The Return to Work Manager is responsible for leading the organisation’s workplace rehabilitation and injury management function, ensuring injured employees receive appropriate support to achieve safe, timely and sustainable return to work outcomes. The role provides expert guidance on workers’ compensation, injury management and rehabilitation matters.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities
Injury Management and Return to Work Coordination
- Lead the development, implementation and monitoring of return to work plans for employees recovering from workplace and non-work-related injuries.
- Coordinate rehabilitation activities and workplace adjustments to facilitate safe and sustainable return to work outcomes.
- Monitor injury cases throughout the recovery process, ensuring milestones, treatment plans and return to work objectives are achieved. With a particular focus on ensuring worker compliance and active participation in return to work process.
- Address worker non-compliance with return to work process and requirements. Ensure appropriate escalation to insurer of non-compliance.
- Ensure appropriate due diligence conducted on merits of worker injury claims. Where suspicions of illegitimate claims arise advocate effectively to prevent such claims progressing.
Workers’ Compensation and Legislative Compliance
- Manage workers’ compensation claims in collaboration with insurers, rehabilitation providers and regulatory bodies.
- Ensure compliance with relevant workers’ compensation legislation, return to work obligations and organisational policies.
- Maintain accurate case records, documentation and reporting to support compliance, audit and regulatory requirements.
- Monitor injury trends, claims performance and compliance obligations to identify improvement opportunities, reduce risk exposure and enhance organisational wellbeing outcomes.
Stakeholder Relationships
- Partner with operational leaders and key stakeholders to drive accountability, strengthen risk management capability and embed best practices across all business activities.
- Maintain and continuously improve upon RTW related reporting.
- Lead incident prevention, investigation and assurance activities while using data, reporting and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance performance and outcomes.
- Manage engagements with insurance-level stakeholders, including brokers and underwriters, workers compensation authorities, claim agents and other subject experts.
- Liaise with client counterparts and other stakeholders (e.g. regulators, legal counsel) to protect officers, mitigate legal and financial liabilities and safeguard reputation.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
Technical / Professional Skills
Essential:
- Expert return to work knowledge.
- Strong communication, influencing and decision-making capability.
Relevant Experience
Highly desirable:
- Experience within labour hire or workforce solutions.