Director of Risk Management and Safety

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.