Vice President of Risk

Kokosing, Inc.; Westerville (OH); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Kokosing Inc. seeks a Vice President of Risk to lead enterprise-wide risk management for a large, self-performing heavy civil contractor.

The role directs insurance, claims, contract risk, compliance, and loss prevention, partnering with executives, operations, legal, finance, and safety to identify and mitigate risk affecting financial performance and strategic goals. Ideal candidate has 10–15 years in risk management within construction, advanced knowledge of insurance programs, and strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Risk Management, Business, Finance, Law, or a related field; or equivalent relevant experience and work history.
• 10–15 years of progressive experience in risk management, insurance, or a related role in construction or related industry.
• One or more of the following designations preferred: ARM, CRM, CIC, CPCU or other relevant designations.
• Prior leadership at a senior or executive level.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) strategy aligned with corporate objectives.
• Serve as the senior advisor to executive leadership on risk exposure, mitigation strategies, and emerging threats.
• Establish risk tolerance frameworks and governance processes across all operating companies and regions.
• Monitor insurance market trends, regulatory changes, and emerging risks affecting the construction industry.
• Oversee the design, placement, and administration of the company’s corporate insurance program across all lines of coverage.
• Oversee broker strategy, contract negotiations, and carrier relationships to optimize coverage, terms, and total cost of risk.
• Lead annual renewals, program structure decisions, and long-term risk financing strategies.
• Establish claims handling strategies, reserve methodologies, and settlement authority protocols.
• Provide executive oversight of all claim activities, ensuring effective resolution and alignment with risk objectives.
• Analyze claims data and monitoring key risk metrics to drive proactive risk mitigation.
• Collaborate with legal counsel to develop litigation strategies for insured matters.
• Partner with the legal team on contract review standards, risk transfer strategies, and insurance requirements across all projects.
• Integrate risk evaluation into all project phases, including pursuit, estimating, contract negotiation, execution, and closeout.
• Establish subcontractor prequalification risk management standards.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, insurance obligations, and contractual commitments.
• Partner with operations to drive risk ownership and embed risk management in performance frameworks.
• Develop and deliver training programs to equip field and operational leaders with risk identification and mitigation capabilities.

Skills

Risk leadership

Insurance program management

Claims oversight

Contract risk

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in risk management/finance/business

10–15 years of risk management experience

Desirable: ARM/CIC/CPCU or equivalent

Senior/executive leadership experience

Job description

Position Summary

The Vice President of Risk is responsible for leading the enterprise-wide risk management strategy for a large, self-performing heavy civil general contractor with approximately $3.1billion in annual revenue. This role provides executive leadership and direction of all risk-related functions, including insurance, claims, contract risk and compliance, and loss prevention, partnering closely with executive leadership, operations, legal, finance, and safety teams to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks that could impact the company’s financial performance, reputation, and long-term strategic objectives.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Risk Strategy and Leadership
  • Develop and execute a comprehensive Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) strategy aligned with corporate objectives.
  • Serve as the senior advisor to executive leadership on risk exposure, mitigation strategies, and emerging threats.
  • Establish risk tolerance frameworks and governance processes across all operating companies and regions.
  • Monitor insurance market trends, regulatory changes, and emerging risks affecting the construction industry.
• Insurance Program Leadership
  • Oversee the design, placement, and administration of the company’s corporate insurance program across all lines of coverage, including General liability, umbrella/excess, workers’ compensation, auto, equipment, builder’s risk, property, professional liability, pollution, cyber, D&O, crime, and specialty coverages.
  • Oversee broker strategy, contract negotiations, and carrier relationships to optimize coverage, terms, and total cost of risk.
  • Leverage insurance brokers, carriers, and surety partners as strategic advisors to identify emerging risks and innovative risk transfer solutions.
  • Build and maintain long‑term partnerships that drive continuous improvement, enhance coverage structures, and strengthen claims management outcomes.
  • Lead annual insurance renewals, program structure decisions, and long‑term risk financing strategies (including captives or alternative risk structures).
• Claims Oversight
  • Establish claims handling strategies, reserve methodologies, and settlement authority protocols to drive disciplined and efficient claims management.
  • Provide executive oversight of all claim activities, ensuring effective resolution and alignment with organizational risk objectives.
  • Analyze claims data and monitoring key risk metrics to drive proactive risk mitigation, enhance performance, and optimize total cost of risk.
  • Collaborate with legal counsel to develop litigation strategies for insured matters, particularly high‑exposure or complex cases.
• Contract Risk and Compliance
  • Partner with the legal team on contract review standards, risk transfer strategies, and insurance requirements across all projects.
  • Integrate risk evaluation into all project phases, including pursuit, estimating, contract negotiation, execution, and closeout.
  • Establish and support subcontractor prequalification risk management standards, including financial strength, safety performance, and operational capability.
  • Partner with legal and operations teams to mitigate contractual risk exposure by ensuring appropriate risk transfer and alignment with company standards.
  • Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements, insurance obligations, and contractual commitments.
• Operational Risk and Loss Prevention
  • Partner with operations and safety leadership to champion an enterprise-wide risk culture, driving accountability at all levels to minimize loss frequency and severity.
  • Embed risk management expectations into performance and leadership development frameworks while driving clear accountability across operations, estimating, and project management to strengthen risk ownership.
  • Develop and deliver training programs to equip field and operational leaders with risk identification and mitigation capabilities.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Risk Management, Business, Finance, Law, or a related field; or equivalent relevant experience and work history.
• 10–15 years of progressive experience in risk management, insurance, or a related role in construction or related industry.
• One or more of the following designations preferred: ARM, CRM, CIC, CPCU or other relevant designations.
• Prior leadership at a senior or executive level.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Deep understanding of construction risk, insurance structures, and claims management.
• Strong financial and analytical capabilities, including loss modeling and forecasting.
• Proven ability to lead large, complex insurance programs and broker relationships.
• Expertise in contract risk transfer and construction agreements.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and executive presence.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive enterprise-wide initiatives.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Relationships

• Reports to: Chief Risk Officer
• Regular interaction with: CEO, Presidents, Legal Counsel, Finance, Safety, Operations Leadership, and Board/Committee members
• Leads: Risk Management, Claims, and Insurance teams

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based with regular interaction across departments.
• Travel required (approximately 10–20%) to job sites and regional offices.
• Periodic engagement in high-pressure situations involving claims, litigation, or major incidents.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Kokosing is an equal employment opportunity/affirmative action federal and state contractor. The company does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected class.