Director of Risk

El Pollo Loco•Costa Mesa, CA

14d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Risk will own the company’s risk management program and strategy and the company’s asset protection program across all corporate restaurant locations as well as the company’s corporate headquarters. This person will oversee general liability insurance and workers’ compensation claims and loss prevention end-to-end, develop close relationships with vendors and insurance carriers, identify loss and safety trends, partner closely with Operations and Human Resources to build trainings and practical protocols to reduce incidents, protect people and property, and control total cost of risk.

Requirements

Ten+ years of experience in risk management, claims, safety, and/or asset protection, and demonstrated experience delivering results in performing the core duties and responsibilities described above.
Valid Driver's License Required
Exceptional communication and presentation skills.
Deep understanding of both the franchisee business model and QSR/Restaurant Industry.
Train-the-trainer experience, coaching and willingness to develop others.
Strong leadership skills and the ability to motivate and guide restaurant teams.
Confidence in execution of strategic initiatives.
Must be decisive and able to make fact-based decisions.
Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset and skills; meticulous attention to detail
Ability to effectively communicate with internal and external business partners.
Ability to prioritize and plan work assignments and work under pressure of frequent and tight deadlines.
High level of proficiency with technology including Microsoft Office Suite applications, customized database applications, and internet research tools.
Adept at managing and prioritizing competing time sensitive requests while working well in a team atmosphere that may be under pressure.
Ability to exercise independent judgment on matters of significance to the company.
Ability to report to the Support Center as required for cross-collaborative work with business partners and other corporate functions.
Must be willing and able to travel to restaurant sites as needed by car or airplane.

Nice To Haves

Certification(s) such as ARM, CPCU, CIRM, ASP/CSP, or similar and multi-site retail or restaurant experience strongly preferred.
Franchise system experience and familiarity with franchisor/franchisee risk boundaries strongly preferred.
Bachelor’s degree in related filed strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Assist in developing the Core Crisis Team protocols and chairs the restaurant safety hotline.
Publish dashboards and KPIs: frequency/severity, lag time to report, claim cycle time, open reserves, mod rate, claim and incident costs, and cost per restaurant.
Maintain compliance with internal policies and required postings/processes; support audits and regulatory inquiries.
Build annual risk plan; prioritize initiatives by ROI and operational lift.
Lead all property, general liability, crime, and other insured claims from notice through closure.
Partner with brokers, carriers, TPAs, defense counsel, and adjusters.
Build claim intake, investigation, documentation, and escalation standards; train field teams to use them.
Track reserves, settlements, recoveries, and subrogation; drive timely, well-supported claim outcomes.
Support annual policy renewals: exposure data, loss runs, underwriting narratives, broker and carrier relationship management, and program recommendations.
Own the workers’ comp program: reporting, investigations, return-to-work, accommodations, and claim resolution.
Partner with HR and Operations to improve injury reporting speed, medical management, and modified duty plans.
Audit clinic/occupational provider performance and TPA handling; correct gaps and reduce friction for employees.
Analyze incident data to identify patterns (slips/trips/falls, cuts, burns, violence, fleet, ergonomic, etc.) and produce actionable data reports for operations and human resources teams.
Develop restaurant-ready safety protocols, checklists, and SOPs; align with Ops execution and labor practices.
Build and run training programs for managers and crews; measure completion, field adoption, and impact.
Lead root-cause reviews for serious incidents; drive corrective action plans and verify closeout.
Run loss prevention strategy: cash handling, theft, fraud, robbery deterrence, access controls, and CCTV standards.
Partner with IT/Security and Ops on alarm monitoring, key control, safe standards, and incident response.
Support operations team in deign and delivery of workplace violence and de-escalation training programs
Support investigations of internal/external theft, fraud, and misconduct; maintain chain-of-custody and documentation.
Other tasks as needed.