Director of Risk

575 Anton Blvd, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA

Posted Friday, January 16, 2026 at 8:00 AM

Our restaurants are only the tip of the flame! If you’re looking for a fast-paced, innovative and welcoming workplace then a career with our Familia is right for you.

• Hybrid work schedule
• Competitive pay and bonus
• Medical + Dental + Vision Insurance + HSA Savings Account
• 401(K) Plan with match and immediate vesting
• Free El Pollo Loco food (Dine Out Card) + Restaurant Discount
• Discounts on theme parks, movie tickets, sports events, hotels and more...

The Director of Risk will own the company’s risk management program and strategy and the company’s asset protection program across all corporate restaurant locations as well as the company’s corporate headquarters. This person will oversee general liability insurance and workers’ compensation claims and loss prevention end-to-end, develop close relationships with vendors and insurance carriers, identify loss and safety trends, partner closely with Operations and Human Resources to build trainings and practical protocols to reduce incidents, protect people and property, and control total cost of risk.

• Assist in developing the Core Crisis Team protocols and chairs the restaurant safety hotline.
• Publish dashboards and KPIs: frequency/severity, lag time to report, claim cycle time, open reserves, mod rate, claim and incident costs, and cost per restaurant.
• Maintain compliance with internal policies and required postings/processes; support audits and regulatory inquiries.
• Build annual risk plan; prioritize initiatives by ROI and operational lift.

• Lead all property, general liability, crime, and other insured claims from notice through closure.
• Partner with brokers, carriers, TPAs, defense counsel, and adjusters.
• Build claim intake, investigation, documentation, and escalation standards; train field teams to use them.
• Track reserves, settlements, recoveries, and subrogation; drive timely, well-supported claim outcomes.
• Support annual policy renewals: exposure data, loss runs, underwriting narratives, broker and carrier relationship management, and program recommendations.

• Own the workers’ comp program: reporting, investigations, return-to-work, accommodations, and claim resolution.
• Partner with HR and Operations to improve injury reporting speed, medical management, and modified duty plans.
• Audit clinic/occupational provider performance and TPA handling; correct gaps and reduce friction for employees.

• Analyze incident data to identify patterns (slips/trips/falls, cuts, burns, violence, fleet, ergonomic, etc.) and produce actionable data reports for operations and human resources teams.
• Develop restaurant-ready safety protocols, checklists, and SOPs; align with Ops execution and labor practices.
• Build and run training programs for managers and crews; measure completion, field adoption, and impact.
• Lead root-cause reviews for serious incidents; drive corrective action plans and verify closeout.

• Run loss prevention strategy: cash handling, theft, fraud, robbery deterrence, access controls, and CCTV standards.
• Partner with IT/Security and Ops on alarm monitoring, key control, safe standards, and incident response.
• Support operations team in deign [sic] and delivery of workplace violence and de-escalation training programs
• Support investigations of internal/external theft, fraud, and misconduct; maintain chain-of-custody and documentation.
• Other tasks as needed.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to satisfactorily perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job. The requirements listed below are representative of the education and/or experience required.

Certification(s) such as ARM, CPCU, CIRM, ASP/CSP, or…