Director of Risk Management

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

The Director, Risk Management, leads the Company’s enterprise risk management function, including workers’ compensation, general liability, auto, property, safety, claims, litigation, insurance programs, vendor risk transfer, regulatory compliance, and third-party administrator (TPA) oversight. The position partners with Operations, Human Resources, Legal, Finance, Loss Prevention, Facilities, our insurance brokers and carriers, and other business leaders to identify exposures, reduce claim frequency and severity, protect Company assets, and support a strong safety and risk-management culture across all locations.

Job Responsibilities

·      Lead the Company’s risk-financing strategy, including self-insurance, commercial insurance, deductibles/SIRs, or alternative risk arrangements, and broker/carrier relationships.

·      Develop and execute annual insurance renewal strategies; review coverage, limits, deductibles, policy terms, endorsements, exposures, and Statements of Values (SOVs) for accuracy and adequacy.

·      Establish departmental goals, service standards, key performance indicators, and reporting that measure claim outcomes, loss trends, safety performance, and total cost of risk.

·      Identify and prioritize current and emerging risks affecting retail, distribution, transportation, corporate, and other Company operations; recommend practical controls and mitigation strategies.

·      Serve as the Company’s senior technical resource on insurance, claims, litigation, safety, regulatory compliance, and contractual risk transfer matters.

Job Duties

·      Direct the handling of workers’ compensation, general liability, auto, property, employment-related, cyber, D&O, fiduciary, and other insured or self-insured claims in a high-volume, multi-location environment.

·      Lead the selection, hiring, implementation, and ongoing administration of TPAs and other claims service providers, including RFPs, due diligence, contract/service-level review, onboarding, performance measurement, audits, stewardship meetings, and corrective-action plans.

·      Evaluate TPA performance using claim outcomes, reserve accuracy, closure rates, litigation rates, reporting timeliness, customer service, recovery/subrogation results, and other agreed key performance indicators.

·      Manage significant and litigated claims from referral through resolution. Lead the collaboration and work closely with defense counsel, TPAs, carriers, and internal stakeholders on strategy, discovery, depositions, expert selection, mediation, trial preparation, and case budgeting.

·      Perform and document settlement-versus-litigation evaluations based on liability, damages, venue, evidence, legal defenses, expected defense costs, potential verdict exposure, business considerations, and available insurance; make settlement authority recommendations to senior management as appropriate.

·      Select, retain, manage, and evaluate defense counsel and other experts; establish litigation guidelines, review legal budgets and invoices, and hold counsel accountable for timely reporting and case strategy.

·      Conduct regular workers’ compensation and general liability claim reviews; challenge reserves and action plans where appropriate and monitor large-loss, catastrophic, complex, and high-exposure matters.

·      Analyze loss runs, claim trends, claim reserves, Incurred But Not Reported (IBNR) reserves, frequency, severity, and total cost of risk to identify adverse trends and recommend targeted loss-control actions.

·      Oversee incident reporting, evidence preservation, claim intake, data quality, claim-system reporting, and timely notice to TPAs, carriers, excess insurers, and other interested parties.

·      Develop and manage annual insurance renewals with brokers and carriers, including exposure collection, applications, loss information, SOV accuracy, coverage analysis, policy review, and renewal recommendations.

·      Manage broker, carrier, TPA, and vendor relationships and periodically evaluate service, cost, responsiveness, expertise, and overall program value.

·      Review contracts for insurance and risk-transfer requirements, including indemnification, defense, additional insured status, primary/noncontributory wording, waiver of subrogation, certificates of insurance, and required endorsements.

·      Direct and oversee safety and loss-prevention programs designed to reduce employee injuries, customer incidents, vehicle accidents, property losses, and other operational exposures.

·      Oversee or support compliance with applicable OSHA/Cal-OSHA requirements, the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP), California workplace violence prevention requirements, required safety training, incident investigations, and corrective-action tracking.

·      Partner with Operations and site leadership on safety inspections, hazard correction, near-miss reporting, root-cause analysis, and measurable action plans for locations or departments with adverse loss trends.

·      Provide management with clear risk dashboards and reports covering claim frequency, severity, reserves, litigation, safety performance, insurance costs, emerging risks, and significant loss activity.

·      Train and develop Risk Management team members and provide practical risk, claims, insurance, and safety education to managers and other employees.

·      Build effective working relationships with Finance, Legal, Human Resources, Operations, Loss Prevention, Facilities, Safety, and other departments so that risk issues are identified early and addressed consistently.

Job Requirements

·      10+ years of progressive risk management, claims, commercial insurance, or related experience, preferably in a multi-location retail, grocery, distribution, or similarly complex operating environment.

·      Demonstrated experience selecting, hiring, implementing, and administering TPAs, including performance reviews, audits, service-level expectations, and claim escalation.

·      Demonstrated experience managing litigated claims and working with defense counsel, including settlement-versus-litigation evaluations, mediation strategy, legal budgets, and settlement authority recommendations.

·      Strong working knowledge of workers’ compensation, general liability, auto, property, employment practices, cyber, D&O, fiduciary, and other commercial insurance coverages.

·      Working knowledge of self-insured or high-deductible/SIR programs, claim reserves, loss development, IBNR concepts, and loss-trend analysis.

·      Knowledge of OSHA/Cal-OSHA, IIPP, workplace violence prevention, incident investigation, safety training, and multi-site loss-prevention practices.

·      Experience in development of all facets of retail chain store SOV’s.

·      Experience reviewing contracts, indemnification provisions, insurance requirements, COIs, and endorsements is strongly preferred.

·      5+ years of experience leading, mentoring, and developing employees or teams.

·      Strong analytical, financial, written, verbal, negotiation, and presentation skills; able to explain complex risk issues in practical business terms.

·      Ability to manage multiple priorities, large claims, litigation deadlines, insurance renewals, and time-sensitive operational issues with strong attention to detail.

·      Retail or grocery experience is highly preferred. Bilingual English/Spanish capability is preferred but not required.

·      Professional risk/insurance designation such as ARM, CRM, CPCU, or similar credential is highly preferred but not required.

Physical Requirements

·      Must work on premises at the main office. Will be required to travel to all store locations or offsite events as needed.

·      Operate standard office equipment: computer/laptop, telephone, cell phone, copy machines, etc.

·      Lifting, carrying up to 25 lbs.

·      Bending, stooping, reaching below shoulder, reaching above shoulder.

Education

·      Bachelor’s degree required.

·      Bachelor’s degree in risk management, business, finance, safety, insurance, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered depending on Company policy.