Executive Director of Risk Management

YMCA Virginia Peninsulas•Newport News, VA

About The Position

Under the direction of the VP of Programs and Risk Management, the Executive Director of Risk Management provides executive leadership for the YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas’ child abuse prevention, enterprise risk management, safety, compliance, insurance, inspections, regulatory compliance, security strategy, and organizational readiness efforts. The role embeds safety, child protection, compliance, security, and risk awareness throughout YMCA operations through strategic direction, governance, policy oversight, training standards, investigation leadership, quality assurance, and accountability systems. The Executive Director leads the Association Risk Management Cabinet and serves on the Board Risk & Child Safety Committee. The position leads Association-wide child protection and youth safety initiatives; enterprise risk strategy; incident investigation and organizational readiness; regulatory, legal, and governance compliance; insurance, claims, inspections, and operational risk; and security infrastructure priorities. It collaborates with YMCA executives, center teams, legal counsel, insurers, regulators, law enforcement, and community partners. The role also provides leadership and development to assigned risk, safety, compliance, or related staff, and influences leaders and staff teams across the Association. Success in the role includes sustaining a proactive culture of safety and risk awareness; reducing organizational risks through effective controls and follow-through; addressing incidents, claims, allegations, audits, and regulatory matters appropriately; supporting compliance across programs, facilities, transportation, security, and business practices; equipping leaders and staff to make informed decisions; and maintaining a positive YMCA image.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
Five or more years of progressively responsible leadership experience in risk management, compliance, safety, operations, child protection, insurance, legal administration, or a related field.
Demonstrated ability to lead enterprise-wide initiatives across multiple locations.
Strong knowledge of child protection, risk management, insurance administration, compliance, emergency preparedness, organizational governance, transportation, fleet management, maintenance risk management, and security strategy.
Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, including the ability to use incident, injury, audit, inspection, and claims data in planning and decision-making.
Ability to build collaborative relationships with executive leaders, center teams, legal counsel, insurers, regulators, law enforcement, and community partners.
Ability to communicate effectively with staff members, volunteers, board members, and external partners at all levels.
CPR/First Aid/AED/O2 certification required within 60 days of hire.
Successful completion of criminal background and Child Protective Services screening.
Ability to read, analyze, and interpret policies, regulations, contracts, claims, reports, and other complex documents.
Ability to respond effectively to inquiries, complaints, incidents, investigations, and sensitive organizational matters.
Ability to apply mathematical and analytical concepts to insurance, claims, trend analysis, budget preparation, risk scoring, and operational planning.
Ability to reason through difficult problems with limited direction regarding means and results.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, maintain confidentiality, and adapt to changing contexts and organizational needs.
Ability to meet the physical demands of the position, including facility mobility, inspections, travel, and participation in Association events.

Responsibilities

Support the YMCA mission, vision, values, and goals, and promote the values of caring, honesty, respect, responsibility, and faith.
Participate in Association task forces, committees, and groups to promote center unity through Association policies, strategies, and goals.
Promote and participate in Annual Campaign, Capital, and United Way fundraising efforts.
Lead Association child abuse prevention and youth protection initiatives, policies, accountability systems, and operational standards.
Work with the Childcare Executive to advance Praesidium Accreditation and YMCA Child Abuse Prevention requirements, and to direct child protection audits and quality assurance.
Oversee child abuse prevention practices across childcare, camp, sports, aquatics, transportation, teen, and community-based programming.
Oversee responses to allegations and concerns involving child abuse, misconduct, boundary violations, or other child safety matters, including mandatory reporting and coordination with relevant agencies.
Partner with Childcare Executives on annual abuse prevention campaigns, educational initiatives, and staff development.
Lead the Association’s Enterprise Risk Management strategy and framework, including risk identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring, priorities, scorecards, benchmarks, and accountability measures.
Lead the Association Risk Management Cabinet and cross-functional safety committees, and manage their related chart of work.
Develop and implement Association-wide safety initiatives, training programs, communication strategies, and leadership accountability practices.
Work with executive leadership to strengthen organizational readiness, crisis response capabilities, and emergency preparedness.
Oversee investigation, documentation, trend analysis, and resolution of significant incidents; maintain incident reporting, escalation, corrective action, and communication standards.
Work with the Executive Team on emergency response planning and readiness for facility, aquatic, transportation, camp, and program-specific risks.
Analyze injury and incident data and prepare reports on incidents, claims, audits, inspections, and organizational risk.
Work with the Executive Team to ensure routine safety audits, facility inspections, and emergency drills are conducted throughout the Association.
Lead compliance oversight with the Childcare Compliance Executive for applicable local, state, federal, and YMCA standards, including OSHA, transportation standards, and employment regulations.
Monitor regulatory changes, coordinate implementation of compliance requirements, and oversee corrective action plans arising from audits, inspections, or compliance reviews.
Partner with legal counsel on subpoenas, investigations, claims, contracts, and risk mitigation; evaluate liability exposures and recommend risk reduction measures.
Aid contract review to ensure appropriate certificates of insurance, indemnification, and risk transfer provisions; maintain policies and procedures supporting legal compliance and risk management.
Oversee Association insurance programs, claims administration, and loss prevention initiatives, and serve as the primary liaison with insurance carriers, brokers, adjusters, and risk management partners.
Work with the VP of Programs and Risk Management to present risk, compliance, safety, and child protection updates to executive leadership and the Board of Directors.
Provide executive oversight for Association-wide inspection and maintenance risk priorities, including corrective action, follow-through, and accountability.
Provide strategic oversight of transportation operations, regulatory requirements, and fleet management practices related to risk and safety.
Work with the Property Executive on security needs assessment and strategy, and with the Director of IT on security camera systems and monitoring technologies.
Coordinate security infrastructure priorities across facilities and establish standards, accountability measures, and continuous improvement plans.
Lead, direct, and develop assigned risk, safety, compliance, or related staff; responsibilities may include training, work planning and assignment, coaching, performance management, and staff development.
Establish annual benchmarks addressing center and Association goals and objectives.
Meet position-related physical demands, including facility touring, inspections, travel to meetings and conferences, and participation in Association events.