Director of Campus Safety & Security

Covenant College • Lookout Mountain, GA

2d • Onsite

About The Position

Covenant College is a Christian liberal arts college of about 1,000 students located on Lookout Mountain, Georgia, near Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Director of Campus Safety & Security leads the College’s safety, security, and emergency management programs and serves as its primary partner to local law enforcement and emergency services. The director leads Campus Safety and Security staff and oversees emergency preparedness and response, building access and key control, surveillance and mass notification systems, and campus parking. The director also serves as the College’s Clery Act Compliance Officer and ensures compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations.

The director builds and sustains partnerships with law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency management agencies in the surrounding Georgia and Tennessee communities. The position works closely with Student Development and Residence Life and is expected to provide professional, service-oriented care to students, faculty, and staff. It requires excellent written and verbal communication, sound judgment under pressure, and the ability to respond to campus at any hour.

This is a regular, full-time, FLSA-exempt position reporting to the Vice President for Operations and Finance. Regular office hours are generally Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; the director is on call at all times, and evening and weekend work is required for events and as duties demand. The work is performed both outdoors in all weather and at night, and in an office environment. The director must be able to respond in person to campus emergencies. Residence within a reasonable response time of campus is strongly preferred.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in security, public safety, or law enforcement, including supervisory experience.
• In-depth understanding of laws, security procedures, policies, and protocols needed to respond correctly to emergencies.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with law enforcement, emergency services, and community partners.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, including the ability to write reports, policies, and emergency notices and present to groups.
• Ability to respond quickly to emergencies anywhere on campus at any time and meet firearms qualification standards.
• Proficiency in Google Docs and Sheets and security software platforms.
• Sound judgment, composure under pressure, discretion with confidential matters, proactive problem-solving, and ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects.
• High professional ethics and personal integrity; ability to relate to others cooperatively and maturely in a Christian manner and a healthy understanding of self.
• Acceptance of and commitment to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; understanding of Covenant College’s mission and purpose; and ability to assent to the College’s Staff Commitments.
• Frequent standing, walking, sitting, bending, reaching, kneeling, pushing, and pulling, including foot patrol of a hilly campus; occasionally lift or lower objects up to 30 pounds.

Nice To Haves

• Experience in higher education security or public safety.
• Experience with the Clery Act, including preparation of the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
• Hold, or obtain within 90 days of hire, the Georgia armed security credentials required by state law, and maintain firearms qualification.
• Established working relationships with law enforcement and emergency services in Northwest Georgia or the Chattanooga area.
• Georgia POST certification or prior sworn law enforcement experience.
• Training in emergency management, behavioral threat assessment, or Title IX.
• FEMA ICS-100, ICS-200, and IS-700 certification, plus CPR, AED, and first aid certification, or willingness to obtain them within the first six months.
• Experience managing access control, camera, and mass notification systems.
• Residence within a reasonable response time of campus is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead, schedule, train, and evaluate Campus Safety and Security staff and ensure around-the-clock campus coverage.
• Direct daily patrols of campus buildings, grounds, residence halls, and events, focusing on the well-being of students and employees.
• Develop and maintain departmental policies and procedures; set goals, plans, and performance measures; prepare and manage the departmental budget.
• Oversee licensing, firearms qualification, and use-of-force training for armed officers in compliance with Georgia law.
• Maintain working partnerships with local law enforcement, fire, EMS, and emergency management agencies; hold regular meetings, lead joint training and tabletop exercises, and keep mutual-aid agreements and memoranda of understanding current and in writing.
• Serve as the College’s primary contact with outside agencies during incidents, investigations, and planned events.
• Respond in person to campus emergencies and serve as the on-call lead for after-hours incidents.
• Maintain the College’s Emergency Operations Plan using the Incident Command System; lead drills and tabletop exercises and conduct after-action reviews.
• Plan for mountaintop-campus hazards, including severe weather and ice, wildfire, power and communications outages, limited road access, and outdoor and bluff-area incidents.
• Administer and regularly test siren and mass notification systems; issue timely warnings and emergency notifications.
• Educate Residence Life staff and the campus community on emergency preparedness, active-threat response, and personal safety.
• Serve as Clery Act Compliance Officer, overseeing the daily crime log, timely warnings, emergency notifications, Campus Security Authority training, and Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
• Maintain the fire log and coordinate residence hall fire drills and fire-safety inspections with Facilities.
• Serve on the CARE team and support behavioral threat assessment; coordinate with the Title IX Coordinator on reports involving sexual misconduct, dating and domestic violence, and stalking.
• Enforce the College’s weapons policy and other campus safety policies.
• Oversee key systems, card access, ScotsCards, surveillance cameras, siren, and mass texting systems, and train appropriate personnel in their use.
• Partner with Information Technology on security technology planning, systems integration, and data protection.
• Manage campus parking permits, enforcement, citations, and collections; work with the Parking Appeals Committee to resolve appeals and plan for growing demand.
• Seek regular feedback from the Vice President for Operations and Finance and the campus community on departmental performance and service.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director