Director of Emergency Management, Resiliency and Business Continuity

Brown University•Providence, RI

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director of Emergency Management, Resiliency, and Business Continuity is responsible for planning, developing, organizing and administering comprehensive university-wide emergency management and business continuity preparedness services, operations and initiatives. Leading a team of five, this position is responsible for leading, developing and implementing emergency management preparedness, business continuity and disaster resumption efforts university-wide. The Director manages the departmental budget; develops, implements and enforces policies; and manages projects related to the assigned area. This position is responsible for seamlessly integrating security and emergency planning and programs into existing campus departments and operations by working collaboratively with other areas within the Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management and other units including, but not limited to: Environmental Health and Safety, University Risk Management, Audit and Compliance, Planning and Policy, Facilities Management, Residential Life, Dining Services and stakeholder departments. This position also oversees the Fire Safety Office and personnel, and leverages that team to support all the functions outlined above.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required in Emergency Management, Business Administration, Health and Safety or other relevant field with at least 8 years of progressive related experience.
Experience in security and/or emergency management practices, as well as knowledge of National Incident Management System and the Incident Command System techniques of emergency response and recovery.
Experience with business continuity planning approach, practices, tools and techniques.
Experience evaluating information to determine compliance with standards, laws, and regulations.
Experience performing risk assessments and business impact analysis.
Experience establishing and maintaining relationships with individuals at all levels of the organization.
Experience using time management skills such as prioritizing/organizing and tracking details and meeting deadlines of multiple projects with varying completion dates.
Experience developing and delivering presentations, table top exercises, and other communications to audiences of various levels of leadership, including executive leadership.

Nice To Haves

Certified Emergency Manager by the International Association of Emergency Managers and Certified Business Continuity Professional by the Disaster Recovery Institute International preferred.

Responsibilities

Oversee Emergency Planning, Management and Resiliency: Lead the development, maintenance and implementation of a comprehensive university-wide emergency response plan, policies and protocols and maintain the Brown Ready emergency information website. Provide leadership and coordination to emergency management activities, including facilitating the development and management of departmental and building emergency action plans. Annually review all emergency plans and update as needed. Plan responses to emergencies and disasters in order to minimize and mitigate risk to people and property. Investigate and research best practices with respect to emergency management and preparedness and attend conferences, trainings and seminars. Maintain and revise as necessary the Crisis Management Plan documentation. Facilitate collaborative efforts for University Emergency Management and serve as a leader and representative in the emergency management network. Provide updates and reports regularly to the Emergency Management and Crisis Group (EMCG) and other key leaders on the status of the University's emergency readiness. Serve as a liaison with external emergency management agencies at the local, state, and federal level. This also includes oversight of the Fire Safety Office and staff. The Brown Fire Safety Office is a critical component of Public Safety and Emergency Management, dedicated to promoting a safe campus environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The office delivers comprehensive fire prevention, compliance, and education services, including Emergency Action Plan (EAP) training, fire extinguisher inspection and instruction, building and residential fire safety inspections, hot work and impairment permitting, event fire safety oversight, and a broad range of fire safety education and training programs. This work should also focus on ensuring staffing in the Fire Safety Office are also equipped to serve in emergency management support roles in the event the DIrector is not available.
Oversee Business Continuity Planning and Management: Develop, maintain, and implement business continuity and disaster recovery policies, strategies, and solutions, including risk assessments, business impact analyses, strategy selection, and documentation of business continuity and disaster recovery procedures. Perform periodic reviews and tests of established business continuity plans and procedures, report findings to management and make recommendations for improvements as needed. Develop contingency plans to deal with organizational emergencies. Test documented disaster recovery strategies and plans. Oversee the development, creation, implementation, and annual review of a university-wide continuity plan. This will include the facilitation of department-level continuity plans. Plan, communicate and manage the annual review and revision process for all departmental plans by sending emails and reminders with specific instructions with the goal of having all plans reviewed annually and updated as needed. Monitor and manage all software system updates and changes and ensure that existing plans are accessible.
Manage Emergency Response Preparedness and Communications: Partner with key constituents to develop and implement emergency preparedness training, including hostile intruder training, by means of tabletop exercises and in person and online emergency response training programs for students, faculty, staff, volunteers, and other first responders. Create and maintain stakeholder committees and working groups. Plan, conduct, and debrief regular mock-disaster exercises and annual campus-wide emergency drills to test the adequacy of existing plans and strategies, updating procedures and plans regularly. Coordinate all preparedness initiatives with campus partners. Ensure that individuals and groups are familiar with emergency procedures. Manage the emergency notification system including system testing and development of templates, lists and system training for authorized users. Integrate diverse communication channels into a unified command interface to ensure simultaneous deployment. Further develop and maintain University Communications Action Plan that defines protocols and provide training to identified individuals who may be required to communicate emergency information. Serve as a member of the Emergency Management and Crisis Group and the Emergency Response Group. Manage the weather alert system and monitor extreme weather including hurricanes and winter storms and communicate as needed to decision makers during regular business hours, after hours, on nights and weekends. Responsible for the development of content of messages designed to alert the campus community. Plan and manage semi-annual full audible testing of the Brown Siren and Brown Alert systems. Maintain campus Storm Readiness certification with the National Weather Service.
Manage the Response During an Emergency: Ensure strong engagement with the Emergency Management and Crisis Group and the Emergency Response Group during emergency events. Act as incident commander, as appropriate, during emergencies on campus, and oversee the development of Incident Actions Plans, ensuring strategic goals and objectives are communicated. In situations where the incident commander role is assigned to another individual due to the nature of the situation, coordinate closely and support response activities. Keep senior leadership informed of all potential or ongoing significant emergencies, and convey mitigation efforts required to reduce or eliminate the potential impact. Manage the response during an emergency situation, making adjustments to or prioritizing certain actions if necessary, and coordinate campus resources. Serve as the product owner for the campus alert ecosystem. This may also include directly sending RAVE alerts. Coordinate plans with local, state, and federal emergency management agencies, and first responders. Support outreach activities to keep the university community informed about the emergency. Support post incident recovery process, including Family Assistance Centers and long-term mental health infrastructure for campus community. Act as a coordinator for continuity efforts after a disruption event. Collect and analyze damage assessments following disasters or emergencies. Participate in the After-Action Review of response and recovery efforts; use lessons learned to improve emergency preparedness and business continuity plans.