The posting
Job Description
Rice University seeks a visionary and community-oriented leader to serve as the next Director of Emergency Management. As the university advances its strategic vision, anchored by excellence in research, transformative undergraduate education, and deep engagement with the city of Houston, the Director will play a pivotal role in ensuring a campus environment where innovation and safety seamlessly coexist. This position is not merely about enforcement; it is about building a broad, collaborative umbrella of protection that integrates traditional emergency management with policing and emergency medical services, all while reflecting the "culture of care" that uniquely defines the Rice community.
The Director provides strategic leadership for university-wide emergency management. This executive leads and directs the university’s efforts to develop, implement, test, document, and maintain plans for emergency management, institutional business continuity, and comprehensive emergency response across all academic, administrative, and research departments. A critical component of this role involves managing complex, cross-functional relationships on university-wide resilience initiatives. The Director interacts regularly with Executive Leadership, Senior Management, and Key Functional Areas to appropriately link all emergency response, mitigation, and recovery plans. This role reports directly to the Executive Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police.
Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.
Ideal Candidate Statement: We are looking for a highly strategic, diplomatic administrator who can design and execute sophisticated safety and resilience programs that protect our physical campus, secure invaluable research assets, and enhance the well-being of our community. If you are a collaborative leader who values equity, embodies modern emergency management standards, and champions a safe, inclusive environment, we invite you to help shape the future of Rice University.
Workplace Requirements: This role is classified as an Essential On-Campus Position, requiring on-site presence to effectively carry out its vital functions. During emergencies or crises, the Emergency Management Director is required to report to campus as directed to ensure continuity of critical operations and must remain accessible to leadership to fulfill responsibilities necessary for maintaining institutional functions.
Workplace Location: This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person at the Rice University Main Campus. The schedule may vary to fit the needs of the department and/or campus, including holidays, nights, and weekends. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.
Hiring Range: $122,496 - $140,000 annually
*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime.
Minimum Requirements:
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution. Preferred fields: Emergency Management, Public Administration, Homeland Security, Public Safety, Criminal Justice, or a closely related field. In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
- 4+ years of progressively responsible professional experience in emergency management, public safety, or emergency coordination. In lieu of the experience requirement, additional related education, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
Skills:
- Deep operational knowledge of safety and disaster/recovery procedures, the Incident Command System (ICS), National Incident Management System (NIMS), and National Response Framework (NRF) structures (ICS 100, 200, 700, and 800 certifications required upon hire)
- Experience managing and leading multiple projects and team members
- Exceptional interpersonal skills with a proven track record of building consensus among diverse stakeholder groups (faculty, students, staff, law enforcement, and civil officials)
- Ability to lead, influence, and earn the respect of cross-functional partners
- Strong leadership and executive presence
- Ability to analyze and resolve problems; action-oriented with the ability to make decisions and function effectively in stressful situations
- Ability to distill complex, fluid situations into clear, actionable, and empathetic messaging for executive leadership and the public under intense pressure
- Knowledge of IT operations and familiarity with disaster/recovery operations
- Proficiency with emergency notification software (e.g., Everbridge), business continuity planning software, and standard EOC management platforms (e.g., WebEOC)
Preferences:
- Advanced ICS training (ICS 300 and ICS 400)
- Prior emergency management experience at a higher-education research university, with a demonstrated understanding of safeguarding sensitive laboratory research and navigating a residential campus culture.
Essential Functions:
- Provides strategic leadership to the university-wide emergency management team
- Plans, coordinates, and manages the activities of the Emergency Management Team (EMT), which is responsible for planning and preparation of the university’s emergency response plans
- Maintains the physical and virtual Incident Command Center (ICC) in a constant state of operational readiness; manages ICC activations and coordinates the Emergency Management Team
- Proactively identifies, reports, and leads the resolution of high-impact risks, gaps, and corrective action plans
- Ensures institutional alignment with FEMA, NIMS, Clery Act mandates (specifically emergency notifications and timely warnings), and Texas state safety standards
- Regularly reviews the university’s emergency response and business continuity plans
- Conducts periodic reviews of emergency notification processes and tools
- Leads governance of the university’s crisis management plans through the university’s incident response teams and overarching crisis communication plan
- Reviews the university’s effectiveness in responding to emergency situations and evaluates response plans and processes
- Designs and executes campus-wide tabletop, functional, and full-scale exercises and drills compliant with Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) standards for senior leadership, staff, and students
- Collaborates with incident response team leads to present, resolve, and implement potential emergency management issues to ensure a unified approach to mitigation and resilience
- Designs and develops operating procedures for incident command centers, including locations, standards, equipment, and processes
- Prepares incident command centers for immediate activation
- Serves within a dynamic, NIMS-aligned command structure where the Chief of Police leads tactical and life-safety incidents, while Executive Leadership directs high-level policy and institutional emergencies. During major activations, this role transitions to Incident Command Center (ICC) Director to focus on resource coordination, logistics, and long-term recovery rather than front-line command
- Identifies university-wide business continuity and other vulnerabilities
- Provides consulting and guidance to key functional areas in the design, development, maintenance, and implementation of business continuity plans
- Creates and documents business continuity activation processes
- Educates the university about business continuity issues and assists business areas in addressing these issues effectively
- Leads After-Action Review (AAR) processes following exercises or real-world events, drafting formal Improvement Plans (IPs) to systematically improve institutional resilience
- Serves as the primary university representative to local, regional, state, and federal emergency management agencies (e.g., City of Houston Office of Emergency Management, Harris County OHSEM, Texas Division of Emergency Management, FEMA)
- Performs all other duties as assigned
Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits
Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University
Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at [email protected] for support.
If you have any additional questions, please email us at [email protected]. Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.
