POSITION SUMMARY
The Risk Coordinator manages the City’s Risk Management programs, including workplace safety, internal investigations, and insurance claim coordination. The Risk Coordinator acts as a liaison between employees, insurance providers, and City departments to ensure accurate processing of claims, compliance with safety regulations, and delivery of excellent customer service. This position acts as the City’s ADA Coordinator as well as the Title VI Coordinator. This position plays an important role in maintaining safe workplaces, supporting City-wide Legal and HR processes, and ensuring compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS
The following duties are normal for this position. However, they are not to be construed as exclusive or all–inclusive. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each duty satisfactorily. Other duties may also be required or assigned.
1. Manage the City’s Risk Management programs, incident reporting, and compliance with applicable state and federal requirements.
2. Act as the primary liaison between the City and insurance carriers for, property, liability, and other municipal insurance claims.
3. Serves as the City’s ADA Coordinator, responsible for coordinating ADA Title II compliance efforts, including managing public complaint and grievance procedures, coordinating programmatic self evaluation activities across departments, and assisting with development and periodic updates to transition plans where structural changes are needed to achieve program accessibility.
4. Serves as the City’s Title VI Coordinator, coordinating the administrative requirements of Title VI compliance, assisting with development and periodic updating of the City’s Title VI plan, and managing the complaint and grievance procedure for members of the public.
5. Respond to inquiries regarding workplace injuries and risk-related issues; explain policies and procedures related to incident reporting, liability, and coverage; and assist in obtaining supporting documentation such as police reports or witness statements.
6. Serve as chair of the City’s monthly Safety Committee; schedule and lead meetings, perform workplace safety inspections, and maintain the City’s safety manual.
7. Coordinate and implement employee safety trainings and ensure that safety protocols are communicated, documented, and updated in accordance with best practices and compliance standards.
8. Coordinate required medical testing for City and Department of Transportation (DOT) compliance, including vision, hearing, drug screenings, and fit-for-duty exams.
9. Support insurance-related financial tracking by coding payments and reimbursements and coordinating with Accounts Payable and Receivable for appropriate processing.
10. Conducts employment investigations and assists with the decision in the application of appropriate corrective actions.
11. Conducts periodic risk assessments by reviewing incident data, claims trends, and workplace conditions to identify emerging risks and recommend mitigation strategies to departments and City leadership.
12. Assists in developing, updating, and communicating City risk management policies, procedures, and safety protocols based on best practices and regulatory changes.
13. Reviews insurance certificates and related documentation for City contracts and activities, verifies compliance with City insurance requirements, and flags gaps or waiver requests for Legal or other designated reviewers.
14. Provide administrative support for the Legal division including document preparation, records maintenance, reporting, and filing of confidential information.
15. Maintain and update content for the Legal section of the City’s website and internal communication platforms.
16. Issue purchase orders and track Legal-related expenses to support budget monitoring and purchasing needs.
17. Respond to inquiries from the public and internal staff via phone, in person, and through email with professionalism and accuracy.
18. Maintain compliance with all safety rules and procedures applicable to assigned work areas.
19. Maintain proficiency by attending trainings, reading materials, and participating in professional development activities.
20. Perform other related duties as assigned to support the Legal and Risk Management functions of the City.
MINIMUM REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Bachelor’s Degree in Risk Management, Industrial Relations, Public Administration, Business Administration, or related field.
•Four (4) years of progressively responsible risk management-related experience.
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
•Possession of, or the ability to obtain and retain an Oregon driver's license by the time of appointment.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•Possession of, or progress toward, relevant risk or safety certifications is desirable (e.g., associate in risk management (ARM), ARM P, Occupational Health and Safety Technologist (OHST), Associate Safety Professional (ASP), Certified Safety Professional (CSP), or ADA coordinator certifications).
•Previous experience in public sector human resources administration.
SUBSTITUTION
Any satisfactory equivalent combination of education, training and experience that demonstrates the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the duties of the job proficiently may substitute for the above requirements.
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES
KNOWLEDGE:
•Principles and practices of risk management, including incident tracking, insurance coordination, and workers’ compensation administration.
•Federal and state laws and regulations governing workplace safety, OSHA standards, and workers’ compensation requirements.
•Applicable federal and state employment laws including FMLA, ADA, COBRA, and FLSA.
•Collective bargaining agreements and their influence on employment actions, benefits, and payroll.
•Legal recordkeeping, document retention, and confidentiality practices.
•City-wide safety programs, safety committee operations, and workplace inspection protocols.
•Standard office software including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook), and the ability to quickly learn HRIS systems and database applications.
•Federal, Oregon state, and City of Ashland laws, regulations, codes, ordinances, and legal precedents governing HR administration, labor relations, and civil rights.
•Familiarity with the administrative policies and procedures specific to the City of Ashland and its departmental operations.
SKILLS:
•Effectively coordinating and processing workers' compensation claims and insurance-related documentation.
•Organizing and maintaining accurate and confidential HR, Legal and risk management records.
•Communicating complex safety topics clearly to employees and supervisors.
•Analyzing data and preparing detailed reports and summaries for safety committees, planning, or audits.
•Leading safety inspections and implementing corrective actions or safety improvements.
•Planning and organizing multiple priorities under deadlines with attention to accuracy and compliance.
•Interpersonal communication and conflict resolution in a diverse and professional workplace.
•Adept at researching and comprehending complex written materials.
•Proficient with office productivity and case management software tools to enhance operational efficiency.
•Creative in generating innovative solutions to complex risk related challenges.
•Experienced in guiding and supporting organizational change initiatives.
ABILITIES:
•Interpret and apply employment laws, risk management protocols, City policies, and collective bargaining agreements accurately.
•Provide sound guidance to departments and employees regarding safety-related procedures and claims.
•Maintain strict confidentiality when handling sensitive and personal information.
•Track incidents, conduct safety audits, and organize training aligned with safety regulations.
•Compose professional correspondence, reports, policies, and documentation with minimal supervision.
•Establish and maintain effective working relationships with staff, external providers, insurance representatives, and the public.
•Work independently and as part of a collaborative Legal and safety team.
•Attend meetings, trainings, and safety inspections, and represent the department in a professional manner.
•Communicate clearly in writing and verbally, handling sensitive information tactfully while maintaining confidentiality.
PHYSICAL AND WORK ENVIRONMENT
The physical and work environment characteristics described in this description are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions or as otherwise required by law. Employees needing reasonable accommodation should discuss the request with the employee’s supervisor.
•This work regularly requires sitting, frequently requires standing, speaking or hearing, using hands to finger, handle or feel and repetitive motions and occasionally requires walking, stooping, kneeling, crouching or crawling and reaching with hands and arms.
•Work has standard vision requirements.
•Vocal communication is required for expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word.
•Hearing is required to perceive information at normal spoken word levels.
•Work requires preparing and analyzing written or computer data and observing general surroundings and activities.
•Work has no exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
•Work is generally in a moderately noisy office setting (e.g. business office, light traffic).
Nothing in this job description limits management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time. The duties listed above are intended only as illustrations of the various types of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related or a logical assignment to the position. The job description does not constitute an employment agreement between the employer and employee and is subject to change by the employer as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change.