Director of Campus Safety

Transylvania University; Lewiston (ME); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Bates College in Lewiston, Maine seeks a Director of Campus Safety to lead a non-sworn, community-centered department dedicated to safety, service, prevention, preparedness, and trust. The role emphasizes collaboration with students, faculty, staff, and external partners to advance a comprehensive safety program.

The successful candidate will balance operational leadership with strong community relations, policy development, and emergency readiness, guiding a ~30-person team and reporting to the

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, public administration, emergency management, higher education, student affairs, or a related field.
• Demonstrated supervisory and leadership experience in campus safety, public safety, or related field.
• Experience with 24/7 staffing, on-call response, or crisis decision-making.
• Working knowledge of the Clery Act and higher education safety practices.
• Budget, planning, and technology experience in public safety settings.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for a ~30-person campus safety department.
• Lead 24/7 safety operations, training, policy, and compliance.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to College leadership and partners across campus.
• Foster community engagement and relationships with students, staff, and external agencies.

Skills

Leadership

Staff supervision

Emergency management

Clery Act knowledge

Trauma-informed

Crisis communication

Interagency coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field

Master's degree preferred

Job description

Bates College is seeking an experienced, collaborative, and proactive public safety leader to lead its Department of Campus Safety and advance a community-centered approach to safety, service, prevention, preparedness, and trust.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a leader who understands that contemporary campus safety requires more than effective incident response. The next Director will lead a comprehensive, non-sworn campus safety operation while building strong relationships with students, faculty, staff, College leadership, and community partners.

THE OPPORTUNITY

Reporting to the Associate Vice President & Dean of Students, the Director provides strategic and operational leadership for a multidisciplinary department responsible for:

• 24/7 campus safety operations and incident response
• Communications and dispatch
• Emergency management and crisis preparedness
• Access control and campus security systems
• Parking, transportation, and shuttle services
• Crime prevention and safety education
• Clery Act compliance and related reporting responsibilities
• Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) responsibilities
• CALEA accreditation and continuous improvement
• Administrative and campus-policy investigations
• Coordination with law enforcement, fire, EMS, and other public agencies

Bates Campus Safety operates as a non-sworn department whose officers do not possess arrest authority. The successful candidate will understand how to lead effectively within this model while ensuring strong operational practices, appropriate accountability, effective emergency response, and productive relationships with external public safety partners.

THE LEADER BATES IS SEEKING

Bates is looking for a Director who can combine strong operational leadership with genuine community engagement.

The successful candidate will be prepared to lead a complex 24/7 operation, develop and support employees, strengthen policies and systems, manage resources responsibly, and make sound decisions during emergencies and sensitive situations.

Just as importantly, the next Director must be comfortable being a visible member of the campus community.

Competitive candidates will demonstrate:

• Progressive leadership experience in campus safety, public safety, law enforcement, emergency management, or a closely related field
• Experience supervising personnel and managing complex operations
• Strong judgment and composure during emergencies and high-pressure situations
• Knowledge of the Clery Act and contemporary higher education safety practices
• Experience with emergency preparedness, crisis response, and interagency coordination
• A commitment to de-escalation, trauma-informed response, and relationship-centered problem solving
• Strong communication and collaboration skills
• The ability to build credibility and trust across a diverse residential college community
• Experience in higher education, leadership of a non-sworn campus safety operation, CALEA accreditation, NIMS/ICS, emergency exercises, public safety technology, and crisis communications are particularly valuable.

LEAD A COMPREHENSIVE CAMPUS SAFETY OPERATION

The Director will lead a multidisciplinary department of approximately 30 employees across patrol, communications, access control, transportation, and operations.

This is a hands-on senior leadership position with responsibility for departmental strategy, personnel, training, policy, budget, technology, compliance, emergency readiness, service quality, and continuous improvement.

The Director will also serve as a trusted adviser to College leadership and work closely with partners throughout Student Affairs and across Bates, including Title IX and Civil Rights Compliance, Community Standards, Residence Life, Human Resources, Facilities, Environmental Health and Safety, Communications, and Athletics.

ABOUT BATES COLLEGE

Located in Lewiston, Maine, Bates College is a nationally recognized residential liberal arts college. The Director of Campus Safety will have the opportunity to shape the future of campus safety within a close-knit educational community and lead a department where operational excellence, preparedness, service, and relationships are central to the mission.

REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor's degree in criminal justice, public administration, emergency management, higher education, student affairs, or a related field.
• At least seven years of progressively responsible experience in campus safety, law enforcement, emergency management, public safety, or a closely related field.
• Demonstrated supervisory and leadership experience, including responsibility for personnel, performance management, training, policy implementation, and complex operations.
• Experience supporting or leading operations that require 24/7 staffing, on-call response, or crisis decision-making.
• Working knowledge of the Clery Act and current higher education safety and emergency management practices, with the ability to apply other relevant federal and state requirements.
• Demonstrated experience with budgets, operational planning, public safety technology, policy and procedure development, performance measures, and continuous improvement.
• Ability to lead a community-focused, non-sworn safety program and coordinate effectively with law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, and other public agencies.
• Demonstrated competence in de-escalation, trauma-informed response, conflict management, and relationship-centered problem solving.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a culturally and educationally diverse community and to advance equitable, inclusive, and respectful practices.
• Excellent written, oral, interpersonal, facilitation, and public communication skills, together with sound judgment, discretion, emotional intelligence, and crisis composure.
• Valid driver's license and ability to satisfy the College's applicable pre-employment, driving, scheduling, on-call, and emergency-response requirements.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Master's degree in a relevant field.
• Progressively responsible leadership experience in a college or university setting, particularly within a non-sworn or community-centered campus safety model.
• Experience with CALEA or another recognized professional accreditation program.
• Training or substantial experience with NIMS/ICS, emergency operations centers, exercises, continuity planning, and after-action improvement.
• Experience overseeing communications and dispatch, access control, parking, transportation, event safety, and public safety technology.
• Experience with media relations, crisis communication, or public communication during high-profile incidents.