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The Executive Director of Safety ensures a safe, secure, and conducive environment for both students and staff by providing strategic direction and leadership for safety, critical incidents, and security programs across the school district. This critical role sets the strategic direction for the district's security infrastructure and develops long-range goals and objectives aligned with the district’s vision, mission, values, and strategic plans, including Board Policies like the George Floyd Resolution. It aligns existing safety efforts across various OUSD departments and schools while collaborating with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and emergency responders as needed. The Executive Director proactively engages district and department leaders, principals and school communities in developing safety priorities, defining roles and responsibilities, building capability and creating systems of accountability to ensure safe and secure school climates and workplace environments.

These duties are intended only as examples of the various types of essential  job duties to be performed. The omission of specific duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is a similar, related, or logical assignment to the position.

Program Management:

• Oversee the administration and coordination of safety, emergency management, and secure school programs, including but not limited to:
  • Emergency Response and Crisis Management: Directly manages immediate crisis response with site leadership, central leaders, and city. Oversees, directly manages and improves upon effective emergency response strategies, including communication and training of school-based personnel. Ensures that regular drills are taking place to prepare all staff and students for various emergency scenarios.
  • Safety Personnel: Directly responsible for ensuring proper oversight of the management of school site and department personnel that support safety culture and climate ensuring the safety personnel adhere to district policies and procedures, including those related to student rights, privacy, and the use of force.
  • Law Enforcement Coordination: Accountable as the primary liaison between the school and law enforcement and other local safety support agencies regarding student and school safety.
  • Facilities Safety: Oversees comprehensive facilities risk assessments to identify potential security threats and develop mitigation strategies to ensure a safe school environment.
  • Behavioral Threat Assessment: Coordinates with Behavioral Health Team and Community Schools Students Services Department responding to potential behavioral threats, ensuring a proactive approach to student and school safety.
  • Technology Infrastructure Management: Collaborates closely with Technology Information department on a multi-layered security infrastructure, ensuring effective operation and integration with overall safety strategies and alignment with wider facilities and operational goals and district values.
• Ensure the implementation of best practices in school safety and security including participating in professional development and discussions on evolving demands and expectations as it relates to safety programs. Use forecasting tools and strategies to predict future needs.

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and implement a comprehensive district-wide safety and security strategy.
• Set long-range goals and objectives for the safety department in alignment with the district’s vision, mission, and values.
• Ensure compliance with relevant laws, regulations, and district policies, including Board Policies like the George Floyd Resolution.
• Implements, oversees, and improves upon day-to-day safety and security operations of the district and maintains responsibility for the ongoing security of the school district.

Collaboration and Coordination:

• Align safety efforts across various OUSD departments, including but not limited to Facilities, Emergency Preparedness, Legal, Talent, Risk Management, and/or Community Schools & Student Services.
• Collaborate with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and emergency responders to enhance school safety and security.
• Lead and coordinate the district’s response to critical incidents, ensuring effective communication and action.
• Develops and implements a safety-focused communication strategy, including: responding to media inquiries (in collaboration with OUSD Communications & Public Affairs), internal communications to school community members (staff, students, families), and speaking publicly before the Board, school, and in community groups.
• Collaborates closely with a team of safety-focused department leaders, including risk management, student support and safety, facilities, and technology to provide ongoing training and align resources, strategies, implementation, and continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Engage with district and department leaders, principals, and school communities to develop safety priorities and define roles and responsibilities.
• Coordinates safety activities such as workshops with school administration and other public safety agencies.
• Develops and maintains cohesive parent/school/community partnerships, especially with student groups. These partnerships include community partners that provide services directly to our school sites and partnerships with community groups to engage with guidance and feedback around safety measures
• Fostering positive relationships between security staff, students, staff, and the broader school community to promote a safe and welcoming environment.

Resource Management:

• Manage the budget and resources for the safety department efficiently.
• Ensure the maintenance and upgrade of security infrastructure, including surveillance systems, access controls, and communication systems.
• Advise the Chief of Staff on the financial needs and implications of the safety program. Administers programs within approved budget parameters including allocation of staff (FTE) resources.

Incident Response and Investigation:

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all safety and security incidents within the district.
• Conduct thorough investigations of safety incidents and implement corrective actions as needed.
• Maintain detailed records of incidents and safety measures for reporting and analysis.

Policy Development and Implementation:

• Develop and update district-wide safety policies and procedures.
• Ensure consistent application of safety policies across all schools and departments.
• Monitor and assess the effectiveness of safety policies and make recommendations for improvement.
• Review and recommend language to the Board, Superintendent, and other senior leadership concerning legislation to address the needs of all students and staff; recommend additions and/or revisions in policy, regulations, and procedures for review and/or Board of Education adoption.

Staff Supervision and Program Evaluation:

• Oversee organizational management in all assigned areas.
• Assess, evaluate, and provide for training and professional development of department staff.
• Create communication, collaboration and coordination processes that assure all staff are timely and effectively informed of department policies, issues, and guidance that their programs are expected to support.
• Establish an environment in which staff members are comfortable and forthcoming in sharing their ideas, needs and concerns, and in which the staff collaboratively works together to seek solutions and resolutions.
• Supervise, evaluate, and hold accountable the performance and professionalism of assigned staff; interview and select employees, and recommend transfers, reassignments, terminations, and disciplinary actions; plan, coordinate, and arrange for appropriate professional development opportunities for assigned staff.
• Establish a system of data collection and analysis that provides for continuous assessment of program effectiveness and/or changing needs.
• At least annually, conducts a comprehensive assessment review of all safety programs to determine their level of effectiveness and contribution to the mission of the department and to identify problem areas, areas of high success, and areas in need of change.
• Prepares structured presentations to district leadership and/or the board of education to share program evaluation results.
• Prepare annual reports, in conjunction with collaborating Departments.

• Perform related duties as assigned.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Five (5) years of experience in strategic and operational planning, budgeting, and supervision of staff
• Five (5) years of experience in a supervisory role within the fields of security, community based safety, violence prevention, law enforcement, or education

Preferred qualifications

• Experience managing a complex operation in a union setting is highly desired
• Experience serving on task forces or other groups focused on safety
• Experience in a large, diverse school district especially with regard to the differing needs at elementary, middle and high school levels
• Progressive experience with emergency critical incidents and community safety infrastructure in large complex organizations
• Proven ability to navigate and lead change in large systems; and
• Experience developing internal and public-facing communications.

• Skills:
  • Excellent oral and written communication;
  • Computer aptitude;
  • Listening and critical thinking;
  • Leading adult learning;
  • Demonstrated effective leadership, time-management, decision making and problem-solving skills; and
  • Public speaking and presentation skills

• Knowledge of:
  • In-depth knowledge of effective risk management and prevention strategies, emergency response protocols, and applicable laws;
  • Technical expertise or familiarity with relevant school safety tools and systems;
  • Security technology systems;
  • Local safety-related agencies in Oakland, Alameda County and state-wide;
  • OUSD’s culture and climate frameworks and principles;
  • OUSD’s explicit commitment to eliminate its internal police force and end racism against black students and all students of color, consistent with the Oakland Board of Education’s George Floyd Resolution;
  • How to effectively engage stakeholders to contribute insights into the knowledge domains crucial for fulfilling the role; and
  • Diversity, sensitivity and competence with regard to issues of race, learning or other ability, ethnicity, culture, religion, gender, socio-economic group, sexuality or other orientations or cultural markers

• Ability to:
  • Apply efficient management skills; identify and develop leaders to effectively manage performance; provide direction and delegate major pieces of work;
  • Apply a systems approach to problem solving;
  • Develop effective working partnerships across all sectors of stakeholders in the community and local government;
  • Demonstrate appreciation for OUSD’s explicit commitment to eliminate its internal police force and end racism against black students and all students of color, consistent with the Oakland Board of Education’s George Floyd Resolution, culture and climate frameworks and principles;
  • Establish and maintain effective communications and working relationships among diverse groups of students, parents, District staff, and the community;
  • Plan, implement and monitor high-leverage professional development;
  • Facilitate dissent and conduct difficult and constructive conversations;
  • Provide timely and actionable feedback;
  • Manage and prioritize time effectively;
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the activist nature of Oakland, and the ability to both respect and challenge local politics in order to center safety and simultaneously promote equity;
  • Provoke, inspire and motivate people to make progress toward safety goals;
  • Read, interpret, apply and explain rules, regulations, policies and procedures;
  • Work effectively across diverse communities;
  • The capacity to maintain composure and perform efficiently under pressure, particularly in emergency scenarios; and
  • Balance varied input and make rapid, sound, and courageous decisions.

Environment: Office and school site environments; fast-paced work; frequently changing environment. Respond to emergency situations outside of regular business hours and travel to various school sites and district offices as needed.

Physical Demands: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: Hear and speak to exchange information in person and make presentations; sitting or standing for extended periods of time; crouch and/or crawl; use hands and reach with hands and arms; dexterity of hands and fingers to operate a computer keyboard; may involve physical exertion pertaining to security work; have specific vision abilities to monitor various activities with children and read documents, and view computer monitors;, such as: close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, climb or balance; and to stoop and/or kneel.

The Oakland Unified School District does not discriminate in any program, activity, or in employment on the basis of actual or perceived race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, gender, sex, or sexual orientation.