Executive Director, Security

This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for safeguarding our students, faculty, researchers, staff, and institutional assets while preserving the openness essential to academic excellence and scientific innovation.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

The Executive Director of Security serves as the institution’s senior security executive and trusted advisor to leadership. This role provides strategic oversight of all security operations, risk management initiatives, emergency preparedness programs, regulatory compliance efforts, and behavioral threat assessment processes.

Key Areas of Leadership:

Student Safety & Campus Risk Management

• Champion a student-centered approach to safety across academic, campus, and housing environments.
• Participate in behavioral intervention and threat assessment strategies in collaboration with Student Affairs and senior leadership.
• Oversee Clery Act compliance and campus safety reporting.
• Develop initiatives that enhance after-hours safety, emergency communications, and violence prevention.

Research & Laboratory Security

• Protect sensitive biomedical research, high-containment laboratories, controlled substances, and intellectual property.
• Partner closely with Environmental Health & Safety and Research Compliance to mitigate operational and regulatory risk.

Emergency Preparedness & Crisis Leadership

• Participate in the institution’s Emergency Operations Plan and enterprise-wide preparedness strategy.
• Serve as senior executive security lead during crises.
• In coordination with Environmental Health and Safety, assist with planning drills and exercises addressing active threats, laboratory incidents, natural disasters, and civil disruptions.
• Strengthen institutional resilience through strategic planning and risk forecasting.

Operational & Strategic Oversight

• Direct 24/7 campus security operations and integrated security technologies (access control, surveillance, visitor management).
• Manage a multi-million-dollar security contract.
• Manage student transportation, locksmith services and campus parking.
• Develop & implement all campus and housing security policies and procedures.
• Modernize security systems and leverage data-driven performance metrics.
• Develop and manage departmental budgets and capital planning initiatives.
• Build and lead a high-performing security team aligned with institutional values.

The Ideal Candidate

The successful candidate will be a seasoned security executive with experience in complex, highly regulated environments such as higher education, academic medicine, biomedical research, or similarly sophisticated institutions.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of progressive security leadership experience.
• Experience in higher education, research-intensive institutions, or comparable environments strongly preferred.
• Professional certifications such as CPP (Certified Protection Professional) and PSP (Physical Security Professional).