Vice President of Risk Management

Blach Construction•San Jose, CA

3d•$225,000 - $300,000•Onsite

About The Position

Blach Construction is seeking a Vice President of Risk Management to support the company’s continued growth by managing risk across the business. Reporting to the President and serving on the Blach Leadership Team, the VP balances risk protection with business opportunity, advising on growth strategy, major legal issues, and project contract and insurance strategy. This is a newly created executive role with latitude to shape the function. The VP works closely with leaders across Operations, Preconstruction, Finance, and HR and serves as a trusted advisor on decisions that shape Blach’s future. The position has executive ownership of risk, safety, and the company’s Captive insurance program. It leads the risk team and oversees insurance, surety and bonding, subcontractor prequalification, contracts, project compliance, claims, legal matters, and risk policy governance. The VP guides risk decisions throughout the project lifecycle, oversees major incidents and claims, and establishes protocols, standards, and training to reduce risk and support safe, compliant project delivery. The role is based at Blach Construction’s headquarters in San Jose, California, with regular travel to the Monterey and Orange regional offices and jobsites. Blach Construction is an employee-owned builder and construction manager founded in 1970, with operations across the Bay Area, the Central Coast, and Southern California.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, engineering, business, risk management, or a related field.
15 or more years of progressive experience in construction risk management, insurance, construction law, or construction operations, including at least 5 years in a senior leadership role.
Hands-on leadership of a contractor insurance program, including renewals, broker and carrier relationships, and claims.
Experience overseeing or closely partnering with a construction safety program, including Cal/OSHA matters.
Experience negotiating prime agreements and subcontracts across delivery methods, including design-build, on large commercial and public projects.
Executive presence, sound judgment, and excellent communication skills, with credibility among the President, owners, sureties, carriers, and counsel.
Strong understanding of construction contract law, insurance, surety, and risk transfer, with negotiation skills that balance risk mitigation with project and client relationships.
Financial acumen, including the ability to read contractor financial statements and WIP schedules, understand their effect on bonding capacity, and turn loss and premium data into recommendations.
Ability to manage multiple priorities across Blach’s three regions.
Proficiency with contract, insurance-tracking, and safety management software.

Nice To Haves

JD.
Experience with a group captive.
Background with a commercial general contractor or construction manager.
Working knowledge of California public works compliance.
Professional designation such as ARM, CPCU, CRIS, or CSP.

Responsibilities

Lead the company’s overall risk approach as a member of the Leadership Team and advise the President on growth strategy, major legal issues, and project contract and insurance strategy.
Keep the President and Leadership Team informed about significant and changing risks and mitigation efforts.
Bring risk judgment to go/no-go decisions, contract strategy, and delivery models, from pursuit through project closeout.
Lead responses to major incidents, claims, and crises; establish escalation protocols and authority levels for claim reserves and settlements.
Build, develop, and coach the risk team, including the Senior Safety Manager and staff working across insurance, contracts, and compliance.
Train project teams on contracts, insurance, and claim avoidance, embedding risk awareness in project planning and execution.
Hold executive ownership of safety and the Captive insurance program, directing the teams responsible for day-to-day operations.
Represent Blach to its general liability, auto, and workers’ compensation Captive; oversee its performance and connect safety outcomes, claims, and loss trends to Captive costs.
Set the vision, culture, standards, and priorities for the safety program, including policies, training, hazard identification, incident and emergency management, workplace violence prevention, subcontractor safety oversight, technology, and continuous improvement.
Own Blach’s Cal/OSHA regulatory posture and report safety and Captive performance, including EMR, incident rates, and loss trends, to the President and Leadership Team.
Oversee the design, placement, and administration of insurance beyond the Captive, including property, builder’s risk, professional and pollution, D&O, cyber, crime, and specialty coverage.
Manage broker and carrier relationships, lead annual renewals, and structure coverage, limits, and deductibles to reduce total cost of risk.
Set project insurance strategies, including builder’s risk, OCIP/CCIP, and project-specific coverage, and ensure recovery for insured losses.
Set insurance requirements in owner and subcontract agreements and oversee subcontractor insurance compliance.
Oversee the Subcontractor Default Insurance (SDI) program, including enrollment decisions, claims, and program performance.
Partner with the President and Finance on surety and surety broker relationships, annual reviews, and underwriter access.
Support bonding capacity planning, renewals, terms, and indemnity requirements; work with Finance on financial statements, WIP reporting, and backlog; and advise Operations and Preconstruction on capacity deployment.
Involve the surety early on large or high-risk projects and coordinate communication about claims, defaults, and subcontractor failures.
Manage subcontractor prequalification by evaluating financial strength, safety performance, licensing, bonding capacity, and insurance, and set single and aggregate exposure limits.
Work with Preconstruction and Operations to identify subcontractor risks, develop Risk Mitigation Plans for higher-risk trade partners, and evaluate subcontractor performance at closeout.
Work with Operations executives to negotiate prime agreements across delivery methods, including AIA and design-build, and address bond, indemnity, and insurance provisions.
Maintain standard subcontract templates and oversee other agreements; support project teams with revisions to standard terms.
Set standard positions on key contract terms, including indemnity, insurance, limitation of liability, delay, and design responsibility, and maintain contract review checklists.
Partner with Preconstruction and Operations to identify contract risk during bidding and buyout.
Lead project-level risk management, including subcontractor insurance tracking, SDI enrollment, lien releases, and required state filings.
Oversee public works compliance, including prevailing wage and certified payroll, Skilled and Trained Workforce requirements, apprenticeship ratios, subcontractor licensing, and DIR Public Works Contractor registration.
Manage owner insurance documentation and OCIP/CCIP enrollment, PLA and PSA compliance, and DOJ fingerprinting.
Manage major legal claims and dispute resolution, including investigations, litigation strategy, settlement recommendations, and selection, direction, and cost of outside counsel.
Lead regular claims reviews with Operations, tracking loss trends, reserves, and lessons learned to reduce claim frequency and severity.
Oversee risk policy governance, licensing and regulatory compliance, employment-related risk in partnership with HR, and records retention.

Benefits

Competitive base salary and performance bonuses.
Three weeks of paid vacation to start, increasing to four weeks after five years.
Holidays and sick leave.
Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
401(k) with company match.
Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP).
Long-term disability.
Paid parental leave.
Student loan paydown.
Education assistance.
Wellness reimbursement.