Director of Emergency Management

Company: Suffolk University
Location: Boston
Posted on: May 29, 2023

Job Description:

Director of Emergency Management
Staff Exempt Boston, Massachusetts
Apply
Description
Emerson College and Suffolk University seek a highly collaborative and qualified individual to be the institutions' joint Emergency Management Director. The innovative position is part of a broader administrative collaboration between Suffolk and Emerson to share expertise and offer a career opportunity as the EMD for both institutions in downtown Boston. The EMD has responsibility for all aspects of emergency preparedness and emergency management at Suffolk and Emerson and at all on-campus and off-campus facilities, owned or leased. The EMD works with individuals at all levels of the institutions to develop and initiate campus-wide mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery programs that meet regulatory guidelines, protects institutional assets, pre pares the institutions to deal with unforeseen disruptions to operations, and lead recovery and normalization activities. The EM will have access to a broad and competitive benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance, retirement 403b program with large employer match, tuition remission for employee and dependents and generous time off policies.
Emerson College
Emerson College is a private, coeducational institution of higher learning located in Boston across from the Boston Common. The college has 25 majors to choose from and is known for its focus on the arts, communications and the liberal arts. Those interested in dual degree programs can pursue the global BFA in film art with the Paris College of Art, or the international and political communication degree with Franklin University in Switzerland. Students may also opt to study globally including semesters at Emerson's campuses in Los Angeles and the Netherlands, or through the Global Pathways programs available in 13 countries.
Emerson currently has 3,813 undergraduate and 633 graduate students registered for classes. Sixty-six percent (2,500) of the undergraduate class live in College residence halls. The college employs approximately 1,000 faculty and staff. The Boston campus consists of 14 buildings totaling 1,460,000 square feet. The Los Angeles campus consists of 1 building that can accommodate the housing and academic needs of up to 200 students per semester. The Netherlands campus is located in a thirteenth century castle that has 4 buildings that provide residential and academic space for 85 students.
Suffolk University
Suffolk University is a private, non-profit institution of higher education. The University is located in the heart of downtown Boston and accessible from all parts of the metropolitan area, offers undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate degrees through its College of Arts and Sciences, Sawyer Business School, and Law School. The University also operates an overseas campus in Madrid, Spain that provides an international experience for University students and attracts students to its Boston campus.
As of fall 2022, 6,788 students were enrolled across three schools: College of Arts and Sciences, Sawyer Business School, and Law School. 1500 undergraduate students live in University residence halls. The University employs approximately 1,200 faculty and staff. The Boston campus is comprised of 13 buildings totaling 1.5 million gross square feet of space. The Madrid campus consists of one building with 9,500 square feet of space.
Responsibilities:
Coordinate the ongoing development, maintenance, coordination and implementation of the Emergency Preparedness mission, strategy, and emergency operations that is consistent with the national incident management system (NIMS) and the incident command system (ICS),
Provide ongoing review of the institutions' Emergency Action Plan and provide remote emergency response training for domestic and international campuses. This responsibility includes training for any contracted emergency evacuation and travel assistance program features and mobile applications.
Chair the emergency management teams/committees at both institutions, contributes ideas and monitors the planning process. Develop project plans and timelines for accomplishing outstanding tasks. Participate on other committees at each institution as appropriate.
Act as the emergency management resource for the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) during actual incidents or events and coordinate each institution's emergency notification system (RAVE). May act as the EOC manager or fill the role of a section chief if designated by the Incident Commander. Conduct an after-action briefing for any EOC activation and develop and distribute a report of findings including any recommendations for improvement.
Manage domestic and international incidents that impact university community travelers, including but not limited to security, medical, crime and missing persons incidents by coordinating and enacting university emergency response protocol. This requires 24/7 on-call response capacity. Serve as primary point of contact for Suffolk University's global travel assistance providers during international emergencies and incidents.
Work in close collaboration with campus communicators at both institutions, including the Offices of Public Affairs and Strategic Communications and Media Relations when sending university wide communications.
Work with the Offices of Risk Management and the Center for International Education and Study Away at Suffolk University to proactively monitor news and other open sources on a daily basis for events, trends, and activities that impact university interests throughout the program planning cycle and while travelers are abroad. Review health, safety and security data for countries and regions of travel. Working with the Office of Risk Management, review program-specific locations to help ensure that programs are following university and industry travel safety best practices.
Serve as primary point of contact for university travelers in need of assistance and manage all communications sent through the global travel assistance program including pre-travel information requests, security incidents, medical inquiries, and SOS alerts. Monitor global travel assistance program travel tracker, proximity alerts, incident alerts and notifications, responding when appropriate.
Meet with campus stakeholders periodically to understand and prepare responses and internal communication protocols for emergency situations.
Lead the Weather Response teams in discussions around campus delays and closures. Provide recommendations to decision makers and coordinate and disseminate community alert and notification over campus alert systems.
Develop and maintain liaisons with governmental agencies and similar entities to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchange of personnel and equipment.
Participate in professional development to keep abreast with trends within the emergency management community, with emphasis on higher education, and take steps to verify the institutions are planning accordingly. Recommend emergency planning-related policies to the leadership of each institution.
Create a culture of campus-wide emergency preparedness by utilizing social media and departmental meetings as well as keeping a visible presence on campus and other venues as appropriate.
Develop and conduct robust emergency management training, including all Study Abroad orientations for the institutions. Conduct a minimum of two table top exercises per year for each institution. Conduct periodic fire and evacuation drills and amend training based on outcomes. Conduct hazard vulnerability analysis and develop evacuation plans. Keep informed of federal, state, and local regulations affecting emergency plans to ensure adherence. Interact with outside agencies to coordinate emergency support activities.
Develop annual operating budget to support emergency preparedness activities and perform cost/benefit analysis for any recommended capital investment in support of the program.
Support business continuity planning efforts by working with the business continuity managers to identify continuity-related issues and to obtain and allocate resources necessary for maintaining operations.
Requirements/Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree from an accredited institution preferably with a major in emergency management, public safety, environmental health and safety, public administration or a related field or equivalent experience, with five or more years of relevant or similar emergency preparedness experience in an institutional setting. Experience in higher education is strongly preferred.
Certified Emergency Manager Designation (CEM) is preferred.
Experience in managing global emergencies
Experience in implementation of advanced Incident Command System (ICS) concepts as well as National Incident Management System (NIMS).
Demonstrated familiarity with business continuity concepts.
Demonstrated ability to lead individuals and groups in high stress situations.
Experience in Clery Act compliance is preferred.
Strong leadership, interpersonal and consensus building skills along with demonstrated operational problem solving/decision making experience.
Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with individuals at all levels of the organization as well as outside consultants and members of local and regional regulatory agencies.
Ability to take initiative, work independently, and follow tasks through to completion.
Strong organizational and time management skills, including the ability to meet deadlines and work under pressure.
Ability to develop and present programs and train groups and individuals.
Ability to operate 24/7 in the event of an emergency affecting either or both institutions community.
Suffolk University does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, religious creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, age, genetic information, or status as a veteran in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs, activities, or employment. Suffolk University is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. The University is dedicated to the goal of building a diverse and inclusive faculty and staff that reflect the broad range of human experience who contribute to the robust exchange of ideas on campus, and who are committed to teaching and working in a diverse environment. We strongly encourage applications from groups historically marginalized or underrepresented because of race/color, gender, religious creed, disability, national origin, veteran status or LGBTQ status. Suffolk University is especially interested in candidates who, through their training, service and experience, will contribute to the diversity and excellence of the University community.

Keywords: Suffolk University, Boston , Director of Emergency Management, Executive , Boston, Massachusetts