UNIV - Program Manager II - Fire and Life Safety Programs

Medical University of South Carolina; Charleston (SC); On-site; USD 81,000 - 146,000; Full time

Job summary

Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) seeks a Program Manager for Fire Safety and Compliance to develop and run comprehensive fire safety programs across MUSC facilities. The role ensures adherence to Joint Commission Life Safety, EOC standards, and applicable regulations, with on-site leadership across multiple settings and occasional travel.

The position oversees inspections, incident management, vendor contracts, and emergency preparedness, with on-call duties and 40-hour work weeks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and four years relevant program experience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee fire and life safety compliance program management across facilities.
• Lead inspection, corrective action, and regulatory readiness activities.
• Oversee fire protection systems inspections, testing, and maintenance.
• Direct fire drill programs and emergency preparedness activities.
• Coordinate incident reviews and develop program improvements.
• Manage vendor contracts for fire safety systems and services.
• Develop and maintain performance metrics and compliance dashboards.
• Provide regulatory interpretation and technical guidance on NFPA and IBC/IFC standards.

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Job Description Summary

The Program Manager - Fire Safety and Compliance is responsible for developing, implementing, and managing comprehensive fire safety programs within the Medical University of South Carolina. This position ensures that the organization adheres to the Joint Commission Life Safety chapter, Environment of Care (EOC) standards, and other relevant local, state, and federal regulations. The Program Manager will oversee fire safety inspections, manage fire safety teams, and coordinate fire prevention and response activities to maintain a safe environment for patients, staff, and visitors. The role requires working in various environments, including academic facilities, research laboratories, clinical areas, administrative offices, and other healthcare settings. Some travel may be required to off-site clinics and facilities. The employee must be available for on-call duty and to respond to fire emergencies outside of regular working hours.

Entity Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC - Univ) Worker Type Employee Worker Sub-Type Classified Cost Center CC002112 UNIV - COO - WPHS - Occupational Safety Pay Rate Type Salary Pay Grade University-GEN12 Pay Range 81,192.00 - 113,730.00 - 146,166.000 Scheduled Weekly Hours 40 Work Shift Day (United States of America)

Job Description

30% - Fire and Life Safety Compliance Program Management

• Charleston Division Fire Marshal and Program Oversight
  • Serves as the designated Charleston Division Fire Marshal and provides technical authority for fire and life safety compliance activities throughout Charleston Division facilities.
  • Directs and administers the Charleston Division Fire and Life Safety Program and establishes program goals, priorities, policies, standards, and performance measures.
  • Provides leadership and strategic direction for organizational fire prevention, life safety, code compliance, and regulatory readiness activities.
  • Serves as the primary liaison with Facilities Management, Construction Management, Public Safety, Emergency Management, Clinical Operations, Research Leadership, and Executive Leadership on fire and life safety matters.
• Inspection and Corrective Action Program Management
  • Oversees fire and life safety inspection programs conducted by staff, contractors, and regulatory agencies.
  • Ensures identified deficiencies are documented, prioritized, assigned, and resolved through established corrective action processes.
  • Reviews inspection data, identifies trends, and develops corrective action strategies to reduce organizational risk.
  • Provides guidance and oversight regarding fire and life safety repairs, barrier management, fire door compliance, and corrective maintenance activities.
• Fire Protection Systems and Equipment Oversight
  • Oversees inspection, testing, maintenance, and compliance activities associated with fire alarm systems, fire sprinkler systems, fire suppression systems, standpipe systems, fire extinguishers, and passive fire protection systems.
  • Ensures required monthly, annual, and periodic inspections are completed by qualified personnel and vendors.
  • Evaluates program performance and regulatory compliance associated with fire protection systems.
• Emergency Preparedness and Fire Drill Program Administration
  • Directs and oversees organizational fire drill and evacuation exercise programs.
  • Ensures fire drills are conducted, documented, evaluated, and reviewed in accordance with regulatory and accreditation requirements.
  • Oversees development and maintenance of facility-specific fire response plans, evacuation procedures, and emergency management support documents.
• Fire and Life Safety Incident Management
  • Leads or coordinates reviews of fire and life safety incidents and events.
  • Evaluates incident trends and recommends corrective actions, policy revisions, and program improvements.
  • Coordinates reporting requirements with internal stakeholders and external agencies as appropriate.

30% - Fire and Life Safety Operations, Regulatory Compliance and Reporting Vendor and Contract Management

• Develops, administers, and monitors contracts related to fire alarm systems, fire suppression systems, fire doors, fire extinguishers, passive fire protection systems, and related services.
• Evaluates vendor performance and ensures contracted services meet applicable regulatory, accreditation, and organizational requirements.
• Assists with budget planning, forecasting, and resource allocation for fire and life safety programs.

Program Data Management and Reporting

• Establishes and maintains fire and life safety performance metrics and compliance dashboards.
• Collects, analyzes, and interprets program data to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Prepares reports and presentations for executive leadership, Environment of Care Committees, Safety Committees, and other governing bodies.
• Maintains records associated with inspection, testing, maintenance, and compliance activities for regulatory review.

Code Interpretation and Technical Consultation

• Serves as the organization's subject matter expert on NFPA codes and standards, International Fire Code, International Building Code, Joint Commission standards, and other applicable fire and life safety regulations.
• Provides technical consultation to Facilities Management, Construction Management, Clinical Operations, Research Programs, Public Safety, and administrative departments.
• Reviews operational and facility changes to ensure compliance with fire and life safety requirements.

Regulatory Oversight and Agency Coordination

• Serves as the primary organizational point of contact during inspections, surveys, audits, and regulatory reviews involving fire and life safety compliance.
• Coordinates readiness activities for Joint Commission, CMS, State Fire Marshal, local fire department, and other regulatory inspections.
• Ensures deficiencies identified during surveys or inspections are properly documented, assigned, tracked, and resolved.

Construction and Renovation Compliance

• Reviews construction, renovation, occupancy, and space-use change projects for compliance with fire and life safety requirements.
• Collaborates with project teams during planning, design, construction, and occupancy phases.
• Provides recommendations regarding life safety impacts, fire protection requirements, and regulatory expectations.

20% - Environment of Care and Life Safety Program Administration

• Fire and Life Safety Management Plan Administration
  • Serves as administrator of the Charleston Division Fire and Life Safety Management Plan.
  • Develops, implements, and evaluates strategies to ensure compliance with Joint Commission, CMS, state, and local requirements.
  • Conducts annual program evaluations and performance assessments and recommends improvements to leadership.
• Environment of Care Leadership
  • Serves as a key advisor to Environment of Care, Safety, Emergency Management, and Executive Leadership Committees.
  • Presents fire and life safety performance metrics, compliance findings, risk assessments, and strategic recommendations.
  • Coordinates fire and life safety initiatives across healthcare, academic, research, and administrative environments.
• Building Rounds and Deficiency Management
  • Oversees fire and life safety components of Environment of Care rounds and organizational compliance assessments.
  • Ensures deficiencies are documented, prioritized, assigned, and reconciled in a timely manner.
  • Monitors compliance trends and develops initiatives to improve organizational performance.

15% - Leadership and Staff Development

• Fire and Life Safety Team Leadership
  • Provides direct supervision, leadership, mentoring, and professional development for Fire and Life Safety personnel.
  • Establishes operational priorities, staffing plans, performance expectations, and workload management processes.
  • Conducts performance evaluations and supports employee development and succession planning activities.
  • Ensures staff maintain required certifications, competencies, and regulatory knowledge.
  • Fosters a culture of accountability, customer service, collaboration, continuous improvement, and regulatory excellence.

5% - Other Duties as Assigned

• Performs other related duties and responsibilities as assigned to support organizational goals and operational needs.

Additional Job Description Minimum Requirements

• A bachelor's degree and four years relevant program experience.

Physical Requirements

• Continuous - 6-8 hours per shift; Frequent - 2-6 hours per shift; Infrequent - 0-2 hours per shift Ability to perform job functions in an upright position. (Frequent)
• Ability to perform job functions in a seated position. (Frequent)
• Ability to perform job functions while walking/mobile. (Frequent)
• Ability to work indoors. (Continuous)
• Ability to work outdoors in all weather and temperature extremes. (Infrequent)
• Ability to work in confined/cramped spaces. (Infrequent)
• Ability to perform job functions from kneeling positions. (Infrequent)
• Ability to squat and perform job functions. (Infrequent)
• Ability to perform 'pinching' operations. (Infrequent)
• Ability to fully use both hands/arms. (Frequent)
• Ability to perform repetitive motions with hands/wrists/elbows and shoulders. (Frequent)
• Ability to reach in all directions. (Frequent)
• Possess good finger dexterity. (Continuous)
• Ability to maintain tactile sensory functions. (Continuous)
• Ability to lift and carry 15 lbs., unassisted. (Infrequent)
• Ability to lift objects, up to 15 lbs., from floor level to height of 36 inches, unassisted. (Infrequent)
• Ability to push/pull objects, up to 15 lbs., unassisted. (Infrequent)
• Ability to maintain 20/40 vision, corrected, in one eye or with both eyes. (Continuous)
• Ability to see and recognize objects close at hand. (Frequent)
• Ability to see and recognize objects at a distance. (Frequent)
• Ability to match or discriminate between colors. (Frequent)
• Ability to determine distance/relationship between objects; depth perception. (Frequent)
• Good peripheral vision capabilities. (Continuous)
• Ability to maintain hearing acuity, with correction. (Continuous)
• Ability to hear and/or understand whispered conversations at a distance of 3 feet. (Frequent)
• Ability to perform gross motor functions with frequent fine motor movements. (Frequent)
• Ability to work in dusty areas. (Infrequent)

If you like working with energetic enthusiastic individuals, you will enjoy your career with us! The Medical University of South Carolina is an Equal Opportunity Employer. MUSC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or belief, age, sex, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, protected veteran status, family or parental status, or any other status protected by state laws and/or federal regulations. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment based upon applicable qualifications, merit and business need. Medical University of South Carolina participates in the federal E-Verify program to confirm the identity and employment authorization of all newly hired employees. For further information about the E-Verify program, please click here: http://www.uscis.gov/e-verify/employees

Thank you for wanting to be part of the Medical University of South Carolina team. Whether you want to teach the next generation of health care leaders, innovate new business models, discover the next breakthrough or provide patient care, there's a role for you that fuels your passion and takes advantage of your skills. There are career opportunities available in academics, research, hospital medicine, physician practices and support services, from patient billing to IT. As an applicant, you can search jobs for all MUSC entities as well as search by category and location. MUSC attracts more than $250 million annually in research funding, making it the biggest magnet for biomedical, extramural research dollars of all institutions of higher learning in South Carolina. The Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Program aims to advance clinical and translational science to increase the speed at which new treatments become available to patients. MUSC Health, the clinical enterprise, operates a 750 bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), Hollings Cancer Center (one of fewer than 70 elite National Cancer Institute designated centers), a Level I Trauma Center and the Institute of Psychiatry. In addition, there are more than 100 outreach clinics, hospital/health system affiliations, and telehealth sites. U.S. News & World Report placed us among the top one percent of all American hospitals, with 11 specialties in the top 50. The MUSC Medical Center is also one of only three Magnet designated hospitals in South Carolina.