Director of Legal, Risk & Transactions

The Prolift Rigging Company•Memphis, TN

About The Position

We are seeking a strategic risk leader to oversee front-end contract structuring, real estate agreements, and acquisition risk across the business. This role partners closely with legal, finance, and operations to identify, assess, and mitigate risk while enabling speed and growth. The individual will provide clear, data-driven recommendations to leadership, ensure alignment between contracts and operational realities, and build a continuous risk feedback loop that translates exposure into financial impact and actionable decisions.

Requirements

10 –15+ years of experience in contracts, real estate, risk management, or M&A environments
Proven background in construction, industrial services, logistics, energy, or similar operationally complex industries
Demonstrated experience supporting acquisitions, asset purchases, and contract negotiations.
Deep expertise in structuring and negotiating MSAs, subcontracts, and program agreements.
Strong understanding of risk allocation, including indemnity provisions, insurance requirements, and liability exposure.
Ability to translate risk into financial metrics, including return on capital and profitability impact
Strong communication skills with the ability to simplify complex legal and financial concepts.
Ability to assess asset condition, reliability, and long-term risk implications
Ability to connect operational incidents to contract improvements and risk mitigation strategies.
Juris Doctor (JD)

Responsibilities

Partner with the existing contract team to review, structure, and negotiate MSAs, subcontracts, and program agreements.
Establish and maintain risk tolerance guardrails, ensuring all contracts align with company-defined thresholds.
Define and communicate non-negotiables vs. flex zones to enable speed without compromising protection.
Ensure contracts reflect operational realities, insurance coverage, and field execution risk.
Continuously refining contract standards based on claims, incidents, and evolving risk exposure.
Structure leases and property agreements.
Align lease terms with customer contracts and market strategy.
Assess liability exposure and operational constraints.
Partner with the senior team and support the VP of Accounting, who leads acquisition execution, by providing independent legal and risk oversight.
Review and assessment of Liens and encumbrances (UCC), Seller solvency and bankruptcy exposure, Asset condition and long-term reliability.
Evaluate and advise on risk mitigation structures: Escrow (e.g., oil sampling, major component protection), Indemnification frameworks, Purchase price adjustments tied to identified risks.
Escalate material risks and ensure leadership has clear visibility into downside exposure.
Monitor post-close exposure related to: Indemnity claims, Escrow outcomes, Uncovered liabilities.
Provide clear recommendations for leadership.
Proceed / Pause / Reprice / Restructure based on risk-adjusted return.
Partner with Safety, Quality, and HR.
Connect incidents to contract and process improvements.
Ensure continuous risk mitigation loop.
Guide response to claims and disputes.
Quantify exposure, likelihood, and margin impact.
Advice on settlement vs defense strategy.
Build risk dashboard covering contracts, real estate, acquisitions, and claims.
Translate risk into financial statement impact and quantify the effect.
Provide prioritized mitigation actions.