Chief Security & Public Safety Officer

Koitecc Solutions; Kennett Square (Chester County); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Longwood Gardens is seeking a Director of Security & Public Safety to lead the organization’s security, preparedness, and incident-response capabilities. This role ensures a safe, welcoming environment for guests, staff, volunteers, and operations while balancing risk management with outstanding guest experiences.

The ideal candidate will bring a decade of leadership in security or public safety, strong knowledge of applicable laws, and experience guiding complex security programs in

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; ongoing professional development.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive leadership experience in security or public safety.
• Proven success leading security operations, emergency preparedness, incident response, and business continuity.
• Experience in complex public-facing environments such as cultural institutions, attractions, campuses, resorts, or similar destinations.
• Strong operational leadership, stakeholder management, and risk decisions.
• Budgets, staffing models, labor productivity and resource allocation.
• Experience evaluating and overseeing security and life-safety technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead Security & Public Safety, establishing strategy, policies, and operating standards.
• Develop and lead a high-performing Security & Public Safety team with a culture of accountability.
• Manage departmental budgets, staffing strategies, labor deployment, and resource allocation.
• Build partnerships with law enforcement, emergency responders, government agencies, and other stakeholders.
• Lead risk assessment, emergency preparedness, business continuity, and weather-response planning.
• Direct response and recovery efforts for emergencies, incidents, and disruptions.
• Oversee daily security operations, event security, access-control, and asset protection.
• Monitor threats and provide executives with timely intelligence and risk mitigation recommendations.
• Promote safety culture through training, communications, exercises, and awareness initiatives.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Risk management

Public safety

Communication

Team development

Budget management

Incident response

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Tools

Access control systems

CCTV surveillance

Intrusion detection

Fire safety systems

Incident-reporting systems

Security vendor management

Job description

Longwood Gardens is seeking a Director of Security & Public Safety to lead the organization’s security, preparedness, and incident-response capabilities. This role ensures a safe, welcoming environment for guests, staff, volunteers, and operations while balancing risk management with outstanding guest experiences.

The ideal candidate will bring a decade of leadership in security or public safety, strong knowledge of applicable laws, and experience guiding complex security programs in