Risk Manager
About the job
- A BA/BS degree.
- Approximately 5–10 years of industry experience.
- Experience serving in a Project Manager or higher operations position, a risk-related management role, or an insurance background.
- Skill in reviewing and negotiating a wide variety of construction contracts, including lump-sum, CMAR, design-build, LLB, and IPD agreements, as well as subcontracts and other agreement terms and conditions.
- Experience managing and mitigating construction-industry risks, particularly in general contracting for private commercial, institutional, and public entities and across a variety of project sizes and types.
- General knowledge of construction-industry insurance programs, including high-deductible, captive, and OCIP/CCIP programs.
- Strong oral and written communication skills and the ability to work positively with team members and peers, using diplomacy and motivation to influence others.
- Exceptional analytical skills, including the ability to assess risks associated with company strategy or specific projects and develop mitigation strategies; analyze complex matters and propose solutions; and develop and improve processes to control and mitigate operational risks.
- Strong negotiation, facilitation, and dispute-resolution skills.
- Ability to communicate positions and ideas concisely and persuasively, verbally and in writing.
- Ability to influence without direct control and establish trusting relationships with project teams, clients, designers, and trade partners.
- Ability to learn new subject matter quickly.
- Strong industry reputation.
- Core leadership competencies include business acumen, customer focus, developing direct reports and others, drive for results, ethics and values, and motivating others.
- Important role-specific competencies include integrity and trust, conflict management, decision quality, managerial courage, composure, negotiating, and problem solving.
- Work with the Vice President/Director of Risk Management and senior company leaders, department heads, project executives, and general superintendents to identify, assess, manage, and mitigate corporate and primarily project risks.
- Partner with Project Executives, Project Managers, and General Superintendents to mitigate project operations risks.
- Assist with developing and enhancing operational tools, processes, and behaviors; audit them and drive their implementation to reduce project execution risk and improve project delivery.
- Administer the Project Execution Plan process through project setup and compliance, and provide input in project meetings.
- Lead or participate in risk-register workshops and operational risk reviews; identify key risk areas and maintain risk registers and mitigation strategies.
- Evaluate selected projects for compliance with company procedures and performance against plan; provide training or input to improve compliance, effectiveness, and efficiency, and assist project teams with corrective actions, notices, or dispute resolution.
- Assist the Vice President of Operations with projects that have elevated risk levels.
- Provide risk-management services and support to affiliated entities, including Concrete and Self-Performed Carpentry.
- Support legal risk management by ensuring compliance with the contract-review process and maintaining historical tracking; review contracts and work with counsel, insurance, and leadership to develop mutually agreeable terms; and maintain standard contract templates.
- On rare occasions, support senior executives in managing and resolving significant insurance claims, litigation matters, or disputes other than Workers’ Compensation claims; manage insurer communications and negotiations, including setting reserves and approving or negotiating assigned counsel; and coordinate resolution strategies, work plans, and implementation with the Risk Management leader, outside counsel, and leadership.
- Lead or contribute to cross-departmental initiatives and support needs.
- Ensure operations teams have appropriate insurance, bonds, and other business-risk protections.
- Work with other departments on programs, implementation, and support functions that limit project and organizational risk, including preconstruction, quality control, scheduling, cost control, safety, and staffing support.
- Interface with corporate insurance, surety, and trade-prequalification departments to support preconstruction and project needs.
- Develop and manage programs with the Vice President of Risk Management and other team members to address company and operational risks, optimize processes, and develop new initiatives.
- Track and evaluate claims histories and recommend policy and process improvements to address systemic risks.
- Administer and track Risk Team actions and initiatives, and maintain document control.
- Assist in producing annual Risk Department business plans.
- Lead or support the development of new programs and initiatives, updates to existing programs, and planning for future needs.
- Lead or support risk-related and construction-expertise training programs; develop and implement XLU courses; coach Project Executives, Project Managers, and General Superintendents one-on-one on risk matters; develop white papers and best practices; and facilitate the sharing and documentation of lessons learned.
- Provide reports and updates to the Vice President of Risk Management, company leadership, corporate teams, and senior project leaders on risks, status, and needs.
- Manage corporate and entity governance, including licenses and annual state renewals.
- Stay informed about future trends to support strategic planning and proactive risk-mitigation opportunities and identify areas for development.
- Perform additional assignments as required by company needs or as directed by the Vice President of Risk Management.
- Experience with trade contractors or self-perform work divisions.
About the company
XL Construction builds and renovates technically complex facilities for businesses and public institutions. Its work spans new buildings, occupied-site renovations and campus improvements, including office complexes and research laboratories as well as schools. The contractor earns revenue from construction contracts, coordinating project designers and specialized trade partners from early planning through field delivery. Its teams estimate costs and review designs before managing site logistics and the quality of construction, then handing over finished spaces ready for use. XL Construction was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Milpitas, California.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
N/A
Total Funding
N/A
Headquarters
Milpitas, California
Founded
1992
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- XL delivered Elkhorn Village's classroom buildings for August 2026 reopening ahead of schedule.
- XL advertises employee equity participation opportunities through Graham's ownership program.
- August 2026 ENR awards recognized XL's Golden West school project for education delivery and safety.
What critics are saying
- XL's published office base centers on Milpitas, Oakland and Sacramento, concentrating its operating presence in Northern California.
- XL's Milpitas business systems analyst role is explicitly on-site, limiting remote-work options.
- Mass timber pushes XL's design decisions and procurement into the conceptual stage, increasing early coordination demands.
What makes XL Construction unique
- XL's TimberQuest solution uses California-prechecked mass timber building designs to streamline public-school and community-college approvals.
- XL's self-perform offering combines Bradley Concrete's concrete crews with Elevated Construction Services' carpentry and mass timber work.
- XL reports nearly 90% repeat-client business, making existing customer relationships central to its contract pipeline.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Paid Vacation
Paid Holidays
Parental Leave
Professional Development Budget
Training Programs
Performance Bonus
Hybrid Work Options
Company News
CBS Sacramento highlights Elkhorn Village Elementary campus transformation. CBS Sacramento takes a look inside the transformation of Elkhorn Village Elementary, where TimberQuest helped deliver a modernized campus early for West Sacramento Spanish Immersion Students. Elkhorn Village Elementary School's campus transformation was recently featured by CBS Sacramento, offering a look at the new learning environments taking shape for students in Washington Unified School District. TimberQuest partnered with XL Construction and Studio W Architects to deliver the comprehensive campus modernization, which combines upgrades to existing facilities with new TimberQuest mass timber buildings. The project includes new classroom spaces, a library, special education and administrative spaces, along with improvements to the campus kitchen, administration building, outdoor learning areas and other student amenities. The new mass timber learning spaces are a defining element of the transformation, bringing natural materials and warm, welcoming environments to the campus while providing permanent facilities designed to serve students and the West Sacramento community for years to come. The CBS Sacramento feature provides a closer look at the evolving campus and the impact the improvements will have on the school community.
XL Industries (XLI) has merged with Graham Construction, effective March 4, 2025. This strategic merger aims to enhance service offerings, operational efficiency, and capabilities across North America. XLI will join Graham's U.S. Buildings group, leveraging Graham's resources and expertise. Graham, with over 2,700 employees and annual revenues exceeding $4 billion (CDN), will expand its geographic footprint and service offerings through this merger. No immediate changes to XLI's leadership or structure are planned.
Skyline Construction is excited to announce the addition of Scott McPhie as Senior Project Executive in the Bay Area.
MILPITAS, Calif., Nov. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- XL Construction, a leading Northern California builder, has appointed Carol McKenna, a 20+ year human resources veteran, as Vice President, People, in its Organizational Development Group. In the newly created role, McKenna will report to Alan Laurlund, XL's Senior Vice President of Organizational Development. She will focus on leading the expansion of the company's integrated talent management program, as well as support the acceleration of XL's diversity, equity and inclusion program (DE&I)