The Risk Manager plays a vital leadership role in safeguarding the City’s people, assets, and operations. Reporting to the Controller in Finance & Asset Management, this position sets the direction for the City’s risk management, safety, and loss-control programs. The role oversees strategies that prevent and reduce loss exposure, ensures a safe and compliant workplace for employees, and manages the City’s property, liability, and workers’ compensation insurance programs. The Risk Manager provides expert guidance, leads division staff, collaborates with departments citywide, and ensures the City’s risk practices are efficient, cost-effective, and aligned with organizational goals.

Plans, organizes, develops, supervises, and coordinates the operations of the Risk Management Division, establishing policy for and managing the City's Risk Management and Safety and Loss Control programs.
Recommends selection, trains, and evaluates the performance of the staff in the Division.
Manages the preparation and administration of the budget for the Risk Management Division, working with the actuary to determine appropriate reserve projections and establishing agreements with the various City Departments to address services and premiums based on claims expenses and risk exposures.
Coordinates, prepares, and presents studies, reports, and agenda items to the City Council and other City boards or teams.
Serves as a liaison with other public agencies, insurance companies, and service providers to ensure efficient and cost-effective operation.
Oversees claim adjustment activities, including recovery, resolution and/or settlement posture within political, legal, technical and loss funding constraints.
Oversees a comprehensive claims management system that maintains a database of all claims and related activity.
Coordinates with attorneys to provide research and recommendations for legal issues concerned with safety and risk management and coordinates defense strategies with attorneys within the City Attorney's Office and with outside counsel.
Oversees the City's safety program to assure compliance with OSHA, WISHA and L&I regulations, providing selected, centralized staff training and data-base services. And providing assistance to departmental representatives to address their safety responsibilities.
Provide periodic reports to the various City Departments on their claims and worker injury activity, identifying trends and causes of accidents and making recommendations to initiate purposeful action to eliminate the causes or minimize their impact.
Establishes and reviews insurance requirements and makes recommendations for the level of risk transfer and safety measures needed to assure reasonable balance of risk for the City and its contracts and agreements.
Provides direction and supervision to staff who inspect work sites and review operating procedures to ensure compliance with state and federal safety and health regulations.
Plans, organizes, and manages insured and self-insured programs for the City's property, liability, and workers' compensation insurance programs.
Coordinates obtaining information needed by the City's broker to obtain commercial insurance, determines coverage levels, reviews bids, and makes recommendations for placing insurance or retaining risk; approves and audits all property and casualty insurance premium billing.
Develops specifications and RFPs for contracted services, negotiates and prepares contract provisions and essential documentation.
Tracks sensitive federal, state, and local legislative and regulatory issues directly affecting the City's Risk Management program and provide recommendations for the City's legislative activity.
Serves as a technical advisor to all departments on risk and safety issues.

Supervision Received and Exercised:

Works under the general supervision of the Controller.
Supervises professional and support staff either directly or through others.

Knowledge of:
- Principles and practices of administration, supervision, budgeting, and public relations.
- Principles and practices of risk management and loss control principles and techniques.
- Financial and legal requirements for developing, implementing, and administering self-insurance plans.
- OSHA regulations and safety inspection methods.
- Principles of investigation and claims adjustment.
- Federal, state, and local laws, codes, or regulations related to risk management and workers' compensation including State of Washington Labor Code.
- Medical and technical terminology used in industrial injury cases.
- Municipal government organization, operation, policies, and objectives.
- Personal computers and computer software packages related to databases, spreadsheet, and word- processing applications.
Ability to:
- Plan, organize, and manage the risk management and loss control programs, including Workers' Compensation, liability, self-insurance, and safety plans.
- Supervise and coordinate the work of the Risk Management Division.
- Implement and evaluate long-range plans for reducing City losses and costs associated with general liability, workers' compensation, property and casualty exposures.
- Analyze insurance policy provisions to determine the existence and extent of coverage.
- Analyze, classify, and rate risks, exposure, and loss expectancies.
- Negotiate and administer insurance contracts and resolve problems and issues.
- Research, evaluate, and recommend policies and programs to comply with state laws and regulations Understand, interpret, apply, and explain laws, codes, regulations, policies, and procedures.
- Conduct studies, analyze data, evaluate alternatives, and develop recommendations to resolve problems or issues.
- Communicate effectively orally and in writing.
- Prepare and present reports, correspondence, and agenda items to the City Council, City committees, and boards.
- Establish and maintain effective working relationships with department employees, City staff, elected and appointed officials, vendors and the public.
- Exercise tact and deal effectively with officials and employees of the City, other jurisdictions, and the public.

Education, Experience, and Other Requirements

Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in Finance, Business, or Public Administration.
Five or more years of professional related experience (preferably in the public sector) in areas of risk management as applicable to the specific position being applied for and significant supervisory responsibility for professional and support staff.
Or any equivalent combination of education, experience, and training that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
Certification in risk management preferred.

Physical Demands

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Work involves walking, talking, hearing, using hands to handle, feel or operate objects, tools, or controls and reach with hands and arms.
Vision abilities required by this job include close vision and the ability to adjust focus.
The employee may be required to push, pull, lift, and/or carry up to 20 pounds.
The noise level in the work environment is usually moderately quiet.

FLEXIBLE/HYBRID WORKING:

A hybrid work schedule is available for this position after an orientation period. Remote work for this position is subject to the department's operational needs and will be discussed with candidates during the selection process. Full-time remote work is not an available option. Once hired, employees must reside in the State of Washington and within reasonable commuting distance to Bellevue City Hall.

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Risk Manager