Director of Risk and Insurance
Multi-Brand QSR Franchisee (200+ Locations)
Position Summary
The Director of Risk and Insurance leads enterprise-wide risk management and insurance strategy for a multi-brand quick service restaurant portfolio of more than 200 locations. Reporting directly to the Owner, this role has ownership of risk and insurance strategy across all brands and store formats. The role balances consistent enterprise-wide standards with the operational realities of managing distinct brand agreements, franchisor requirements, and local risk profiles.
Key Responsibilities
Enterprise Risk Strategy
โข Own the enterprise risk management framework across all brands, standardizing risk practices while accommodating brand-specific franchisor requirements
โข Present risk exposure, loss trends, and program performance directly to the Owner and executive team on a regular cadence
โข Identify and prioritize the organization's top risk exposures at scale: workers' compensation frequency/severity, slip-and-fall, food safety/product liability, third-party delivery exposure, robbery/violence, and multi-state regulatory compliance
โข Lead risk due diligence for acquisitions of additional stores or brands, including insurance program integration for newly acquired units
โข Lead a risk management team to support a 200+ unit footprint
โข Develop crisis management protocols for major incidents (serious injury, fatality, foodborne illness outbreak, active threat, fire/catastrophic property loss) with clear escalation to ownership and legal counsel
Insurance Program Management
โข Design and manage a large, multi-brand commercial insurance program: general liability, property, workers' compensation, commercial auto/fleet, umbrella/excess, and cyber
โข Evaluate and manage retention structures
โข Lead broker selection, RFP processes, and annual renewal strategy across the full portfolio
โข Ensure each brand's program independently satisfies its specific franchisor insurance requirements (minimum limits, additional insured status, notice provisions) while managing overall program efficiency
โข Own the workers' compensation program enterprise-wide: TPA relationship management, reserve accuracy, return-to-work programs, and experience modification rate management across all entities/states
โข Oversee claims strategy and outcomes across all lines, working with TPAs, adjusters, and outside counsel; escalate high-exposure claims and litigation to ownership
โข Manage certificate of insurance compliance for landlords, vendors, delivery/aggregator platforms, and contractors across all locations
Data, Budget & Reporting
โข Own the risk and insurance budget across all brands and forecast costs by brand and region
โข Implement and manage a Risk Management Information System (RMIS) to track claims, incidents, and loss trends
โข Benchmark loss performance by brand, region, and store to identify systemic issues vs. isolated incidents
โข Report key risk indicators, loss ratios, and program cost trends to the Owner, with recommendations tied to bottom-line impact
Leadership & Culture
โข Build scalable safety training programs deployable across multiple brands and hundreds of hourly managers/shift leads
โข Partner with HR, Operations leadership, Legal, and franchisor risk/compliance contacts
โข Drive a consistent safety culture across brands
Qualifications
Required
โข Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Risk Management, or related field
โข 8-10+ years in risk management/commercial insurance, including experience managing programs across multiple entities, brands, or a large multi-unit footprint (100+ locations)
โข Demonstrated experience managing workers' compensation at scale, including e-mod management and TPA oversight
โข Experience with self-insured retention, large-deductible programs, or captive structures
โข Track record building or leading a risk management team
โข Experience negotiating large commercial insurance programs with brokers/carriers
โข Willingness to travel regularly across brands/regions
Preferred
โข Multi-brand restaurant or retail franchise experience specifically
โข Experience integrating risk/insurance programs following acquisitions
โข Experience presenting directly to ownership/board-level stakeholders
Competencies
โข Comfortable operating as a strategic advisor to the Owner while staying close enough to the field to catch real problems
โข Strong at building scalable systems and processes
โข Skilled at managing complexity across multiple franchisor relationships and requirements simultaneously
โข Financially fluent regarding loss ratios, e-mod trends, and premium forecasting in business terms
โข Team-builder
Base Salary
$95,000 to $150,000