The Opportunity
KIPP Columbusâ Senior Director of Safety and Security plays an integral role on the Operations Leadership team and Regional team by overseeing safety and security efforts across all schools on campus.
The Senior Director of Safety and Security leads the Safety and Security team by directing, planning, implementing, and coordinating all safety initiatives and safety and security operations on campus. Among these responsibilities are coordinating with law enforcement and outside agencies regarding threat assessments, safety, security, and emergency operations, as well as the development of policies and procedures for the safe and secure operations of schools and the campus.
The Senior Director will enhance staff, student, and community interactions, lead cross-functional teams, and manage the security vendor partnership to support campus safety. In addition, this position will support the school leadership team in building strong relationships within the school community that promote safety beyond the immediate school environment to help ensure the safety of students and staff.
Responsibilities of KIPP Columbus Senior Director of Safety and Security include, but are not limited to, the following:
Building and maintaining a culture of safety at KIPP Columbus and individual schools
Understanding and internalizing the climate and culture of safety at KIPP Columbus and the community
Building school safety and security goals, objectives, and priorities
Working directly with the regional School Support Team, School Leader Team and Operations Team on building a safety and culture plan conducive for the Primary, Elementary, Middle and High schools on campus
Overseeing emergency preparedness efforts for KIPP Columbus schools
Establishing and maintaining important but non-emergency procedures, training, and support for KIPP Columbus schools and campus
Ensuring that on-site staff have built appropriate (safe and efficient) procedures, including daily arrival and dismissal procedures (including staff and contractor posts, coordination and communication across academic and operations teams), routine standard response protocol drills, and event support
Overseeing and managing certain essential safety and security functions, including but not limited to:
Staff and Student ID distribution
Weapons Abatement
Building Infrastructure
Visitor Safety Systems
Vendor Management
Camera Systems
Alarm Systems
Policies & Protocols
Planning and facilitating annual and compliance required safety trainings for all staff as well as leading safety and security initiatives, such as town halls
Sharing and Coordinating Responsibilities with the Operations Team and School Leadership Team at each school and across campus
Providing guidance and support to the Operations Team and contracted staff on day to day security operations and protocols, including staffing needs (quantity and quality), weapons abatement, etc.
Supporting and advising on the acquisition and maintenance of safety and security equipment (e.g., weapons abatement, cameras)
Participating in the development and administration of the safety and security budget (with school leaders and ops teams)
Other initiatives will be based on interviews and roundtable discussions with various stakeholders
Managing and Supporting Crisis Situations for KIPP Columbus and Individual Schools
Being the centralized KIPP Columbus lead on any escalated security issues or emergencies on or near campuses (e.g., gunshots nearby, contraband, student altercation, etc.); on-the-ground support will be led by campus leads
Engaging with outside leaders and groups to ensure that there is coordination between KIPP Columbus and the community on each safety and culture plan
Supporting the Safety and Security team, Ops Leads, and school staff, improving and maintaining effective relationships with students, staff, and stakeholders
Ensuring after-the-fact staff reports and other necessary correspondence, coordinating with the school team and regional team
Planning and managing all auditing on external compliance protocols with support from Operations and security teams across campuses.
Acting as the Lead for Safety and Security Discussions outside KIPP Columbus
Serving as the representative to committees, other schoolsâ networks, and community stakeholders concerned with improvements in Local Law Enforcement and fire services, public education, and departmental public relations
Maintaining positive working relationships and awareness with local agencies of new trends and developments in the field of law enforcement, crime prevention, fire suppression, fire prevention, and related support services; incorporate new developments as appropriate
Assessing Security Operational Protocols
Periodically observing arrival and dismissal to support and identify opportunities for protocol improvements and implementation
Ensuring all required reporting and contract compliance requirements are met, in coordination with the Operations team
Ensuring that KIPP Columbus is provided with high quality security services to protect people and property, identifying opportunities for improvement
Recommending and administering policies and procedures; recommend, within policy, appropriate service and staffing levels
Vendor Management
Managing all safety and security partnerships to ensure cross collaboration and coordination across all safety and security efforts for schools
Providing guidelines and expectations
Managing recurring meetings with all vendors
Providing monthly progress updates to internal stakeholders