Chief Jailer (Sheriff)

Shelby County Government•Memphis, TN

6d•Onsite

About The Position

Under the administrative direction of the Shelby County Sheriff, the Division Director – Jail Division/Chief Jailer serves as the senior executive responsible for the leadership, administration, security, and overall operation of the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office correctional facilities. The Chief Jailer provides executive oversight of two major detention facilities: the Shelby County Main Jail, located at 201 Poplar Avenue in downtown Memphis, and Jail East, the women’s facility located at 6201 Haley Road in East Memphis, as well as any other temporary, contingency, overflow, emergency, or alternative detention sites that may be activated or utilized by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office as operational needs require. Together, the Main Jail and Jail East provide approximately 3,182 beds and maintain an average daily census of approximately 3,099 incarcerated individuals. The Chief Jailer is responsible for ensuring appropriate operational oversight, staffing, security, compliance, and coordination at all such contingent sites while they are in use. The Main Jail is a large, complex urban detention facility with approximately 2,800 beds. Jail East is a full service, direct supervision facility with a housing capacity of approximately 382. The facilities operate continuously, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and provide detention, security, medical, mental health, food service, programming, classification, intake and release, visitation, transportation coordination, and other essential correctional services. The Chief Jailer serves as the operational chief for the Jail Division and is responsible for ensuring safe, secure, constitutional, efficient, and humane correctional operations. The position provides executive leadership to a large and diverse workforce through subordinate Assistant Chiefs, Administrators, managers, supervisors, correctional personnel, civilian employees, contractors, and professional service providers. The Chief Jailer is a member of the Sheriff’s executive leadership team and serves as a principal advisor to the Sheriff on correctional operations, institutional policy, staffing, security, inmate management, regulatory compliance, accreditation, facility needs, and other matters affecting the Jail Division. The Chief Jailer may act on behalf of the Shelby County Sheriff in correctional matters during the Sheriff’s absence or as otherwise directed.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Criminal Justice, Criminology, Corrections, Public Administration, Business Administration, Organizational Leadership, or a closely related field.
A minimum of ten (10) years of progressively responsible administrative, command, or executive leadership experience within a jail, detention center, correctional institution, or comparable correctional environment.
Experience in correctional operations, personnel management, institutional security, policy development, regulatory compliance, budgeting, organizational leadership, negotiations, and working effectively with labor unions and employee organizations.
An equivalent combination of related education and/or experience.
PROOF OF EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND/OR EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED.

Nice To Haves

Senior command or executive-level experience managing a large county jail, metropolitan detention system, correctional institution, or multi-facility correctional operation.
Demonstrated experience managing a large and diverse correctional workforce.
Experience overseeing facilities with substantial inmate populations and complex security, medical, mental health, classification, and programming requirements.
Demonstrated knowledge of federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing correctional institutions.
Experience with American Correctional Association accreditation or comparable professional correctional standards.
Demonstrated knowledge of and experience with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), including compliance, prevention, reporting, investigation, and corrective-action requirements.
Familiarity with National Commission on Correctional Health Care NCCHC and its application to correctional operations and detention facility standards.
Demonstrated experience addressing staffing shortages, employee retention, overtime, recruitment, training, and workforce development.
Experience managing major correctional contracts and operating budgets.
Experience with correctional facility planning, renovation, construction, or major capital improvement programs.
Demonstrated experience implementing organizational or operational improvements within a correctional environment.
Experience working with courts, elected officials, governmental agencies, community organizations, legal counsel, and other criminal justice stakeholders.
Demonstrated ability to manage critical incidents and communicate effectively during high-profile or sensitive events.
Advanced professional education, executive leadership training, or nationally recognized correctional certifications.

Responsibilities

Plans, organizes, directs, evaluates, and coordinates all correctional operations, institutional programs, personnel, and administrative functions within the Jail Division.
Establishes organizational priorities, performance expectations, accountability measures, and management systems designed to promote operational effectiveness, employee accountability, fiscal responsibility, institutional security, and appropriate treatment of individuals in SCSO custody.
Represents the Sheriff and the Sheriff’s Office in interactions with governmental officials, judicial stakeholders, correctional organizations, community leaders, vendors, professional organizations, and other external partners at the local, state, and national levels.
Administers a comprehensive correctional program addressing the custody, housing, security, classification, movement, discipline, grievances and appeals, education, programming, work assignments, and general welfare of incarcerated individuals.
Provides executive oversight of institutional functions including security and correctional operations; intake, booking, classification, housing, and release; inmate movement and transportation coordination; inmate programs, education, and reentry-related activities; food and nutritional services; medical, behavioral health, and allied health services; facility maintenance, sanitation, environmental health, and safety; emergency preparedness and incident response; inmate property, commissary, visitation, and fiduciary functions; compliance with applicable correctional standards, policies, laws, regulations, and judicial requirements; and coordination with courts, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, defense counsel, County departments, and other criminal justice partners.
Establishes systems to continuously evaluate institutional operations, identify emerging risks and operational deficiencies, and implement appropriate corrective actions.
Directly supervises Jail Assistant Chiefs, Administrators, and other employees assigned significant institution-wide leadership responsibilities and provides executive oversight of the broader Jail Division workforce.
Establishes and maintains an effective system of management accountability to ensure that programs, activities, and employee actions are consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws; judicial decisions and orders; accreditation requirements; Shelby County Government policies; and Shelby County Sheriff’s Office policies, procedures, rules, and regulations.
Fosters a professional organizational culture characterized by accountability, integrity, communication, teamwork, employee development, constitutional correctional practices, and respect for both employees and individuals in custody.
Participates in the development, interpretation, implementation, and evaluation of policies governing correctional operations.
Directs staff and multidisciplinary teams in reviewing institutional policies, procedures, operational practices, significant incidents, performance measures, inspection findings, and emerging correctional issues.
Ensures that Jail Division operations are conducted in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, judicial requirements, professional correctional standards, accreditation requirements, and Sheriff’s Office policies.
Works collaboratively with legal counsel, risk management professionals, accreditation personnel, medical and mental health providers, internal investigators, and other appropriate parties to identify and mitigate institutional risk.
Directs or oversees the preparation of operational reports, statistical analyses, corrective-action plans, performance measures, and other information necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of correctional operations and support executive decision-making.
Plays a significant leadership role in evaluating the condition, capacity, security, functionality, and long-term needs of SCSO detention facilities.
Identifies and prioritizes capital, maintenance, security, technology, and infrastructure requirements and works collaboratively with the Sheriff, Shelby County Government, architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, and other stakeholders on correctional facility planning and improvement initiatives.
Provides executive oversight of the financial and business activities supporting the Jail Division.
Assists with the preparation, administration, and monitoring of the Jail Division budget; evaluates staffing and overtime expenditures; monitors major contracts and vendor performance; identifies operational and capital funding requirements; and ensures appropriate stewardship of public resources.
Provides executive oversight of the procurement and control of equipment, supplies, uniforms, food service, medical and professional services, facility-related expenditures, and other resources necessary to maintain continuous correctional operations.
Represents the Sheriff in correctional policy and operational matters involving other divisions of the Sheriff’s Office, Shelby County Government, courts, prosecutors, law enforcement agencies, correctional organizations, regulatory and accreditation entities, elected officials, community organizations, contractors, and other stakeholders.