Deputy Risk Manager (Finance & Records)

This role is a vital leader and steward within the Risk Management Division.  It coordinates legal oversight of designated cases, other sensitive claims and supports active litigation matters, provides cross-departmental Risk Management collaboration and communication, and assists in gathering and analyzing loss data.   It will also have  stewardship for the domestic and international claims groups who oversee the intake, evaluation, investigation, and resolution of liability, property, employment, auto, and related claims and coordinates litigation strategy in close partnership with the Office of General Counsel (OGC), KM, outside counsel, Third-Party Administrators (TPAs) (e.g., Sedgwick CMS), and insurance partners. The position safeguards the Church’s interests, people, property, and purpose by ensuring sound claims practices, litigation readiness, ethical stewardship, and data‑informed risk decisions—while honoring a compassionate, faith-aligned approach to those impacted by harm or injury.

Key Job Functions

1) Litigation Support

• Coordinate and support select, active litigation matters, including strategy, discovery coordination, and timely responsiveness.
• Serve as a primary collaborator with OGC, KM, and outside counsel on case strategy, evaluation, and settlement recommendations for select claims including designated and sensitive cases. 
• Provide timely, well-reasoned guidance to stakeholders on legal exposure, reputational risk, reserves, and likely outcomes.   
• Assist with mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR), including settlement frameworks and negotiation protocols. 
• Fill role as a Church deponent.

2) Risk Communication & Collaboration

• Act as a trusted partner to Church departments on legal risk, duties, and stewardship expectations.
• Lead litigation-readiness training for the Risk Management Claims & Litigation team and TPA partners (e.g., incident documentation, deposition preparation, record retention).
• Assist counsel in responding to subpoenas, records requests, and legal notices with rigor and integrity.
• Coordinate with Finance on budgeting, accruals, and tracking of litigation and settlement costs.

3) Data Analysis & Reporting

• Assist Director of Risk Management prepare and present quarterly/annual risk reports for executive leadership and governance committees.
• Maintain loss-run data, legal case summaries, trend dashboards, and portfolio analytics for transparency and strategic planning.
• Inform insurance renewals, risk financing, and retentions using claims severity/frequency trends and exposure data.
• Support insurance renewals as needed.

4) Claims Administration & Oversight

• Monitor claims activity and identify emerging patterns, systemic risks, and operational vulnerabilities. 
• Provide direction to and managerial oversight of the domestic and international claims managers.
• Maintain a sensitive, faith-aligned approach in interactions with individuals 
• Ensure alignment with TPA protocols, service-level expectations, and best practices for documentation, authority levels, and escalation.

impacted by harm or injury.

5) Ethical Risk Stewardship

• Promote principled, values-based risk management reflecting the Church’s religious mission- seeking justice, mercy, accountability, and protection of the vulnerable.
• Support reconciliation-oriented mediation and ADR where appropriate.
• Fulfil role of Church deponent with integrity.
• Uphold confidentiality, dignity, and fairness for all parties throughout claims and litigation processes.

Core Responsibilities

• Collaborate with OGC and KM on designated and sensitive claims providing input and claim settlement authority granted within position and participate in claims resolution and settlement. 
• Direct and manage all claim functions and groups in the division.
• Oversee performance and annual renewal process with TPA’s and assist Claims and Litigation teams manage vendor performance and SLA’s. 
• Coordinate and assist Director of Risk Management oversee the ongoing development and sharing of various dashboards and reports to be delivered to executive leadership and governance committees ensuring accurate loss data and trends are captured and identified.
• Monitor claims activity and identify emerging patterns, systemic risks, and operational vulnerabilities. 
• Support special reviews or investigations for sentinel events and high‑profile claims; contribute to root-cause analysis and corrective action plans.
• Collaborate with Finance to ensure litigation costs and reserves are appropriately budgeted, tracked, and communicated.
• Serve as the Church deponent and provide various declarations in support of legal documentation.

Stewardship & Leadership Expectations

• Model Christ-centered leadership when managing conflict, risk, and accountability.
• Exercise sound judgment, compassion, and discretion in highly sensitive legal matters.
• Protect people and resources while prioritizing the mission of the Church and its ministries.
• Build a culture of proactive risk awareness, ethical responsibility, transparency, fairness, and servant leadership.

Required 

Education: Bachelor’s degree required. Postgraduate level degree in Claims Law, Finance, or Business preferred; an advanced degree in Risk Management, Public Administration, or related field may substitute with substantial litigation experience.

• Experience: 7–10+ years in litigation management, claims handling, or risk management administration (leading general liability, property, employment, and/or auto claims programs and designing and managing risk and insurance programs).
• Knowledge: Tort law, civil litigation processes, insurance claims practices, ADR/mediation frameworks, records retention, and legal holds.
• Skills:
  • Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; credible presence with senior leaders and counsel.
  • Analytical and strategic thinking; ability to synthesize complex facts into clear recommendations.
  • Strong planning and decision-making; proficiency with budgets, reserves, and vendor management.
  • High integrity, discretion, and respect for confidentiality.
  • Ability to clarify roles and “right seat/right role” responsibilities across multi-disciplinary teams.

Preferred

• Previous Risk Manager role or Lead Claims Manger experience with in-house or insurance defense/coverage understanding. 
• Leadership experience overseeing claims, litigation, or risk teams and third-party administrators.
• Experience coordinating with OGC, outside counsel, and insurers on case strategy and settlements.
• Familiarity with eDiscovery, privilege, settlement authorities, and court/mediation procedures.
• Proficiency with claims/risk systems, dashboarding, and analytics (e.g., loss runs, severity/frequency trends).

Competencies

• Leadership & team development
• Strategic direction setting
• Decision quality under ambiguity
• Planning & prioritization
• Analytical and mathematical/statistical acumen
• Detail orientation and file discipline
• Vendor and budget stewardship
• Relationship-building & influence across legal/risk/finance/operations