Safety & Security Manager

San Diego Natural History Museum; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 63,273 - 77,334; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vacation

Sick-time

15 paid holidays

Free admission to Balboa Park museums

Job summary

A prominent cultural institution in San Diego, CA is seeking a Safety & Security Manager to oversee security operations and ensure safety for staff and visitors. Responsibilities include hiring and training security staff, managing emergency preparedness, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations. The position requires strong leadership, communication skills, and at least five years of supervisory experience in safety and security. This full-time role offers a competitive salary and benefits including health insurance and paid holidays.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of supervisory experience in safety and security operations.
• Proven experience supervising staff and managing schedules in an operational setting.
• Strong ability to multitask, prioritize, and manage competing operational needs.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Museum’s overall approach to safety, emergency preparedness, and risk management.
• Oversee the museum’s security operations, including hiring and training of staff.
• Manage security-related budgeting, purchasing, invoicing, and administrative processes.

Skills

Supervisory experience

Leadership and team-building

Written and verbal communication

Calm under pressure

Education

OSHA certification

CPR and First Aid certification

Tools

Windows

Outlook

Word

Excel

Job description

Overview

Love nature? Then you’re going to love The Nat.

The San Diego Natural History Museum (The Nat) was founded by amateur naturalists in 1874 and has played a major role in the conversation of our region. The Museum recently celebrated its 150th anniversary and completed a strategic plan focused on encouraging a love for nature, leveraging science and collections for conservation, and using our own voice to be here for nature.

The San Diego Natural History Museum seeks a thoughtful, steady, and mission-driven individual to serve as Safety & Security Manager. This position is responsible for leading daily security operations while overseeing museum-wide safety, emergency preparedness, and risk management efforts. The role ensures a safe environment for staff, visitors, volunteers, and collections, and serves as a visible, trusted leader during regular operations, weekends, evenings, and large-scale events.

The Safety & Security Manager is responsible for hiring, training, scheduling, and supervising Security staff; managing access control systems; overseeing incident response and reporting; chairing the Museum’s Safety Committee; and ensuring OSHA compliance. This role works closely with their home department in Facilities, as well as Visitor Experience, Exhibitions, Science & Research, and external partners throughout Balboa Park. The position reports to the Deputy COO.

This position follows a Tuesday – Saturday work schedule and requires consistent weekend presence, evening availability for Friday and Saturday events, and on-call response for incidents and alarms.

Specific Responsibilities

Safety Leadership & Emergency Preparedness:

• Lead the Museum’s overall approach to safety, emergency preparedness, and risk management.
• Serve as the primary safety and security authority during incidents, guiding response and decision-making.
• Establish and advance annual safety priorities that strengthen preparedness, compliance, and organizational resilience.
• Chair the Museum’s cross-department Safety Committee and guide continuous improvement in safety practices.
• Ensure safety plans, documentation, and preparedness efforts are current, practical, and aligned with Museum operations.

Security Operations & Staffing:

• Oversee all elements of the Museum’s security operations, including management, hiring, training, and development of security staff.
• Create and manage Security schedules for daily operations, weekends, evenings, special events, and large-scale programs.
• Provide managerial presence and serve as the primary first response for safety and security matters at large-scale special events, evening programs, and Museum activities.
• Set expectations for high-quality, visitor-centered security services that support a welcoming and safe museum environment.
• Maintain functional knowledge of the Museum’s emergency systems and response capabilities to ensure operational readiness.

Administrative:

• Manage security-related budgeting, purchasing, invoicing, and administrative processes in alignment with departmental priorities.
• Maintain, update, and communicate clear security, safety, and emergency policies and procedures to staff on an ongoing basis.
• Represent the Museum in external safety and security forums, including Balboa Park Safety Committee.

Access Control & Security System Oversight:

• Provide oversight of the Museum’s access control systems, including keys, credentials, and electronic security systems.
• Partner with Facilities leadership to ensure access needs are coordinated with staffing changes and operational requirements.
• Work with IT personnel to ensure security systems and technology are evaluated and maintained to support effective operations.
• Lead the Museum’s response to safety and security incidents, ensuring appropriate escalation, documentation, and follow-up.
• Oversee incident reporting practices to support accuracy, consistency, and organizational learning.
• Review incident trends and recommend improvements to reduce risk and strengthen preparedness.

Qualifications

• Minimum of five years of supervisory experience in safety and security operations.
• OSHA certification required.
• Proven experience supervising staff and managing schedules in an operational setting.
• Demonstrated experience implementing safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and incident response protocols.
• Strong leadership and team-building skills with the ability to address performance issues constructively.
• Ability to remain calm, decisive, and clear-headed in emergency or high-stress situations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Computer proficiency with Windows, Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Ability to multitask, prioritize, and manage competing operational needs.
• CPR and First Aid certified (or willingness to obtain).
• Active Guard Card certification (or willingness to obtain)
• Experience in a museum, cultural institution, campus, or similar public-serving environment is a plus.

Requirements

• Able to work on a Tuesday-Saturday schedule.
• Must maintain evening availability for Friday and Saturday events and other large-scale programs as required.
• Able to work on a flexible schedule that may include early morning, late evenings, or as needed on-call response.

Pay

Pay: $70,304 annually

This is a full-time, exempt position with benefits such as health insurance, vacation, sick-time, 15 paid holidays, free admission into all of Balboa Park’s museums, and more.

Ready to Apply?

Please submit a resume, cover letter outlining your experience and salary requirements, and three professional references in your application. No phone calls, no drop-ins, and no recruiters please.