Director of Risk Management at Grayson Carter and Son Contracting – Athens, Alabama

Position Title: Director of Risk Management

Department: Business Administration

Location: Athens, AL

Position Summary

The Risk Management Director leads the company’s enterprise risk, insurance, safety, and claims programs for heavy civil construction operations. This role is responsible for identifying and mitigating operational, financial, contractual, regulatory, and safety risks across large-scale infrastructure projects, including highways, utilities, and public-sector work.

Key Responsibilities

Risk Management & Strategy

• Develop and lead a comprehensive risk management program aligned with the company’s strategic and operational goals.
• Identify and assess operational, financial, contractual, environmental, and regulatory risks across all heavy civil construction projects.
• Establish risk mitigation strategies for large-scale infrastructure work including highways, bridges, utilities, earthwork, and public-sector projects.

Insurance & Claims Management

• Manage all insurance programs including general liability, workers’ compensation, auto, excess/umbrella, professional liability, builder’s risk, and subcontractor default insurance (SDI).
• Lead insurance renewals, broker relationships, and negotiations to ensure adequate coverage at competitive cost.
• Oversee claims management process, including coordination with insurers, legal counsel, and internal stakeholders to minimize financial exposure.

Contract & Project Risk

• Review and provide risk-related input on contracts, subcontracts, and joint venture agreements.
• Advise leadership and project teams on risk allocation, indemnification, bonding, and insurance requirements.
• Support pursuit and preconstruction teams by evaluating risk on bids and alternative delivery methods (DB, CM/GC, P3).
• Partner with in-house and outside legal counsel to mitigate contractual exposures and dispute risks.

Safety, Compliance & Loss Prevention

• Lead the company’s safety program, ensuring compliance with OSHA, MSHA, ALDOT specifications, FHWA requirements, and industry best practices; drive a zero-incident culture through training, audits, and performance metrics.
• Ensure compliance with federal and Alabama-specific regulations, including ALDOT DBE/MBE requirements, environmental permits (ADEM, NPDES), erosion control, and hazardous materials handling
• Analyze loss trends and implement corrective actions to reduce incidents, claims, and insurance costs.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Serve as a trusted advisor to executive leadership on risk-related decisions.
• Train project managers, superintendents, and field leadership on risk awareness, contract compliance, and best practices.
• Partner with legal, finance, safety, human resources, and operations teams to embed risk management into day-to-day operations.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Risk Management, Insurance, Safety, Construction Management, Engineering, Business, or related field.
• 5+ years of progressive experience in risk management, insurance, or claims within heavy civil or large-scale construction.
• Demonstrated experience in heavy civil/highway construction or a similarly high-risk industry (preferably with DOT/ALDOT projects).
• Deep knowledge of OSHA and MSHA regulations, workers’ compensation systems (especially Alabama’s), commercial insurance markets, and construction contract risk transfer.
• Proven track record of reducing insurance costs, lowering experience modification rates (EMR), and improving safety performance metrics.
• Strong knowledge of construction insurance programs, contracts, bonding, and claims management.
• Experience supporting public infrastructure projects and complex construction delivery methods.
• Proven leadership and ability to influence across all levels of an organization.

Preferred

• Professional designations such as ARM (Associate in Risk Management), CRM (Certified Risk Manager), CSP (Certified Safety Professional), or CPCU strongly preferred.
• Experience working with unions, DOT projects, or multi-state construction operations.
• Familiarity with OSHA, DOT, and environmental compliance requirements.

Grayson Carter and Son Contracting, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

EEO Statement:

Grayson Carter and Son Contracting, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability, and/ or other legally protected status.