] Office of Human Resources - Montgomery County Public Schools

OFFICE OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND DEVELOPMENT → CLASSIFICATION → DIRECTOR, DEPARTMENT OF DISTRICTWIDE SAFETY AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE MANAGEMENT

Sorted by job title: A - C | D - H | I - Q | R - Z

Director, Department of Districtwide Safety and Emergency Response Management

MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS CLASS DESCRIPTION
OFFICIAL TITLE: Director II CODE: 0262 SQ/OQ: Not Applicable
WORKING TITLE: Director, Department of Districtwide Safety and Emergency Response Management GRADE: Q MONTHS: 12
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF CLASSIFICATION: Reporting to the Chief of District Operations, the Director of Districtwide Safety and Emergency Response Management , leads the school district's efforts to ensure student and staff safety by designing, implementing, and championing the strategic safety plan for Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), central office, and depot sites. The DSERM is a proven leader with a track record in safety, emergency planning management, proactive, innovative, and comprehensive approaches to systemwide safety and security efforts. The DSERM leads and coordinates the incident command structure and all emergency management programs associated with preparation for, response to, and recovery from natural, manmade disasters, or emergency situations. Oversees multiple functional units, including school security, workplace safety, risk assessment, and emergency planning. Serves as the primary liaison to local, state, and national public safety agencies, including but not limited to, the Montgomery County Police and Fire Departments, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Maryland Center for School Safety, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the United States Department of Homeland Security.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATION STANDARDS
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: Thorough knowledge of current safety and emergency planning standards and practices. Knowledge and understanding of federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements, as well as the Maryland Safe to Learn Act of 2018 and how they apply to a school district. Demonstrated leadership and ability to analyze data and provide immediate, short-term and long-term solutions. Highly effective with leading and coordinating teams. Possesses strong interpersonal and intrapersonal skills to establish, cultivate, and retain relationships and work effectively with others. Strong oral and written communication skills. Ability to maintain complete and accurate records and to develop meaningful reports from them. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments. Ability to establish and maintain collaborative working relationships with personnel assigned to schools, other departments, public entities, and citizens. Excellent public speaking and project management skills.
EDUCATION, TRAINING, AND EXPERIENCE: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in law enforcement, public administration, emergency management/public safety, education, public administration or a related field. Master's degree in emergency management, public administration, educational leadership, criminal justice, public safety, law enforcement, or related field preferred. Minimum of five to eight years of supervisory experience. Three to five years of experience in comprehensive planning for safety and security including physical, infrastructure, emergency management, workplace safety, and disaster preparedness. K-12 school system and student safety and security experience in a K-12 school system and/or college or university is preferred. Extensive experience in training, implementation, and monitoring of various facets of safety preferred, including workplace safety, environmental health, disaster and emergency planning, security and risk assessment and management. Other combinations of applicable education, training, and experience which provide the knowledge, abilities, and skills necessary to perform effectively in the position may be considered.
CERTIFICATE AND LICENSE REQUIREMENTS: National Incident Management System (NIMS) certification by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Certification in Emergency Management preferred.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS: (Special requirements such as lifting heavy objects and frequent climbing.) None
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: (Frequent overtime or night work required, etc.) Evening and weekend work required.
OVERTIME ELIGIBLE: No

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

REPRESENTATIVE DUTIES: (Incumbents may perform any combination of the essential functions shown below. This position description is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, knowledge, or abilities associated with this classification, but is intended to accurately reflect the principle job elements.)

Defines, develops, and implements, policies, procedures, and processes that ensure student and staff safety across all schools and facilities. Safety includes physical, infrastructure, emergency preparedness, threat management, prevention, and safety and risk management procedures and processes.

Assists in the development and implementation of security plans for special events.

Advises and assists site-based administrators in matters involving criminal activities on school campuses.

Coordinates with site-based administrators, including maintenance and facilities departments, to address and correct safety/security issues on school campuses and central office facilities.

Leads the development, training, implementation and monitoring of the district's emergency preparedness plan.

Researches and recommends additions and improvements to the safety management program, particularly in areas such as emergency preparedness, security infrastructure, physical safety, accident prevention, general safety, and risk management.

Coordinates with local law enforcement and other appropriate health and safety professionals in matters of public safety involving students, staff, and campuses.

Evaluates effectiveness and of security and surveillance equipment on school district properties.

Organizes regular disaster exercises and drills to evaluate local and district's emergency preparedness plans.

Ensures that all district emergency teams comply and ¿response ready¿ according to district procedures.

Reviews and approves school emergency response plans, works collaboratively with first responders, district administrators, and other stakeholders to facilitate any necessary revisions or modifications to the district's emergency preparedness and management plan. Maintains and updates all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.

Works with emergency coordinators/managers from other jurisdictions and agencies to develop an operational plan for using suitable district schools as temporary emergency shelters for community support after a natural disaster.

Designs the districtwide planning, training, and implementation of emergency and disaster preparedness training courses, materials, for all MCPS stakeholders.

Determines equipment placement, inventory, maintenance, and testing necessary to support emergency response.

Participates in local and regional emergency planning groups and exercises. This includes participation in district and community threat response and at-risk behavior teams as assigned. Collaborates with other emergency management personnel, local, state and federal officials, schools, and hospitals in order to facilitate plan development and response effort coordination.

Responds to emergency and disaster situations involving hazardous materials, inclement weather, evacuation, and/or sheltering to aid and coordinate county resources.

Maintains and utilizes a current knowledge and awareness of emergency management strategies and applicable laws/regulations.
Ensures that all plans, operating procedures, and protocols are developed and implemented in compliance with the requirements of regulatory agencies.

Coordinates safety training and practices to support academic processes of each school by implementing best practices in safety, security, and emergency preparedness with proper adaptation to the environment.

Coordinates and manages all reports of school crime from administrators and community engagement officers (CEOs) and maintains the statistical data to inform MCPS executive leadership and the Board of Education; and to further the professional development on school safety, crisis prevention, youth violence and prevention; and student resiliency.

Coordinates directly with CEO program leadership, sharing information and intelligence daily.

Implements training programs pertaining to matters of safety and security and school-based administrators.

Negotiates and/or manages contracts, grants, partnership agreements and/or memoranda of understanding/agreements.
Represents the program and department in negotiating or facilitating resolution regarding matters of significance.

Directs incident command and response¿exercising operational leadership during crisis events.

Oversees safety and security response at schools and administrative buildings, collaborating with local and regional police and fire departments and federal law enforcement agencies.

Receives all reports of criminal incidents occurring on school property and maintains statistics regarding this information; provides professional investigative resources so that criminal incidents will be properly investigated and the responsible party(ies) will be identi¿ed and held accountable.

Liaises with state and federal agencies on matters of safety and security relating to the school district; communicates with other school systems on matters related to school security and safety; works directly with local law enforcement agencies during critical incident situations and follow-up.

Coordinates a comprehensive security/school safety program; oversees the design and implementation of emergency and critical plans for the school district.

Develops plans, procedures, and objectives to facilitate and improve safety and security programs.

Ensures application of safety and security protocols to public events, sports events, and other extracurricular school district activities.

Receives and communicates information regarding criminal incidents occurring on school property and maintains statistics regarding this information.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Class Established: 7/2018
Date(s) Revised: 4/2023
Last Reviewed:

This description may be changed at any time.