Founded in 2008 with 50 students in 5th grade, KIPP Columbus currently serves over  2,000 students in grades kindergarten through twelfth. The mission of KIPP Columbus is to create a system of schools where students develop the intellectual, academic, and social skills needed to understand and take action on issues they encounter in everyday life. 

KIPP Columbus continues to rank as one of the top five schools for the academic growth of any school in Ohio and is a top-performing urban school in the state for academic growth. In Spring 2021, KIPP Columbus graduated its second class of high school seniors. 100% of graduates were accepted to college, with over $20 million in merit scholarships from colleges and universities awarded.

In addition to academic excellence, KIPP Columbus also partners with more than 100 community organizations to provide extracurricular activities, programming, health and wellness services, meals, and more to KIPP students, families, and the broader community. KIPP is also an Ohio High School Athletic Association member, offering more than ten varsity sports. 

The KIPP Columbus learning campus will continue to advance student learning, expand partnerships, enable superior programming, and serve as a teaching and leadership lab for schools nationwide, reimagining education through a deeper lens of antiracism and excellence and joy.  

To learn more, visit: https://www.kippcolumbus.org/

The Opportunity
KIPP Columbus’ Senior Director of Safety and Security plays an integral role on the Operations Leadership team and Regional School Support team by overseeing safety and security efforts across all schools on campus.

The Senior Director of Safety and Security leads the Safety and Security team by directing, planning, implementing, and coordinating all safety initiatives and safety and security operations on campus. Among these responsibilities are coordinating with law enforcement and outside agencies regarding threat assessments, safety, security, and emergency operations, as well as the development of policies and procedures for the safe and secure operations of schools and the campus. 

Senior Leader will enhance staff, student, and community interactions, lead cross-functional teams, and manage the security vendor partnership to support campus safety. In addition, this position will support the academic team in building strong relationships within the school community that promote safety beyond the immediate school environment to help ensure the safety of students and staff. 

Responsibilities of KIPP Columbus Senior Director of Safety and Security include, but are not limited to, the following:

Building and maintaining a culture of safety at KIPP Columbus and individual schools:

• Understanding and internalizing the climate and culture of safety at KIPP Columbus and the community 
• Building school safety and security goals, objectives, and priorities
  • Working directly with the regional School Support Team, School Leader Team and Operations Team on building a safety and culture plan conducive for the Primary, Elementary, Middle and High schools on campus
• Overseeing emergency preparedness efforts for KIPP Columbus schools
  • Establishing and maintaining important but non-emergency procedures, training, and support for KIPP Columbus schools and campus
  • Ensuring that on-site staff have built appropriate (safe and efficient) procedures, including daily arrival and dismissal procedures (including staff and contractor posts, coordination and communication across academic and operations teams), routine standard response protocol drills, and event support
• Overseeing and managing certain essential safety and security functions, including but not limited to: 
  • Staff and Student ID distribution
  • Weapons Abatement 
  • Building Infrastructure
  • Visitor Safety Systems 
  • Vendor Management
  • Camera Systems 
  • Alarm Systems
  • Policies & Protocols
• Planning and facilitating annual and compliance required safety trainings for all staff as well as leading safety and security initiatives, such as town halls

Sharing and Coordinating Responsibilities with the Operations Team and Academic Team on Campus and Regionally

• Providing guidance and support to the Operations Team and contracted staff on day to day security operations and protocols, including staffing needs (quantity and quality), weapons abatement, etc.  
• Supporting and advising on the acquisition and maintenance of safety and security equipment (e.g., weapons abatement, cameras) 
• Participating in the development and administration of the safety and security budget (with school leaders and ops teams) 
• Other initiatives will be based on interviews and roundtable discussions with various stakeholders

Managing and Supporting Crisis Situations for KIPP Columbus and Individual Schools

• Being the centralized KIPP Columbus lead on any escalated security issues or emergencies on or near campuses (e.g., gunshots nearby, contraband, student altercation, etc.); on-the-ground support will be led by campus leads 
• Engaging with outside leaders and groups to ensure that there is coordination between KIPP Columbus and the community on each safety and culture plan 
• Supporting the Safety and Security team, Ops Leads, and school staff, improving and maintaining effective relationships with students, staff, and stakeholders 
• Ensuring after-the-fact staff reports and other necessary correspondence, coordinating with the school team and regional team
• Planning and managing all auditing on external compliance protocols with support from Operations and security teams across campuses. 

Acting as the Lead for Safety and Security Discussions outside KIPP Columbus

• Serving as the representative to committees, other schools’ networks, and community stakeholders concerned with improvements in Local Law Enforcement and fire services, public education, and departmental public relations 
• Maintaining positive working relationships and awareness with local agencies of new trends and developments in the field of law enforcement, crime prevention, fire suppression, fire prevention, and related support services; incorporate new developments as appropriate 

Assessing Security Operational Protocols

• Periodically observing arrival and dismissal to support and identify opportunities for protocol improvements and implementation 
• Ensuring all required reporting and contract compliance requirements are met, in coordination with the Operations team 
• Ensuring that KIPP Columbus is provided with high quality security services to protect people and property, identifying opportunities for improvement 
• Recommending and administering policies and procedures; recommend, within policy, appropriate service and staffing levels 

Vendor Management

• Managing all safety and security partnerships to ensure cross collaboration and coordination across all safety and security efforts for schools
• Providing guidelines and expectations
• Managing recurring meetings with all vendors
• Providing monthly progress updates to internal stakeholders

• Bachelor’s degree required
• At least 10 years of relevant experience required  
• Outstanding interpersonal and communications skills required 
• Previous contract security, facilities management, military or law enforcement experience, or relevant K-12 safety/security experience required  
• Experience with student engagement and policy required 
• Ability to develop and grow relationships 
• Ability to work in a team-oriented management environment with the ability to work independently as needed
• Ability to manage multiple priorities, complex situations, a diverse team of employees and client requirements on an ongoing basis 
• Familiarity with the Columbus community preferred

Compensation and Benefits

KIPP Columbus offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefit plan including medical and dental insurance, as well as group term life insurance, retirement plan and paid time off. 

Statement of Non-Disclosure

KIPP Columbus is committed to a policy of equal treatment for all individuals applying to the school for consideration of any position (admission, employment, etc.). KIPP Columbus does not discriminate on the basis of disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic that is contained in the definition of hate crimes set forth in Section 4112.02 of the Ohio Revised Code.