Director of Risk Management (0941) - Risk Management, Office of City Administrator

The Director of Risk Management is the executive leader of the City and County of San Francisco's Office of Risk Management and serves as the City's principal advisor on risk management, insurance, and contractual risk transfer. Reporting to the City Administrator, the Director leads the development and execution of a comprehensive Citywide risk management strategy that supports informed decision making, protects public resources, strengthens organizational resilience, and enables the effective delivery of public services. 

San Francisco is an innovative City, with more than 50 departments and a diverse portfolio of operations, infrastructure, assets, and public services. The City's risk environment encompasses an international airport, port and waterfront, public utilities, transportation systems, major capital and infrastructure programs, real estate, technology, public safety, health and human services, and arts and cultural institutions. 

The Director provides strategic leadership across this decentralized operating environment, establishing Citywide risk management policies, standards, frameworks, and practices while partnering with departments that manage risk within their individual operations. The Director advises the City Administrator, Mayor, Board of Supervisors, City Attorney, commissions, department heads, and other senior officials on significant and emerging risks and opportunities. 

The successful candidate will be a strategic and collaborative executive who can modernize and strengthen the City's approach to risk while ensuring continuity and excellence in its core operations. San Francisco is continuously innovating, and the Director will contribute to the next evolution of this division in meeting the strategic needs for the City.   

Examples of Important and Essential Duties: 

Enterprise Risk Leadership 

• Lead the City's enterprise risk management strategy, including the identification, assessment, mitigation, monitoring, and reporting of significant and emerging risks. 

• Establish Citywide risk policies, standards, frameworks, and performance measures and integrate risk considerations into major decisions and initiatives. 

• Serve as the City's principal risk advisor to the City Administrator, Mayor, Board of Supervisors, City Attorney, commissions, department heads, and other senior leaders. 

• Advise and coordinate with departments on complex risks and promote consistent risk management practices across the City. 

Insurance and Risk Transfer 

• Direct the City's insurance and risk-financing programs, including commercial insurance, self-insurance, and insurance strategies for capital projects. 

• Lead negotiations and manage relationships with insurers, brokers, consultants, third-party administrators, and other professional service providers for the City’s insurance portfolio through the department’s $50M annual insurance budget. 

• In partnership with the City Attorney's Office, establish Citywide insurance requirements, indemnification provisions, and contractual risk-transfer standards. 

• Advise departments on complex contracts, procurements, leases, permits, claims, and other matters involving insurance or risk transfer. 

Insurance Claims and Risk Analysis  

• Lead, facilitate, negotiate and settle insured claims processes through collaboration with insurer clai representatives and legal counsel as well as City departments and Office of the City Attorney. 

• Monitor legislative, regulatory, legal, insurance-market, and other developments affecting the City's risk profile and recommend appropriate action.