Risk Lead

Summary

The Risk Lead provides independent project-risk oversight across assigned EPC pursuits and projects. Based on business need and individual expertise, the role is assigned a primary focus in Execution, Cost, or Technical risk while supporting the broader Risk Management operating model. Across all focus areas, the Risk Lead identifies material exposure, challenges assumptions and readiness, verifies mitigation progress, and escalates unresolved risk using objective evidence and professional judgment. Project and functional teams retain ownership of their plans, forecasts, technical deliverables, controls, mitigation actions, and business decisions; the Risk Lead provides independent challenge without assuming another function's delivery accountability.

Essential Job Function & Responsibilities

Project Risk Identification and Assessment

• Identify and assess material project risks, assumptions, interfaces, triggers, impacts, accountable owners, and response plans across assigned EPC pursuits and projects.
• Independently challenge whether material risks are sufficiently understood, supported by evidence, and reflected in plans, forecasts, technical decisions, controls, and leadership materials.
• Evaluate cross-functional dependencies among execution, cost, schedule, commercial, technical, quality, safety, procurement, commissioning, and owner requirements.
• Verify mitigation progress and residual risk, and escalate exposure that is worsening, unowned, unsupported, or not appropriately reflected in accountable team records and decisions.

Assigned Focus — Execution

• Assess site readiness, constructability, access, logistics, labor, supervision, subcontractor capability, equipment, sequencing, productivity assumptions, work packaging, and field constraints.
• Perform independent reviews of execution plans, mobilization readiness, major work-package readiness, field controls, and recovery strategies.
• Monitor leading indicators including readiness gaps, productivity variance, rework, material shortages, subcontractor performance, delayed decisions, and interface breakdowns.
• Challenge execution mitigation and recovery actions for feasibility, ownership, timing, evidence, and measurable effect on project exposure.

Assigned Focus — Cost

• Review estimates, budgets, commitments, forecasts, contingency, cash flow, margin, trends, and assumptions to identify and quantify material cost exposure.
• Challenge estimate basis, quantities, productivity, escalation, allowances, exclusions, contingency, forecast movement, and recovery assumptions using quantitative analysis where appropriate.
• Assess whether identified exposure is appropriately reflected in pricing, budget, EAC, contingency, forecasts, and leadership decision materials.
• Challenge cost mitigation and commercial recovery actions for feasibility, evidence, timing, entitlement dependencies, and measurable financial effect.

Assigned Focus — Technical

• Identify risks related to design basis, codes and standards, owner requirements, interconnection, permitting, site conditions, technology selection, equipment compatibility, quality, and performance guarantees.
• Perform independent risk-based reviews of design maturity, technical assumptions, interdisciplinary interfaces, constructability, equipment selections, studies, testing, and verification plans.
• Challenge performance, availability, reliability, warranty, deviations, unresolved RFIs, late changes, and other material technical assumptions or uncertainty.
• Evaluate downstream cost, schedule, commercial, quality, safety, commissioning, and execution consequences of technical decisions and recommend additional review or escalation when warranted.

Mitigation, Decision Support, and Collaboration

• Challenge mitigation actions for completeness, feasibility, accountable ownership, timing, and objective evidence of risk reduction, transfer, recovery, or acceptance.
• Provide independent risk input to proposals, DRC reviews, contract negotiations, baseline and readiness reviews, project deep dives, recovery planning, and leadership decisions as applicable.
• Prepare concise risk assessments, trend views, decision briefs, and executive summaries and maintain accurate records of supported risks, actions, escalations, decisions, and evidence.
• Coordinate with project and functional teams and other Risk Management team members, capture recurring lessons learned, and recommend practical process, control, standard, planning, or governance improvements.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, construction management, finance, accounting, quantity surveying, or a related field; equivalent significant field experience may be considered for execution-focused assignments.
• Minimum of 7 years of relevant experience in EPC risk, construction, project management, engineering, estimating, project controls, commercial management, finance, quality, commissioning, or a related discipline, with demonstrated depth aligned to the assigned focus.
• Strong understanding of the utility-scale EPC project lifecycle and the interfaces among engineering, procurement, construction, project controls, commercial management, quality, safety, commissioning, and project delivery.
• Demonstrated ability to identify material failure modes or uncertainty and translate them into cost, schedule, commercial, quality, safety, execution, or performance consequences.
• Experience independently reviewing plans, estimates, forecasts, technical deliverables, readiness conditions, controls, or other complex project information relevant to the assigned focus.
• Strong analytical, documentation, facilitation, and communication skills with the ability to present concise findings to field, technical, project, and executive audiences.
• Ability to challenge teams independently and use professional judgment while maintaining effective cross-functional working relationships.
• Ability to travel to offices, factories, and active project sites and work in construction environments as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP, PMI-RMP, CCM, AACE CCP/CEP, Professional Engineer license, OSHA 30, quality certification, or another credential relevant to the assigned focus.
• Experience with utility-scale solar PV, BESS, transmission, substations, SCADA, grid interconnection, or comparable complex EPC infrastructure.
• Experience supporting independent project reviews, quantitative risk analysis, design assurance, troubled-project recovery, claims/recovery analysis, or other risk-focused work relevant to the assigned focus.

Core Competencies

• Independent judgment and professional skepticism
• Clear executive communication and concise risk escalation
• Cross-functional influence without relying on direct authority
• Structured problem solving and disciplined follow-through
• High attention to detail with a practical, action-oriented mindset
• Integrity, confidentiality, and accountability
• Functional depth and credibility within the assigned Execution, Cost, or Technical focus
• Evidence-based risk judgment, lifecycle thinking, and practical mitigation orientation