Assistant Chief of Police

UCI group; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

University of California, Irvine Police Department seeks an Assistant Chief to provide executive leadership over a full-service agency serving the campus and health facilities. The role directs daily operations, plans programs, and assumes command when the Chief is unavailable.

The ideal candidate combines extensive law enforcement experience with budgeting expertise, regulatory knowledge, and strong communication skills to uphold safety standards and university policies across multiple

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, police science, public administration, business administration, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressively responsible law enforcement experience including 3–5 years in command/management.
• California Driver's License and enrollment in the California Employer Pull Notice Program.
• P.O.S.T. Management Certificate or equivalent preferred; strong budgeting and risk management knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Provide executive leadership and management of the UC Irvine Police Department operations.
• Plan, direct, and evaluate all departmental programs and operations; assume command in the Chief's absence.
• Ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and UC policies while managing fiscal and human resources.
• Foster community trust and oversee interdepartmental coordination across multiple sites.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Budgeting

Public safety management

Risk management

P.O.S.T. knowledge

California Driver's License

Education

Bachelor's degree in criminal justice or related field

Master's degree (preferred)

Job description

Overview

Founded in 1965, UC Irvine is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UC Irvine has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide.To learn more about UC Irvine, visit www.uci.edu.

The University of California, Irvine Police Department (UCIPD) is dedicated to keeping our campus and medical center communities safe. As a full-service law enforcement agency, we provide professional policing and public safety services to a daily population of more than 75,000 people across UCI's Irvine campus, UCI Health facilities in Orange, Irvine, Santa Ana, Fountain Valley, Lakewood, Los Alamitos, and Placentia, and the Langson Orange County Museum of Art in Costa Mesa. UCIPD operates as a department within the Division of Finance and Administration (DF&A), partnering with fellow DF&A departments to support the university's academic, research, and health missions through sound management of campus financial, physical, and operational resources. Our 241 full-time employees deliver a comprehensive range of services, including:

• Patrol and traffic enforcement
• Criminal investigations
• Community engagement and crime prevention
• Emergency Management (EM) operations and training
• General public safety support

As a designated 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP), UCIPD receives and dispatches emergency calls within its jurisdiction, ensuring timely, coordinated responses to police, fire, and medical emergencies. UCIPD also houses the UCI Clery Compliance, Training, and Reporting team, which ensures students, prospective students, parents, and employees have timely access to accurate information about campus crime and safety procedures. From medical emergencies to crimes in progress, our personnel respond to the full spectrum of safety needs every day — because the well-being of every student, staff member, faculty member, patient, and visitor is at the heart of everything we do.

Responsibilities

Under the general direction of the Chief of Police, the Assistant Chief of Police provides executive-level leadership and management of the daily operations of the University of California, Irvine Police Department. This position holds command authority over a full-service law enforcement agency serving a complex, multi-site jurisdiction that includes a major university campus, UCI Health facilities, and a Museum of Art across multiple cities and jurisdictions. The Assistant Chief is responsible for planning, directing, and evaluating all departmental programs and operations, and assumes full command authority in the absence of the Chief of Police. This is a senior command position requiring a high degree of independent judgment, strategic leadership, administrative and budget expertise. The Assistant Chief plays a central role in shaping department policy, managing fiscal and human resources, fostering community trust and ensuring the department operates in full compliance with applicable laws, regulations and University of California policies.

Qualifications

Required:

• Thorough experience performing all aspects of police officer, sergeant and lieutenant of police functions.
• Thorough knowledge of law, regulation and University policy regarding public safety and law enforcement functions.
• Thorough knowledge of modern policing issues, philosophies, practices and trends as applied within the University environment. Thorough knowledge of current law enforcement management theory and administrative standards.
• Thorough knowledge of budgeting and financial practices applicable to law enforcement in the University environment.
• Excellent ability to communicate effectively in person and in writing. Excellent ability to take decisive action based upon sound judgment. Excellent ability to independently manage a large and complex organization with multiple priorities and limited resources.
• Excellent ability to effectively orchestrate the ongoing deployment of multiple employees and resources. Excellent ability to supervise and train staff in the relevant and necessary aspects of their duties.
• Ability to operate computers and other relevant or specialized technology.
• Excellent knowledge of use and legal application of firearms and other police weapons, equipment or tools.
• Excellent ability to credibly represent the police department in an official capacity.
• Ability to safely operate motor vehicles and possess a valid California Driver's License.
• Excellent problem solving ability.
• Excellent knowledge of California P.O.S.T requirements, regulations, training standards, and professional certification programs.
• Excellent knowledge of Risk management, critical incident management, emergency preparedness and organizational continuity.
• Experience as a Custodian of Records and responding to and managing Public Records Act (PRA) requests.
• A Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with major coursework in criminal justice, police science, public administration, business administration, organizational leadership or a closely related field.
• Ability to successfully complete other training or prerequisites as required by regulation, law or policy.
• Possession of a Valid California Driver's license at the time of appointment. This position is also required to be enrolled in the California Employer Pull Notice Program.
• Possession of a California P.O.S.T. Management Certificate or its equivalent at the time of application.
• 8-10 years of progressively responsible professional law enforcement experience, including 3-5 years of command/management experience.
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience. A minimum of 8 years of experience in a management role.Progressively responsible professional law enforcement experience, including 3-5 years of command/management experience.

Driver's License:

• Required to hold a valid drivers license, have a driving record that is in accordance with local policies/procedures, and/or enroll in the California Employer Pull Notice Program.

Preferred:

• Master's Degree in public administration, emergency management, criminal justice, organizational leadership or a closely related field is highly desirable.
• Completion of an advanced law enforcement executive leadership program, such as the California POST Command College, FBI National Academy or Senior Management Institute for Police (SMIP).

Special Conditions:

• Must be currently working or have been working as a peace officer within the last two years under California Penal Code section 830.1, 830.2 or their equivalent at the time of application.
• Must successfully complete all required background, medical, psychological and other pre-employment examinations applicable to the position.
• Experience must demonstrate increasing responsibility for the administration, supervision, management, and leadership of a law enforcement organization.
• Must maintain firearms qualifications and other required peace officer qualifications.
• May be required to work evenings, weekends, holidays, extended hours, on-call assignments and emergency call back assignments as necessary to meet operational requirements.
• Experience in providing law enforcement and public safety services in a medical center environment is highly desirable.
• Experience with IACLEA accreditation standards highly desirable.

Total Rewards

In addition to the salary range listed below, we offer a wealth of benefits to make working at UCI even more rewarding. These benefits may include medical insurance, sick and vacation time, retirement savings plans, and access to a number of discounts and perks. Please utilize the links listed here to learn more about our compensation practices and benefits.

Conditions of Employment:

The University of California, Irvine (UCI) seeks to provide a safe and healthy environment for the entire UCI community. As part of this commitment, all applicants who accept an offer of employment must comply with the following conditions of employment:

• Background Check and Live Scan
• Employment Misconduct*
• Legal Right to work in the United States
• Vaccination Policies
• Smoking and Tobacco Policy
• Drug Free Environment

Misconduct Disclosure Requirement: As a condition of employment, the final candidate who accepts a conditional offer of employment will be required to disclose if they have been subject to any final administrative or judicial decisions within the last seven years determining that they committed any misconduct; received notice of any allegations or are currently the subject of any administrative or disciplinary proceedings involving misconduct; have left a position after receiving notice of allegations or while under investigation in an administrative or disciplinary proceeding involving misconduct; or have filed an appeal of a finding of misconduct with a previous employer.

The following additional conditions may apply, some of which are dependent upon business unit or job specific requirements.

• California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act
• E-Verify
• Pre-Placement Health Evaluation

Details of each policy may be reviewed by visiting the following page - https://hr.uci.edu/new-hire/conditions-of-employment.php

Closing Statement:

The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, protected veteran status, or other protected categories covered by the UC Anti-Discrimination Policy. We are committed to attracting and retaining a diverse workforce along with honoring unique experiences, perspectives, and identities. Together, our community strives to create and maintain working and learning environments that are inclusive, equitable, and welcoming. UCI provides reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities upon request. For more information, please contact Human Resources at [phone] or [e-mail].