Vice President, Legal & Risk Management

Description

Position Summary:

C.W. Driver is seeking an experienced Vice President, Legal & Risk Management to provide strategic legal counsel and risk management leadership across the organization. This executive-level position serves as the company's senior legal advisor, partnering closely with executive leadership, Operations, Finance, Safety, Human Resources, and other departments to identify, evaluate, and mitigate legal and commercial risks.

As the company's sole in-house attorney, the Vice President will oversee construction contracts, claims, litigation strategy, insurance programs, and enterprise risk management. The ideal candidate brings extensive construction industry experience, strong business acumen, and a practical, solutions-oriented approach to complex legal matters.

This role offers an opportunity to influence business strategy, strengthen risk management practices, and serve as a trusted advisor to leadership while supporting the continued growth and success of C.W. Driver.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the company's senior legal advisor, providing strategic counsel to executive leadership and operational teams on construction contracts, claims, compliance, insurance, and enterprise risk management.
• Lead the review, negotiation, and interpretation of owner contracts, subcontracts, consultant agreements, and other commercial agreements, ensuring appropriate contractual risk allocation.
• Develop and implement legal and risk management strategies that support business objectives while protecting the company's people, projects, assets, and reputation.
• Partner with Operations, Estimating, and project teams to proactively identify legal and commercial risks during preconstruction, contract negotiations, and project execution.
• Oversee construction-related claims, disputes, litigation, arbitration, and mediation, including management of outside counsel and coordination with internal stakeholders.
• Provide legal guidance on subcontractor defaults, surety and bonding matters, payment disputes, liens, stop payment notices, and contract termination strategies.
• Oversee insurance-related legal matters, including contractual risk transfer, coverage disputes, and annual insurance program evaluations in collaboration with brokers and carriers.
• Advise on California construction laws and regulatory requirements, including public and private contracting, contractor licensing, prevailing wage, and Cal/OSHA compliance.
• Lead enterprise risk identification, monitoring, and reporting, providing executive leadership with visibility into significant claims, litigation, and contractual exposure.
• Select, manage, and evaluate outside legal counsel across litigation, corporate, employment, regulatory, and other specialized matters, ensuring effective legal representation and cost management.
• Supervise and develop the Risk Manager/Paralegal while collaborating with Risk Management, Claims, and Contract Administration personnel to strengthen internal processes.
• Develop and promote legal and risk management training initiatives, translating lessons learned from claims and disputes into practical improvements across the organization.
• Leverage technology and AI-enabled tools to improve the efficiency, quality, and responsiveness of legal and risk management functions while maintaining appropriate confidentiality and privilege safeguards.

Requirements

• Juris Doctor (JD) from an ABA-accredited law school.
• Active membership in good standing with the State Bar of California.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible legal experience, including substantial experience within the construction industry.
• Demonstrated expertise in construction contracts, claims management, litigation, dispute resolution, contractual risk allocation, and management of outside counsel.
• Strong understanding of California construction law, including public and private projects, construction delivery methods, and regulatory requirements.
• Experience advising general contractors, construction managers, design-builders, specialty contractors, developers, or comparable construction organizations.
• Proven ability to provide practical legal and business guidance to executive leadership and operational teams.
• Ability to work independently as the company's sole in-house attorney while managing competing priorities and complex legal matters.
• Strong leadership, communication, negotiation, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to leverage AI-enabled technology to improve legal operations while maintaining confidentiality and professional standards.
• Prior in-house counsel experience with a commercial general contractor, construction manager, or design-builder strongly preferred.
• Experience with contractor insurance programs, including OCIP/CCIP, surety and bonding matters, subcontractor defaults, and enterprise risk management strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with California project delivery methods, including General Contracting, Construction Management, Lease-Leaseback, Design-Build, and CM at Risk strongly preferred.

Physical Requirements:

This role requires the ability to perform typical professional office duties and occasionally navigate active construction sites. Responsibilities may include standing, walking, climbing stairs, and traveling between company offices, project locations, and external meetings. Reasonable accommodations will be made as necessary.

Work Environment:

Work is primarily performed in a professional office environment, with regular travel to company offices, active construction sites, client meetings, mediations, and legal proceedings throughout Southern California. Occasional travel outside Southern California may be required.

Jobsite visits may involve exposure to moving machinery, heights, weather conditions, airborne particles, and other typical construction-related hazards. Noise levels may range from moderate to loud, and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) is required when visiting active construction sites.