Senior Director, Risk Management & Insurance

SOLV Energy is a leading provider of infrastructure services to the power industry, designing, building and maintaining utility scale solar, battery storage and high voltage substation projects nationwide.

Job Description Summary:

The Senior Director, Risk Management & Construction Risk serves as the Company's senior risk leader and trusted advisor to executive leadership. This role is responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive risk management strategy that supports the Company's operational, financial, and growth objectives.

The Senior Director provides enterprise-wide leadership across risk management, insurance, surety, claims, contractual risk transfer, alternative risk financing, and loss prevention. Working closely with Operations, Preconstruction, Safety, Fleet, Finance, Human Resources, and Legal, this leader ensures risk management is integrated into key business decisions and project execution strategies.

This position will play a critical role in strengthening the Company's risk profile, enhancing surety capacity, reducing total cost of risk, and evaluating sophisticated risk financing solutions, including captive insurance and self-insurance structures.

This role is fully remote. Specific location details and expectations will be discussed during the interview process.

Job Description:

*This job description reflects management's assignment of essential functions; it does not prescribe or restrict the tasks that may be assigned

Position Responsibilities and Duties:

Enterprise Risk Management & Strategic Leadership:

• Lead and continuously enhance the Company's Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) framework.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership and the Board on enterprise, operational, financial, contractual, and emerging risks.
• Develop and maintain enterprise risk assessments, risk registers, and key risk indicators (KRIs).
• Establish executive-level risk reporting and dashboards that support informed decision-making.
• Facilitate enterprise risk reviews and strategic planning discussions across business functions.
• Identify and evaluate emerging risks impacting construction operations, workforce planning, project delivery, market conditions, cybersecurity, environmental exposures, and regulatory compliance.
• Participate in major business initiatives, acquisitions, geographic expansion opportunities, and strategic investments to provide risk-based guidance.

Construction Risk & Operational Partnership:

• Partner closely with Operations and Preconstruction teams to assess risk associated with project pursuits and execution.
• Support go/no-go decisions through evaluation of project-specific risks, contract structures, delivery methods, labor availability, financial exposure, and owner qualifications.
• Assist project leadership teams in identifying and managing operational risks throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop risk assessment protocols for large, complex, or non-traditional projects.
• Participate in strategic reviews of major projects and emerging operational exposures.

Insurance Program Leadership:

• Provide executive oversight of all corporate and project-specific insurance programs, including:
  • General Liability
  • Workers' Compensation
  • Commercial Automobile
  • Umbrella and Excess Liability
  • Builder's Risk
  • Professional Liability
  • Pollution Liability
  • Property Insurance
  • Cyber Liability
  • Executive Liability Coverages
• Lead annual insurance renewals and long-term insurance strategy development.
• Negotiate coverage structures, retentions, limits, and pricing with brokers and insurance carriers.
• Maintain strong relationships with insurers, brokers, and underwriting partners.
• Evaluate emerging insurance solutions and recommend program enhancements.
• Benchmark insurance programs against industry peers and best practices.
• Oversee insurance audits and ensure accurate reporting and premium allocations.
• Manage project-specific insurance placements and controlled insurance programs (OCIPs/CCIPs) when applicable.

Alternative Risk Financing & Captive Strategy:

• Lead the evaluation and development of alternative risk financing strategies.
• Conduct feasibility studies related to captive insurance, self-insurance, large deductible programs, and other risk-retention structures.
• Develop financial models evaluating Total Cost of Risk (TCOR), reserve requirements, and long-term financial impact.
• Partner with actuaries, captive managers, legal counsel, auditors, and tax advisors to develop recommendations.
• Present business cases and strategic recommendations to executive leadership.
• Oversee implementation and governance of approved alternative risk financing programs.

Surety Program Management:

• Lead the Company's surety bonding strategy and program management.
• Maintain and strengthen relationships with surety companies, brokers, and underwriters.
• Monitor aggregate bonding capacity and ensure alignment with backlog and growth objectives.
• Coordinate financial and operational reporting for surety partners.
• Negotiate bond terms, rates, collateral requirements, and program structures.
• Provide executive leadership with forecasting and analyses regarding surety capacity and future project opportunities.

Claims Management & Loss Reduction:

• Provide strategic oversight of all workers' compensation, liability, builder's risk, automobile, environmental, and professional liability claims.
• Establish claims management practices that reduce claim frequency, severity, and overall cost.
• Manage complex, high-severity, and litigated claims in partnership with legal counsel and third-party administrators.
• Monitor claim development, reserve adequacy, and litigation strategy.
• Analyze loss trends and identify opportunities for operational improvements and enhanced loss prevention.
• Report significant claims activity and risk exposures to executive leadership.

Contract Risk Transfer & Legal Partnership:

• Oversee review and negotiation of risk-related provisions within:
  • Construction contracts
  • Subcontracts
  • Joint venture agreements
  • Design agreements
  • Professional service agreements
  • Vendor contracts
  • Equipment leases
  • Real estate development agreements
• Partner with Legal and Operations teams to negotiate indemnification, limitation of liability, insurance, warranty, and dispute resolution provisions.
• Establish and maintain company-wide contractual risk standards and review processes.
• Ensure contractual obligations align with insurance coverage and corporate risk tolerance.

Safety, Fleet & Loss Prevention Partnership:

• Partner with Safety and Fleet leadership to develop enterprise-wide loss reduction strategies.
• Utilize claims and operational data to identify trends and target high-risk activities.
• Support initiatives designed to reduce workers' compensation, general liability, and fleet-related losses.
• Review and monitor key performance indicators, including:
  • Experience Modification Rate (EMR)
  • OSHA metrics
  • Incident rates
  • Vehicle accident trends
  • Near-miss reporting
  • Safety audit results
• Quantify and communicate the financial impact of safety and risk-control initiatives.
• Present integrated Risk, Safety, and Fleet performance reports to executive leadership.

Leadership & Team Development:

• Build and lead a high-performing risk management organization.
• Mentor and develop team members while establishing a strong succession pipeline.
• Foster a collaborative culture focused on continuous improvement, innovation, accountability, and business partnership.
• Champion a proactive risk culture throughout the organization.
• Serve as the organization's primary resource for risk management education and awareness.

Minimum Skills or Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Risk Management, Insurance, Finance, Business Administration, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field required.
• MBA, Master's Degree in Risk Management, or related advanced degree preferred.
• 15+ years of progressive experience in enterprise risk management, project risk, construction risk, insurance, or operational risk within EPC, industrial construction, energy, infrastructure, or related sectors.
• Significant experience managing large-scale insurance and risk financing programs.
• Demonstrated success overseeing surety programs supporting large and complex construction projects.
• Experience with captive insurance, self-insurance, large deductible programs, or alternative risk financing structures strongly preferred.
• Proven track record managing complex claims and litigation matters.
• Experience partnering directly with executive leadership teams and Boards of Directors.
• Strong understanding of construction operations, project delivery methods, and contractual risk environments.

Preferred Professional Certifications:

• CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter)
• CRM (Certified Risk Manager)
• ARM (Associate in Risk Management)
• CRIS (Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist)
• ACI (Associate in Captive Insurance)

Key Competencies:

• Strategic Leadership & Business Acumen
• Enterprise Risk Management
• Construction Operations Knowledge
• Insurance & Alternative Risk Financing Expertise
• Surety & Contract Risk Management
• Financial Analysis & Total Cost of Risk Modeling
• Executive Communication & Board Presentation Skills
• Negotiation & Relationship Management
• Cross-Functional Leadership & Influence
• Data Analytics & Decision-Making
• Team Development & Organizational Leadership

Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the U.S. without requiring employer sponsorship now or in the future.

SOLV Energy Is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At SOLV Energy we celebrate the power of our differences. We are committed to building diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces that improve our communities. SOLV Energy prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind against an employee or applicant based on race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, or ethnicity, mental or physical disability, veteran status, parental status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Benefits:

Employees (and their families) are eligible for medical, dental, vision, basic life and disability insurance. Employees can enroll in our company’s 401(k) plan and are provided vacation, sick and holiday pay.

Compensation Range:

$181,566.00 - $241,483.00

Pay Rate Type:

Salary

SOLV Energy does not accept unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes from third-party recruiters or staffing agencies. We require all third-party recruiters to communicate exclusively with our internal talent acquisition team. SOLV Energy will not pay a placement fee to any third-party recruiter or agency that has not coordinated their recruiting activity with the appropriate member of our internal talent acquisition team.

In addition, candidate introductions or resumes can only be submitted to our internal talent acquisition recruiting team if a signed vendor agreement is already on file and the third-party recruiter or agency has received formal instructions from our internal talent acquisition team to submit candidates for a particular job posting.

Any unsolicited candidate introductions, referrals or resumes sent by third-party recruiters to SOLV Energy or directly to any of our employees, or received through our website or career portal, will be considered property of SOLV Energy and will not be eligible for a placement fee. In the event a third-party recruiter submits a resume or refers a candidate without a previously signed vendor agreement, SOLV Energy explicitly reserves the right to pursue and hire the candidate(s) without financial liability to such third-party recruiter.

Job Number:

If you’re interested in a meaningful career with a brighter future, join the SOLV Energy Team.

Originally posted on Himalayas