Director of Risk Management - Construction & Development

Transwestern is a vertically integrated commercial real‑estate firm serving investors, partners and clients through expertise in investment, development, brokerage and property management. With 2,200 professionals across 35 offices, the firm delivers customized, cohesive experiences for a diverse portfolio that includes logistics, multifamily, retail, mixed‑use, healthcare, office, data centers, hotel and life‑sciences properties.

Position Summary

The Director of Risk Management – Construction & Development is responsible for identifying, evaluating, and managing construction‑related risk exposures across a national portfolio of ground‑up developments, major capital projects, and tenant improvements. Reporting to the Senior Vice President of Risk Management, the role partners with Development, Construction Project Management, Legal, Procurement and Operations to ensure contractual risk transfer, insurance placement, and loss‑prevention strategies protect the firm throughout the project lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Construction Risk Management
  • Identify, assess and mitigate construction‑related risk exposures for ground‑up developments, redevelopments and major capital projects.
  • Support project teams during pre‑development, design and construction phases to proactively address risk issues.
  • Advise on project‑specific risk strategies, including insurance structures, deductibles, retentions and contractual indemnities.
  • Support underwriting submissions and portfolio‑level analytics for construction exposures.
• Insurance Program Oversight
  • Manage and administer construction‑related insurance programs, including Builder’s Risk, OCIP/CCIP, Contractor’s Pollution Liability, Professional Liability for design professionals, Installation Floater and Equipment Coverages.
  • Coordinate placement and renewal of construction insurance programs with brokers and insurers.
  • Evaluate project‑specific insurance requirements versus enterprise programs.
• Contract Review & Risk Transfer
  • Review and negotiate construction, design and consulting agreements to ensure appropriate indemnification provisions, insurance requirements, limitation of liability and consequential damages clauses.
  • Collaborate with Legal and Construction teams to align template contracts with corporate risk tolerance.
  • Assist in contractor and vendor insurance compliance for national development and construction operations.
• Claims & Loss Control
  • Manage construction‑related claims, including property damage, defective work, construction accidents and third‑party liability.
  • Coordinate claims handling with carriers, adjusters, legal counsel and internal stakeholders.
  • Analyze loss trends and recommend corrective actions to reduce future incidents.
• Safety & Loss Prevention
  • Partner with Construction and Safety teams to promote strong site safety and loss‑control practices.
  • Review builder’s risk loss‑control reports and field inspections.
  • Support development of best practices for contractor safety performance and site controls.
• Reporting & Leadership Support
  • Prepare executive‑level reporting on construction risk exposures, claims and insurance performance.
  • Support investment committee and project approval processes with risk assessments and insurance input.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement of enterprise risk management and construction governance.
• Enterprise Risk Governance Support
  • Support enterprise‑wide risk management initiatives and ensure alignment with corporate risk strategies.
  • Maintain accurate risk data and reporting within RMIS platforms to support analytics and underwriting.
  • Provide training and guidance to project stakeholders on risk‑management best practices.
  • Assist the Senior Vice President of Risk Management in enterprise‑wide initiatives.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with emphasis in Risk Management, Finance, Business or a related field.
• Relevant certifications (e.g., Certified Risk Manager, Certified Financial Risk Manager) are a plus.
• 7+ years of proven experience in construction risk management, insurance, or a related field.

Technical Skills

• Familiarity with commercial real‑estate risk‑management strategies, insurance and risk‑transfer issues.
• Thorough understanding of Owner and Property Manager risk and insurance exposures.
• Experience supporting large‑scale commercial real‑estate development projects.
• Strong working knowledge of:
  • Builder’s risk insurance
  • Construction contracts (AIA and negotiated forms)
  • Construction liability and professional risk exposures
• Proficiency in Microsoft 365 (Teams, SharePoint, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook).
• Familiarity with online Risk Management Information Systems (RMIS).

Personal Skills

• Ability to keep information and internal communications confidential.
• Strong analytical capabilities with high attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, changing priorities and time‑sensitive workloads.
• Self‑managed, able to work independently and provide general direction.
• Efficient, timely, reliable and courteous service to internal and external customers.
• Excellent verbal and written communication for collaboration, negotiation, conflict mediation and interaction with diverse personalities at all company levels.

Physical Requirements

• Travel may be required.

Location

Houston, TX