Job Title: Director of Risk Management and Safety
Location: Honolulu, HI
Position Summary
The Director of Risk Management & Safety is responsible for the strategic oversight and day-to-day administration of the company’s risk management, insurance, workplace safety, and workers’ compensation programs for a diverse workforce of approximately 5,000 employees of the company and affiliated entities supported by the company. This role ensures compliance with Hawaii-specific regulatory requirements, minimizes financial and operational risk, reduces workplace injuries, and supports a safe work environment across retail stores, distribution, offices, and support operations. This is a hands-on role and partners closely with Operations, HR, Legal, Finance, and third-party vendors to proactively manage claims, safety programs, and loss prevention initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
Risk Management & Insurance
- Develop and manage the enterprise risk management strategy across all business entities.
- Oversee insurance programs, including:
- Workers’ compensation
- General liability
- Auto liability
- Property
- Umbrella/excess coverage
- Serve as primary liaison with insurance brokers, carriers, TPAs, and legal counsel.
- Assist with annual insurance renewals, exposure data, and loss runs.
- Partner with Finance/VP of HR on premiums, reserves, claims forecasting, and budgeting.
- Oversee claims trends at a macro & micro level and cost-of-risk modeling.
- Report risk exposure and trends to CEO, VP of HR, and senior leadership.
- Support business continuity, incident response, and crisis management planning.
Workers’ Compensation (WC) Administration
- Oversee the full lifecycle of workers’ compensation claims under Hawaii WC laws, including:
- First report of injury
- Claims investigation and documentation
- Coordination with TPAs and medical providers
- Return-to-work and transitional duty programs
- Train managers in injury reporting, documentation, and employee communications.
- Ensure timely reporting and compliance with the Hawaii Department of Labor & Industrial Relations (DLIR).
- Monitor WC costs, experience modification rates (EMR), and claim performance.
- Coordinate with defense counsel on litigated claims
- Assist with all types of insurance settlement negotiations, including worker’s compensation within authority
- Prepare documentation and summaries for hearings, mediations, and appeals
- Analyze claims trends and implement loss reduction strategies.
- Partner with HR and Legal on claim disputes, litigation, and settlements.
Financial Oversight & Cost Control
- Oversee the total cost of workers’ compensation (indemnity, medical, expenses)
- Oversee WC budgets, reserves, and forecasts
- Works with CEO, VP of HR, and senior leadership to set key performance indicators (KPI’s) or metrics to meet overall cost cutting initiatives.
- Analyze loss trends and drive long-term cost reduction initiatives.
- Evaluate deductible levels, self-insurance structures, or captives (with Risk/Finance)
Third-Party Administrator (TPA) & Vendor Oversight
- Manage, and hold TPAs accountable
- Set service standards, KPIs, and audit expectations
- Oversee relationships with:
- Medical provider networks
- Utilization review vendors
- Nurse case management
- IME providers
- Defense counsel
- Escalate and resolve systemic performance issues
Safety & Loss Prevention
- Lead the company-wide safety, security, and emergency planning program across all business entity operations.
- Develop and conduct proactive safety training, increase engagement, training, and accountability
- Collaborate development and implementation of preventive security training and programs with director of security
- Ensure director of security perform security audits related performance and conduct physical surveys of premise security, including security equipment condition.
- Develop and conduct emergency training plans
- Develop, implement, and maintain safety policies and procedures aligned with:
- Hawaii OSHA (HIOSH)
- Federal OSHA standards
- Grocery/retail best practices
- Conduct safety audits, inspections, and hazard assessments at store and facility levels, including audits of food safety.
- Investigate serious incidents and near misses; implement corrective action plans.
- Partner with Operations to address ergonomic risks, material handling, slips/trips/falls, and equipment safety.
- Oversee safety training programs for managers and employees.
Compliance & Regulatory Oversight
- Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local safety and workers’ compensation regulations.
- Maintain OSHA logs, injury records, and required postings.
- Support regulatory audits, inspections, and inquiries.
- Maintain documentation and reporting across all business entities.
- Partner with Legal on:
- Litigation strategy and risk exposure
- Regulatory compliance and audits
- Contractual risk transfer (indemnification, insurance requirements)
- Monitor changes in laws affecting risk exposure (labor, safety, construction, etc.)
- Oversight of ensuring workplace is free of hazardous materials.
Cross-Functional Partnership
- Partner with:
- Operations on store-level safety execution
- HR on employee relations, accommodations, and return-to-work
- Legal regarding claims, litigation, and labor-related risks
- Finance on cost control and insurance strategy
- Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on risk exposure and mitigation strategies.
- Support labor relations matters where safety or WC issues intersect with union activity.
Leadership & Program Management
- Develop safety, security, and risk management standards across all business entities.
- Influence and guide leaders.
- Lead vendor relationships and ensure service-level accountability.
- Prepare reports and presentations for VP of HR as needed.
- Set department goals, metrics, and budgets
- Develop policies and standards for risk management practices
- Mentor and develop risk manager
- Influence executive decision-making through risk-based insights
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in risk management, Safety, Human Resources, Business, or related field.
- 7+ years of progressive experience in:
- Workers’ compensation
- Risk management
- Workplace safety
- Strong knowledge of Hawaii workers’ compensation laws and HIOSH requirements.
- Experience working with insurance carriers, TPAs, brokers, and legal counsel.
- Strong analytical, communication, and critical thinking skills.
Preferred
- Experience supporting large, multi-site retail or grocery operations.
- Experience supporting unionized workforces.
- Experience in grocery, retail, distribution, or hospitality environments.
- Experience managing programs across multiple legal entities.
Physical & Work Environment
- Regular travel to stores and facilities across Hawaii.
- Ability to conduct onsite safety inspections.
- Hybrid office role.