is commensurate to experience, location, etc.

At Horace Mann, we are driven by a passion for supporting educators and helping them achieve lifelong financial success. As an Application Systems Analyst Programmer, you will play a critical role in supporting, configuring, and enhancing business applications across the organization.

In this role, you will analyze user issues and enhancement requests, identify root causes, and deliver effective, cost-efficient solutions aligned with business objectives. You will serve as a key liaison between business partners and IT, ensuring systems are reliable, efficient, and user-friendly.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact for application-related issues and user inquiries

• Troubleshoot, analyze, and document system issues; recommend and implement solutions

• Communicate issue status, timelines, and resolutions clearly to stakeholders

• Provide technical support, user guidance, and training as needed

• Assist with data access, reporting, and enabling user self-service capabilities

• Collaborate with Business Analysts and Developers to design and implement system enhancements

• Develop and execute test plans to validate system changes and ensure quality

• Support help desk requests and resolve technical issues in a timely manner

• Maintain a strong understanding of business processes and supported systems

• Configure insurance products, workflows, and processing rules

• Participate in an on-call rotation to monitor nightly production cycles

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent experience)

• Working knowledge of enterprise applications and IT-supported systems

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills

• Ability to translate technical concepts for non-technical audiences

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively across teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with system testing and release validation

• Familiarity with reporting tools and data analysis

• Experience with policy administration or claims systems

• Experience with LifePRO, Hyland Perceptive, and/or Online ToolWorks SmartBatch

• Knowledge of insurance products (Annuities, Life, IUL, Supplemental Health, Group Health, Group Life)

• Experience with SQL

Salary Range:

$57,500.00 - $79,100.00  

Salary is commensurate to experience, location, etc.

#VIZI 

#LI-LM1