Risk Manager

Global ‚Ä¢ Berkeley, California ‚Ä¢ Contractor ‚Ä¢ $85–$90 / hour

Posted on Wed, Aug 12, 2026

About the Role
We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Risk Manager to lead and administer the risk-management program for a large-scale, technically complex capital construction/upgrade project. This individual will serve as the principal advisor on risk matters, providing independent and objective assessments of threats and opportunities affecting project scope, cost, schedule, technical performance, and readiness milestones. The role combines program leadership, quantitative risk analysis, mitigation oversight, and executive-level reporting and communication.
Key Responsibilities
Risk Program Leadership and Governance

Maintain and periodically update the project's Risk Management Plan, procedures, risk taxonomy, scoring criteria, and governance cadence
Maintain the project risk register and associated configuration-controlled records
Facilitate the Risk Management Board and focused risk reviews; develop agendas, document decisions, track actions, and elevate unresolved risks to leadership
Establish a disciplined risk-management process with explicit assumptions, assigned ownership, and traceable mitigation commitments

Risk Identification and Register Management

Facilitate project-wide risk workshops, subsystem risk reviews, schedule-risk sessions, lessons-learned reviews, and targeted deep dives
Participate in technical, procurement, vendor-performance, installation-readiness, commissioning-readiness, staffing, and logistics reviews to identify risks and opportunities
Develop risk statements with clear causal events, conditions, and consequences, supported by defensible probability, cost, schedule, and technical bases
Maintain complete risk information in an approved risk-management system (e.g., Safran Risk Manager)
Identify cross-cutting, systemic, correlated, and compounding risks not visible within individual technical or cost areas

Quantitative Cost and Schedule Risk Analysis

Develop and maintain integrated cost and schedule risk-analysis models
Perform Monte Carlo simulation, sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis, estimate- and schedule-uncertainty analysis, correlation analysis, and confidence-level assessments
Coordinate with Project Controls to map risks and mitigations to schedule activities, milestones, cost estimates, and contingency forecasts
Evaluate cost and schedule contingency adequacy and interpret quantitative results for technical and executive audiences
Support baseline-change proposals, recovery plans, funding scenarios, and independent reviews

Mitigation Management and Accountability

Assist risk owners in developing specific, measurable, time-phased mitigation plans
Track mitigation commitments, trigger conditions, due dates, and residual exposure
Identify overdue, stalled, or ineffective mitigation actions and escalate material concerns as needed

Project Integration and Forward-Looking Analysis

Conduct forward-looking assessments of critical-path and near-critical-path work
Evaluate vendor, staffing, funding, installation, and commissioning risk exposure
Monitor external dependencies including funding, regulatory, supply-chain, and institutional factors

Reporting, Reviews, and Communication

Prepare monthly risk reports and executive-level briefings for leadership and external reviewers
Maintain auditable records of risk decisions, ownership changes, and mitigation commitments
Respond to review recommendations and corrective-action requirements

Training and Continuous Improvement

Develop and deliver role-based risk-management training
Establish quality-check guidance for risk statements, mitigation plans, and reporting
Benchmark practices against industry standards and recommend improvements

Required Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in engineering, construction management, project management, business, economics, applied mathematics, statistics, or a related field, plus at least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in project risk management, project controls, cost estimating, scheduling, or management of complex capital projects (or an equivalent combination of education and experience)
Experience leading or administering risk management for a large, technically complex capital project, construction program, scientific facility, infrastructure program, aerospace/defense program, or comparable high-consequence undertaking
Experience developing and maintaining project risk registers
Experience facilitating risk workshops and senior-level risk reviews
Experience assigning and tracking risk ownership and mitigation actions
Experience performing or directing quantitative cost and schedule risk analysis
Experience with Monte Carlo simulation, estimate/schedule uncertainty, sensitivity analysis, and contingency confidence-level assessment
Experience integrating risk information with an integrated master schedule, cost estimates, EAC, change control, and performance reporting
Experience producing and defending executive-level risk assessments before senior management or independent reviewers
Experience working across technical, project management, project controls, procurement, construction, and operations teams
Strong analytical writing, presentation, facilitation, and executive-communication skills
Ability to challenge unsupported assumptions and escalate material concerns while maintaining constructive relationships
Strong records-management and configuration-control discipline

Preferred Qualifications

Experience supporting a DOE Order 413.3B capital asset project or comparable federally governed major project
Working knowledge of DOE Guide 413.3-7A or comparable capital-project risk-management guidance
Experience with Safran Risk Manager and Safran Risk
Proficiency with Primavera P6
Familiarity with earned-value systems and EVMS concepts
Experience supporting a project rebaseline, recovery plan, independent cost estimate, or major corrective-action effort
Experience with accelerator facilities, scientific user facilities, installation-intensive projects, industrial construction, aerospace, or defense programs
Professional certification such as PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP), PMP, AACE certification, or equivalent
Advanced degree in a relevant technical, analytical, or management discipline

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