Skip to Main Content

Executive Director of Risk Management

Posting Details

Posting Details

Job # 040724
Department Code 31041-7050
Department Office of Risk Management
Job Title Executive Director of Risk Management
Location Syracuse, NY
Pay Range $130,000 - $160,000
Pay Determination
Pay rates at Syracuse University are based on a combination of factors including, but not limited to, the job responsibilities; the candidate’s education, training, work experience and key competencies; the university’s strategic priorities; internal peer equity; applicable federal, state, local laws, grant funding and contractual requisites; and external market analyses.
Staff Level S6
FLSA Status Exempt
Hours
Standard University business hours:

8:30am – 5:00pm (academic year)
8:00am – 4:30pm (summer)

Hours may vary based on operational needs.
Job Type Full-time
Campus Syracuse, NY
Unionized Position Code Not Applicable
Job Description
This position provides leadership and direction to identify, evaluate and plan strategies for the University’s insurance programs to maximize protection of assets at the most economical rates and minimize effects of fortuitous loss. Has authority to make decisions on risk management issues affecting the organization up to authorized levels. Responsible for the process of identifying, measuring and managing insurable or hazard risks, developing reports and plans, and analyzing risk/insurance problems and defining and/or overseeing the implementation of the risk solutions that help optimize operations. Develop strategies and processes to identify, measure and manage risks related to hazards and other areas of exposure in coordination with University units responsible for these risk areas while serving as a resource for faculty, staff and students on issues related to insurance, risk identification and mitigation.
Qualifications
Education:
  • Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.
  • Bachelor’s degree in risk management, economics, finance or related field preferred.
  • MBA or other advanced degree preferred.

Experience:
  • Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 8+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.
  • Experience working in or advising higher education industry highly preferred.
  • ARM, CRM, CPCU or other professional designations preferred.
Job Specific Qualifications
  • Ability to work with the University community of faculty, students and staff and with external organizations such as the University’s insurance brokers, outside legal counsel, claims administrators and actuaries.
  • Ability to manage multiple streams of work and multiple relationships in an effective and efficient manner.
  • Ability to recognize risk issues in complex, ambiguous activities and relationships.
  • Understand insurance markets and property and casualty insurance products, insurance program design and alternative risk transfer techniques.
  • Ability to understand and interpret contracts and insurance policies.
  • Knowledge of statistical and capital budgeting techniques and general accounting principles.
  • Basic working knowledge of property and liability loss prevention and safety practices.
  • Mathematical and analytical ability.
  • Strong negotiating skills.
  • General understanding of higher education compliance and regulatory environment.
  • Demonstrated enthusiasm and motivation.
  • Requires ability to travel across campus.
  • Requires agility to traverse through buildings damaged by fire, windstorm, etc. and access non-public building spaces including attics, basements, mechanical rooms, steam tunnels.
  • Availability to respond to emergencies 24 hours-a-day, 7 days per week required.
  • General understanding of safety practices.
  • Effective written and oral communication skills.
  • Project management skills.
  • Organizational and interpersonal skills supported by a strong attention to detail required.
Responsibilities
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
  • Develop strategic and tactical plans/solutions to manage the University’s cost of risk (insurance premiums, self-insured losses and administrative costs) while effectively transferring excessive risk.
  • Annually review the adequacy of the University’s insurance and self-insurance programs against the risks faced by the University.
  • Annually prepare a strategic plan including goals and expected outcomes and execute on that plan. Prepare insurance specifications for submission to potential insurers and supporting information such as underwriting exposure data and property statement of values. Receive and review insurance proposals and recommend insurance purchases. Bind coverage upon authorization when necessary. Ensure prompt delivery of insurance policies. Review each insurance policy for accuracy and follow-up for timely corrections.
  • Manage the University’s relationships with insurance brokers, third-party claims administrators and other external consultants.
  • Implement procedures that will ensure compliance with insurance policy requirements, especially for timely reporting of new loss exposures and claims.
  • Prepare and distribute information describing the University’s insurance programs for executive leadership, general counsel, and units in the appropriate level of detail. Provide insurance documentation including insurance certificates for external entities as needed. Maintain insurance policy files and records.
  • Manage University’s captive insurance program, Orange Insurance, LLC, including program scope definition, documentation, funding, claims, state filings and fees, and financial reporting. Prepare responses for legal discovery, as necessary. Maintain sufficient reserves to pay known and incurred claims. Determine liability for accounting purposes.
  • Manage the compliance of programs involving minors on campus with university policy.
  • Monitor insurance company financial strength on current and expired insurance to identify possible failures and manage claims against insolvent insurers. Manage process of seeking recovery for claims under the University’s insurance policies including recovery from responsible third parties and under contracts. Coordinate safety and loss prevention services, especially those provided by insurance companies, with those provided by the Office of Environmental Health and Safety Services and other units.
  • Manages the claims associated with Workers Compensation, in coordination with the Office of Human Resources and ensure compliance with federal and state requirements.

MANAGEMENT/OTHER FUNCTIONS:
  • Conduct comprehensive risk assessments across the enterprise that help inform the work of the Audit Committee of the Board of Trustees and that identify opportunities to improve business processes and enhance the control environment.
  • Consult and collaborate with constituencies across the institution on business process improvement opportunities and operational and strategic risk issues, both with stakeholders on campus and with colleagues in University centers and affiliated organizations around the world to ensure that international activities and objectives are aligned with sound management policies and practices.
  • Communicate elevated risk findings to the Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and advise on the appropriate remediation and management of significant risks.
  • Manage risk management / insurance department staff. Periodically review position descriptions. Train and monitor performance. Provide annual performance appraisals.
  • Ensure University contracts contain appropriate insurance requirements. Annually review templates for contract insurance requirements used in purchase orders, construction and renovation contracts, leases, research agreements and other contracts are appropriate.
  • Negotiate contract insurance requirements, as necessary. Regularly review processes in contracting units for obtaining insurance certificates from contractors and vendors for adequacy and adherence to university requirements.
  • Prepare annual budgets and quarterly updates, track actual versus budget expense for the risk management function.
  • Annually benchmark University insurance costs to Identity opportunities for improvement.
  • Properly account for insurance program expense.
  • Verify policy premium adjustments and audits.
  • Participate on University committees as assigned. Other assignments as directed.
Physical Requirements
Not Applicable
Tools/Equipment
Not Applicable
Application Instructions
In addition to completing an online application, please attach a resume and cover letter.
About Syracuse University
Syracuse University is a private, international research university with distinctive academics, diversely unique offerings, and an undeniable spirit. Located in the geographic heart of New York State, with a global footprint, and over 150 years of history, Syracuse University offers a quintessential college experience.

The scope of Syracuse University is a testament to its strengths: a pioneering history dating back to 1870; a choice of more than 200 majors, 100 minors, and 200 advanced degree programs offered across the University’s 13 schools and colleges; over 15,000 undergraduates and over 6,000 graduate students; more than a quarter of a million alumni in 160 countries; and a student population from all 50 U.S. states and 123 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.syracuse.edu.
About the Syracuse area
Syracuse is a medium-sized city situated in the geographic center of New York State approximately 250 miles northwest of New York City. The metro-area population totals approximately 500,000. The area offers a low cost of living and provides many social, cultural, and recreational options, including parks, museums, festivals, professional regional theater, and premier shopping venues. Syracuse and Central New York present a wide range of seasonal recreation and attractions ranging from water skiing and snow skiing, hiking in the Adirondacks, touring the historic sites, visiting wineries along the Finger Lakes, and biking on trails along the Erie Canal.
EEO Statement
Syracuse University is an equal-opportunity, affirmative-action institution. The University prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender, national origin, citizenship, ethnicity, marital status, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law to the extent prohibited by law. This nondiscrimination policy covers admissions, employment, and access to and treatment in University programs, services, and activities.
Commitment to Supporting and Hiring Veterans
Syracuse University has a long history of engaging veterans and the military-connected community through its educational programs, community outreach, and employment programs. After World War II, Syracuse University welcomed more than 10,000 returning veterans to our campus, and those veterans literally transformed Syracuse University into the national research institution it is today. The University’s contemporary commitment to veterans builds on this historical legacy, and extends to both class-leading initiatives focused on making an SU degree accessible and affordable to the post-9/11 generation of veterans, and also programs designed to position Syracuse University as the employer of choice for military veterans, members of the Guard and Reserve, and military family members.
Commitment to a Diverse and Inclusive Campus Community
Syracuse University maintains an inclusive learning environment in which students, faculty, administrators, staff, curriculum, social activities, governance, and all other aspects of campus life reflect a diverse, multi-cultural, and international worldview. The University community recognizes and values the many similarities and differences among individuals and groups. At Syracuse, we are committed to preparing students to understand, live among, appreciate, and work in an inherently diverse country and world made up of people with different ethnic and racial backgrounds, military backgrounds, religious beliefs, socio-economic status, cultural traditions, abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities. To do so, we commit ourselves to promoting a community that celebrates and models the principles of diversity and inclusivity.
Quick Link https://www.sujobopps.com/postings/103935
Job Posting Date 03/28/2024
Application Deadline
Full Consideration By
Job Category Staff
Message to Applicants

Applicant Documents

Required Documents
  1. Resume/CV
  2. Cover Letter
Optional Documents

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).