Associate Senior Vice President, Safety and Risk Assurance

The University of Southern California (USC) is seeking an experienced safety and security professional to serve as the Associate Senior Vice President of Safety and Risk Assurance. The ASVP, Safety and Risk Assurance will provide strategic oversight and leadership for the university's campus safety departments, which include public safety, environmental health and safety, occupational health and safety, and fire safety & emergency planning, and ensure that students, faculty, and staff are provided with a safe and secure environment consistent with the expectations of the university. As USC’s subject matter expert (SME) and trusted lead advisor for emergency planning and response efforts, the ASVP will advise senior leadership regarding a wide-range of safety and security matters, guide deliberations for the university’s emergency response executive group, collaborate with risk management and relevant departments to identify and mitigate risks, and liaise with government and regulatory agencies to ensure governmental safety and security compliance mandates are met. Additionally, the ASVP will guide the development of university-wide safety, health and environmental programs and trainings, and develop campus safety department budgets, authorizing expenditures and providing budget projections.

 

Additional/Specific Accountabilities

• Hires, trains, develops, evaluates, sets goals for, and supervises campus safety staff, executing disciplinary action as needed.

• Develops short- and long-term strategic goals for the campus safety departments. Guides the development of university-wide safety, health, and/or environment-related programs and trainings required to achieve department goals. Establishes and procures corresponding personnel and resource requirements for goal achievement.

• Serves as the university's lead advisor for emergency planning and response efforts, and guides deliberations for the university's emergency response executive group, as well as for the campus-wide emergency operations center. Coordinates emergency response planning and execution in collaboration with all campus safety departments.

• Serves as a subject matter expert (SME), strategic partner, and source of quality analysis, advice, and recommendations for senior leadership, advising on a wide-range of institutional safety and security matters. Collaborates with risk management and other relevant university departments to proactively identify safety risks, as well as to formulate and implement risk mitigation strategies. Maintains currency with developments in the safety industry (e.g., forthcoming hazards, compliance requirements, and helpful technology).

• Liaises with government and regulatory agencies as a representative of the university, ensuring governmental safety and security compliance mandates are met. Liaises with campus departments, students, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders to understand their relevant needs and challenges, and to effectively recommend and implement solutions.

• Performs other related duties as assigned or requested. 

 

The university reserves the right to add or change duties at any time.

 

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree and 15 or more years of safety and security leadership within a large, multi-location organization, ideally within the healthcare and/or higher education sector.

• Demonstrated expertise in environmental health and safety disciplines, including research laboratory safety, radiation safety, biosafety, occupational health, and hazardous materials.

• Ability to manage and lead across organizational safety committees with leadership representation from various internal/external stakeholder groups.

• Experience leading a large organization’s public safety department, including interfacing with governmental security agencies (e.g., police, sheriff, FBI) ideally within an urban community.

• Highly knowledgeable in modern security and policing strategies, including security standards and regulations, officer training, communications, technologies, data systems, and analytics. 

 

Minimum Requirements

Minimum Education: Bachelor's degree

Minimum Experience: 10 years

Minimum Field of Expertise: Ten years of safety and security leadership. Demonstrated experience with strategic development and management of safety and security programs within a large organization, with an emphasis on environmental health and safety, emergency planning and response, and mission continuity.