Vice President, Risk Management

Heritage Grocers Group•Ontario, CA

15h•$190,000 - $200,000•Onsite

About The Position

The Vice President, Risk Management reports to the Chief People Officer and provides executive leadership, strategic direction, and governance for risk management across the organization, with a focus on Health & Safety, Food Safety, and Regulatory matters. The role develops and leads an integrated strategy to identify, evaluate, mitigate, and monitor operational, financial, and strategic risks while protecting team members, assets, reputation, and business performance. The Vice President partners with cross-functional executives to incorporate risk considerations into business decisions and align insurance, claims management, loss prevention, health and safety, food safety, and regulatory compliance priorities with organizational objectives. The role establishes policies, oversight processes, and performance measures; advises executive leadership on significant exposures and mitigation priorities; and leads the risk management team and external partners in delivering effective, financially disciplined programs.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in a related field.
8–10 years of progressively responsible experience in risk management or property and casualty (P&C) insurance, including senior leadership accountability for complex, cross-functional programs.
Demonstrated ability to lead and develop teams, establish functional strategies, and hold internal and external partners accountable for results.
Strong strategic judgment and analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate risk assessments into prioritized business actions.
Demonstrated ability to influence executive stakeholders and collaborate across operations, finance, legal, and people functions to advance risk management priorities.
Strong financial and organizational acumen, including the ability to oversee budgets, interpret claims and exposure data, evaluate retained liabilities, and balance risk mitigation with business objectives.
Executive-level communication and presentation skills, with the ability to explain complex risk matters clearly and provide actionable recommendations to senior leadership.
Ability to report to and work from the assigned office location on a regular basis, subject to applicable laws and reasonable accommodation requirements.

Responsibilities

Provide executive oversight of anti-money laundering (AML) programs, establishing governance and accountability for compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Establish oversight of training records, examinations, certifications, and retraining reminders to support compliance and audit readiness.
Oversee independent third-party reviews and risk assessments for store locations across all banners and operating states.
Lead the company's insurance strategy and portfolio oversight, directing negotiations and placement to align coverage with business exposures and financial priorities.
Advise executive leadership through operational and risk reporting that communicates material exposures, trends, program performance, and recommended actions.
Direct insurance renewals, claims oversight, certificate administration, and budget planning, establishing priorities for risk minimization and prevention investments.
Set the strategic direction for risk and insurance programs, aligning loss-control priorities with organizational objectives and monitoring results.
Provide executive oversight of significant accident and injury investigations, partnering with legal counsel on evidence and materials for hearings, litigation, and insurance investigations.
Lead governance of general liability and workers' compensation programs, holding internal teams and insurance partners accountable for effective claims management and reduction of lost work time.
Partner with operations leadership to establish consistent policies and accountability for accident reporting and communication of workers' compensation benefits.
Establish governance and escalation processes for in-house handling of damages that exceed designated thresholds.
Direct the development and implementation of risk management policies and procedures supporting compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and internal and external audit requirements.
Hold regional and field leadership accountable for required OSHA and other compliance postings, with processes to identify and resolve gaps.
Lead, develop, and coach the risk management team, establishing clear goals, accountability, and effective use of resources to deliver organizational priorities.
Lead enterprise-wide risk assessment and exposure analysis, prioritizing mitigation strategies and systems to identify, evaluate, monitor, and reduce liability risks.
Set enterprise strategy and governance for workplace health, injury prevention, and safe operating practices across stores and support locations.
Partner with operations and field leadership to establish safety standards, training priorities, inspection and audit processes, and corrective-action accountability.
Oversee incident escalation and root-cause analysis, use trends to prioritize prevention investments, and monitor progress against safety performance measures.
Provide executive oversight of food safety risk governance in partnership with operations and designated food safety leaders; establish expectations for safe food handling, sanitation, temperature control, supplier-related food safety risks, and consistent execution across banners.
Oversee food safety audit trends, corrective-action follow-through, and escalation protocols for significant incidents, product withdrawals, and recalls; align response priorities with legal counsel and operational leaders to protect customers and business continuity.
Lead cross-functional governance for applicable health, safety, and food safety regulatory obligations, clarifying ownership across corporate, banner, and field teams.
Establish processes to monitor regulatory changes, assess business impacts, and translate requirements into policies, training, and operating controls.
Oversee inspection readiness, required documentation, escalation of significant findings, and timely corrective-action closure; coordinate responses to regulatory inquiries with legal counsel and accountable business leaders and report material compliance risks to executive leadership.
Champion organization-wide risk awareness and shared accountability, aligning leaders on risk management strategies and prevention priorities.
Establish reporting standards and performance measures for incident and risk assessment data, using analysis and trends to guide executive decisions and continuous improvement.
Serve as a strategic advisor to management on risk exposures, prevention, and reduction strategies, building risk management capability across the organization.
Oversee retained liabilities, claims handling, and reserve-setting processes for outstanding liabilities, partnering with finance and other stakeholders to assess financial exposure.
Establish standards and oversight for risk data quality, responses to inquiries, contract risk review, compliance activities, and training execution.
Serve as the executive liaison to legal counsel, insurers, and department leaders on significant risk matters, aligning stakeholders on mitigation strategies and resolution.