Director, Emergency Management

Rice University•Houston, TX

17h•Onsite

About The Position

Rice University seeks a visionary and community-oriented leader to serve as the next Director of Emergency Management. As the university advances its strategic vision, anchored by excellence in research, transformative undergraduate education, and deep engagement with the city of Houston, the Director will play a pivotal role in ensuring a campus environment where innovation and safety seamlessly coexist. This position is not merely about enforcement; it is about building a broad, collaborative umbrella of protection that integrates traditional emergency management with policing and emergency medical services, all while reflecting the "culture of care" that uniquely defines the Rice community. The Director provides strategic leadership for university-wide emergency management. This executive leads and directs the university’s efforts to develop, implement, test, document, and maintain plans for emergency management, institutional business continuity, and comprehensive emergency response across all academic, administrative, and research departments. A critical component of this role involves managing complex, cross-functional relationships on university-wide resilience initiatives. The Director interacts regularly with Executive Leadership, Senior Management, and Key Functional Areas to appropriately link all emergency response, mitigation, and recovery plans.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Preferred fields: Emergency Management, Public Administration, Homeland Security, Public Safety, Criminal Justice, or a closely related field. In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
4+ years of progressively responsible professional experience in emergency management, public safety, or emergency coordination. In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
Deep operational knowledge of safety and disaster/recovery procedures, the Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), and National Response Framework (NRF) structures
ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800 certifications required upon hire
Experience managing and leading multiple projects and team members
Exceptional interpersonal skills with a proven track record of building consensus among diverse stakeholder groups (faculty, students, staff, law enforcement, and civil officials)
Ability to lead, influence, and earn the respect of cross-functional partners
Strong leadership and executive presence
Ability to analyze and resolve problems; action-oriented with the ability to make decisions and function effectively in stressful situations
Ability to distill complex, fluid situations into clear, actionable, and empathetic messaging for executive leadership and the public under intense pressure
Knowledge of IT operations and familiarity with disaster/recovery operations
Proficiency with emergency notification software (e.g., Everbridge), business continuity planning software, and standard EOC management platforms (e.g., WebEOC)

Nice To Haves

Advanced ICS training (ICS 300 and ICS 400)
Prior emergency management experience at a higher-education research university, with a demonstrated understanding of safeguarding sensitive laboratory research and navigating a residential campus culture.

Responsibilities

Provides strategic leadership to the university-wide emergency management team
Plans, coordinates, and manages the activities of the Emergency Management Team (EMT), which is responsible for planning and preparation of the university’s emergency response plans
Maintains the physical and virtual Incident Command Center (ICC) in a constant state of operational readiness; manages ICC activations and coordinates the Emergency Management Team
Proactively identifies, reports, and leads the resolution of high-impact risks, gaps, and corrective action plans
Ensures institutional alignment with FEMA, NIMS, Clery Act mandates (specifically emergency notifications and timely warnings), and Texas state safety standards
Regularly reviews the university’s emergency response and business continuity plans
Conducts periodic reviews of emergency notification processes and tools
Leads governance of the university’s crisis management plans through the university’s incident response teams and overarching crisis communication plan
Reviews the university’s effectiveness in responding to emergency situations and evaluates response plans and processes
Designs and executes campus-wide tabletop, functional, and full-scale exercises and drills compliant with Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) standards for senior leadership, staff, and students
Collaborates with incident response team leads to present, resolve, and implement potential emergency management issues to ensure a unified approach to mitigation and resilience
Designs and develops operating procedures for incident command centers, including locations, standards, equipment, and processes
Prepares incident command centers for immediate activation
Serves within a dynamic, NIMS-aligned command structure where the Chief of Police leads tactical and life-safety incidents, while Executive Leadership directs high-level policy and institutional emergencies. During major activations, this role transitions to Incident Command Center (ICC) Director to focus on resource coordination, logistics, and long-term recovery rather than front-line command
Identifies university-wide business continuity and other vulnerabilities
Provides consulting and guidance to key functional areas in the design, development, maintenance, and implementation of business continuity plans
Creates and documents business continuity activation processes
Educates the university about business continuity issues and assists business areas in addressing these issues effectively
Leads After-Action Review (AAR) processes following exercises or real-world events, drafting formal Improvement Plans (IPs) to systematically improve institutional resilience
Serves as the primary university representative to local, regional, state, and federal emergency management agencies (e.g., City of Houston Office of Emergency Management, Harris County OHSEM, Texas Division of Emergency Management, FEMA)
Performs all other duties as assigned