Trade Partner Risk Manager

Rogers-O'Brien Construction•Dallas, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Rogers-O'Brien Construction is seeking a skilled Trade Partner Risk Manager to lead the evaluation, mitigation, and ongoing monitoring of trade partner risk across our expanding Texas footprint. This role is central to protecting project outcomes, client commitments, and the firm's balance sheet as we continue to grow in scale and geographic reach. The Trade Partner Risk Manager will serve as the subject matter expert on subcontractor financial health and default risk, partnering closely with Preconstruction, Operations, and the firm's surety and insurance partners. The successful candidate will bring a distinctive blend of financial analysis rigor, construction operations fluency, and the judgment required to make nuanced decisions on behalf of the enterprise.

Requirements

Financial analysis and risk assessment skills to evaluate subcontractor financial health and default risk.
CPA, CCIFP, AFSB, or CFSP designation or relevant experience in construction risk, surety underwriting, Subcontractor Default Insurance, construction banking or credit, forensic accounting, or general contractor-side trade partner risk management.
Strong working knowledge of subcontract risk mitigation tools and Texas construction law fundamentals.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to deliver difficult messages with credibility.
High degree of intellectual honesty and documentation discipline.
Builder's mindset that treats Operations as a partner rather than a gatekeeper.
Strong judgment with the ability to exercise discretion where checklists are insufficient.
Experience with prequalification platforms such as TradeTapp, Highwire, Compass, or Building Connected.
Exposure to Texas subcontractor market dynamics across multiple regions.

Responsibilities

Review and adjudicate trade partner prequalifications that exceed established guidelines, including single-job and aggregate exposure limits, financial thresholds, safety metrics, and qualitative risk factors, by performing deep-dive financial analysis of contractor statements, bonding capacity, backlog quality, working capital trends, and related indicators.
Document rationale for every exception decision to establish a defensible audit trail and inform future scoring models by partnering with Preconstruction and Estimating to integrate risk review into bid and award processes without creating schedule friction.
Design tailored mitigation plans calibrated to each trade partner's risk profile, including joint check agreements, funds control, Subcontractor Default Insurance enrollment, payment and performance bonds, parent guarantees, enhanced retention, billing caps, and dual-obligee requirements.
Ensure mitigation provisions are incorporated into subcontract exhibits and clearly communicated to project teams by coordinating with the firm's surety partners, SDI carrier, and insurance broker on trade partner matters.
Establish and maintain a structured monitoring cadence with Operations leadership for flagged trade partners, track leading indicators of distress, including slow payment to lower tiers, manpower curves, lien notices, schedule slippage, and change order disputes.
Define and operate a clear escalation protocol to the VP of Risk, CFO, and Regional leadership by leading post-project risk reviews and feeding learnings back into the prequal model and mitigation playbook.
Own the firm's prequalification platform, scoring methodology, and associated policies by recalibrating guideline thresholds annually based on actual loss data, near-miss experience, and market conditions.
Deliver training to Project Managers, Superintendents, and Project Accountants on early warning signs and escalation pathways by serving as the internal expert on Texas construction lien law, prompt pay, and trust fund statute as they relate to trade partner risk.
Partner with Preconstruction and Operations to develop and implement strategies to reduce and mitigate trade partner risk through effective communication, training, and education.
Collaborate with the firm's surety partners, SDI carrier, and insurance broker to ensure that trade partner risk is properly assessed, mitigated, and monitored.
Develop and maintain relationships with trade partners, subcontractors, and suppliers to promote open communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.
Stay up-to-date with industry trends, best practices, and regulatory changes that impact trade partner risk management.