Director, Physical Security

University of Rochester•Bailey's Crossroads, VA

21h•Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Physical Security is responsible for leading the development, implementation, and governance of enterprise-wide physical security systems, standards, and programs for the University of Rochester. This critical role ensures the protection of students, faculty, staff, patients, visitors, assets, research, and infrastructure across all University campuses and medical facilities. The Director provides strategic leadership over physical security technology, risk-based planning, policy development, and systems lifecycle management, ensuring all initiatives align with University goals, regulatory requirements, and ASIS best practices. The position requires extensive collaboration with the AVP of Public Safety, the Physical Security Improvement Committee, IT, Facilities, and various campus stakeholders to maintain a safe, resilient, and technologically advanced physical security environment.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice, Security Management, Engineering, Information Technology, Emergency Management, or related field.
5-7 years of progressively responsible experience in physical security, law enforcement, campus safety, or public safety operations equal in scope to this role.
5-7 years of supervisory/managerial experience leading staff in a security or law enforcement environment or equivalent combination of education and experience.
High integrity, emotional maturity, and discretion with confidential information.
Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging; effective work with diverse communities.
Coalition-building across departments and external partners; strong influence skills.
Clear written and verbal communication; concise presentations to leadership.
Expert knowledge of enterprise physical security systems (access control, CCTV/VMS, alarms/duress, PSIM/integrations).
Understanding of ASIS standards, CPTED, risk assessment, architecture, and lifecycle planning.
Experience supporting Clery Act and HIPAA-related security requirements (PCI-DSS not in scope).
Vendor/contract management, budgeting, and multi-project oversight.
Adult CPR/First Aid/AED (within 60 days of hire).
Certified Protection Professional (CPP) required within 12–18 months of employment.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Security Studies, Public Administration, Emergency Management, Information Security, or related field.
Experience managing security in higher education, academic medicine, research facilities, athletics, museums, libraries.
Experience developing and implementing risk-based enterprise security programs aligned to ASIS CSO/CPP guidance.
Experience administering and financially managing enterprise physical security systems: access control, CCTV/VMS, alarms, panic/duress.
Experience directing campus security officer programs (non-sworn) in academic settings.
Experience leading strategic initiatives and responding to emerging trends.
Certified Protection Professional (CPP) preferred on hire.
NCS4 Certified Sport Security Professional (CSSP) preferred.

Responsibilities

Develops and governs the University’s enterprise physical security strategy, policies, technology standards, and risk-based protection programs.
Serves as a member (and may chair) the Physical Security Improvement Committee.
Ensures alignment with University policy governance and compliance with the Clery Act, HIPAA, and internal technology standards.
Leads design and engineering standards for access control, video surveillance, alarm/duress, mass notification/lockdown technologies, and physical-IT convergence across all campuses and facilities.
Approves enterprise architecture, design specifications, vendor standards, and lifecycle plans.
Oversees implementation, upgrades, integrations, and commissioning of physical security technologies.
Coordinates with IT, Facilities, construction/project teams, and vendors to deliver solutions that meet scope, budget, and schedule while adhering to ASIS, NCS4, and CPTED best practices.
Directly supervises three technical leaders (Access Control/Alarms, CCTV/Surveillance, Public Safety IT) and the Campus Security Manager; provides leadership to approximately 70 campus security personnel (indirect).
Coaches, assigns work, manages performance, and fosters a results-oriented culture.
Assists with development of operating and capital budgets; recommends expenditures to the AVP; manages allocated budgets; oversees contracts, service-level agreements, and vendor performance.
Guides lifecycle replacement planning and asset inventory accuracy.
Participates in 24/7 on-call structure.
Directs or supports incident response for system outages, forced entries, threats to life/safety, and critical events.
Coordinates lockdowns, system failover, and after-action reviews.
Conducts risk assessments, audits, and performance evaluations of security systems and programs.
Develops corrective action plans, KPIs, dashboards, and reports for leadership; ensures adherence to University policies and applicable regulations.
Other duties as assigned.