Example Job Description

Director of School Safety and Security

A director of school safety and security who advances districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.

Download and interview resourcesUse the editable Word exemplar or review structured interview questions for local adaptation.

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How to use this resource: Select questions that measure competencies established through the district’s current job analysis. Ask candidates the same predetermined questions under comparable conditions and evaluate responses against the same job-related criteria.

The indicators below describe evidence a strong response may contain; they are not required scripts or the only acceptable answers.

In the Director of School Safety and Security role, how would you build a districtwide safety and security strategy from uneven school practices?
Strong response indicators: Defines the purpose, scope, governing requirement, timeline, responsible owners, dependencies, controls, communication, contingencies, and evidence of completion. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, how would you prioritize competing safety investments across campuses?
Strong response indicators: Verifies authoritative information, protects the affected person and data, follows approved procedures, involves responsible owners, documents facts, and confirms resolution. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, what information belongs in an executive safety dashboard, and what should remain restricted?
Strong response indicators: Uses systematic diagnosis, representative evidence, root-cause analysis, controlled correction, reconciliation, documentation, and monitoring for recurrence. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, how would you prevent technology procurement from substituting for policy, staffing, training, or maintenance?
Strong response indicators: Applies least privilege, minimum necessary access, secure channels, appropriate approval, auditability, retention, and prompt escalation of uncertainty or risk. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, how would you align school safety, emergency management, behavioral threat assessment, transportation, and cybersecurity work?
Strong response indicators: Communicates the evidence, affected population, operational consequence, uncertainty, available choices, recommended action, accountable owners, and follow-up without unnecessary jargon. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, a serious incident exposes failures across several departments. How would you lead corrective action?
Strong response indicators: Builds sustainable ownership through clear definitions, role-specific training, useful quality reports, feedback loops, documentation, support, and verification that improvement persists. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, how would you preserve student belonging and civil rights while strengthening physical security?
Strong response indicators: Defines the purpose, scope, governing requirement, timeline, responsible owners, dependencies, controls, communication, contingencies, and evidence of completion. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, what governance should surround video, visitor, access-control, and reporting systems?
Strong response indicators: Verifies authoritative information, protects the affected person and data, follows approved procedures, involves responsible owners, documents facts, and confirms resolution. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, how would you evaluate whether a safety program is actually reducing risk?
Strong response indicators: Uses systematic diagnosis, representative evidence, root-cause analysis, controlled correction, reconciliation, documentation, and monitoring for recurrence. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, how would you manage sensitive security records and public information requests?
Strong response indicators: Applies least privilege, minimum necessary access, secure channels, appropriate approval, auditability, retention, and prompt escalation of uncertainty or risk. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, how would you establish effective partnerships with first responders and community agencies?
Strong response indicators: Communicates the evidence, affected population, operational consequence, uncertainty, available choices, recommended action, accountable owners, and follow-up without unnecessary jargon. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
In the Director of School Safety and Security role, what would you prioritize during your first 90 days?
Strong response indicators: Builds sustainable ownership through clear definitions, role-specific training, useful quality reports, feedback loops, documentation, support, and verification that improvement persists. Connects the response to the position’s specific responsibility for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.

Local HR review required: These examples are educational starting points, not a complete selection instrument or legal advice. The district should validate every question and scoring criterion against its current job analysis, collective bargaining obligations, nondiscrimination requirements, reasonable-accommodation procedures, and applicable law. Avoid inquiries about protected personal characteristics or information unrelated to job performance.

Structured-interview references: U.S. Office of Personnel Management · U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Position Description

Under the direction of the appropriate district administrator, the Director of School Safety and Security leads and supervises work supporting districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.

The position applies districtwide school safety and security governance, prevention, protection, mitigation, response, recovery, risk management, and continuous improvement across emergency notification, access control, visitor management, video, intrusion detection, radio, mass communication, incident management, work-order, asset, mapping, reporting, training, transportation, student information, and business-continuity systems. It establishes or follows clear ownership, validation, security, documentation, review, and escalation practices appropriate to the role’s assigned authority.

The Director of School Safety and Security collaborates with students, families, school leaders, campus safety personnel, emergency management, facilities, transportation, technology, cybersecurity, student services, special education, communications, human resources, labor partners, legal counsel, insurers, vendors, law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, public health, and local government. The role is accountable for strategic governance, portfolio management, staff leadership, budgeting, procurement, and executive communication while protecting confidential information and keeping local decisions traceable.

Reports To

Insert your school district’s specific reporting relationship here.

Required Education and Credentials

Required

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in emergency management, public administration, education, security management, criminal justice, occupational safety, information systems, or a closely related field.
Successful completion of all district-required employment clearances.
Completion of district-required emergency management, incident command, student privacy, cybersecurity, nondiscrimination, accessibility, and school safety training within established timelines.

Preferred

Master’s degree in emergency management, public administration, educational leadership, security management, organizational leadership, or a closely related field.
Current professional learning or recognized certification in emergency management, school safety, physical security, business continuity, risk management, project management, or a related discipline.
Training in data governance, privacy, accessibility, cybersecurity, procurement, public communication, behavioral threat assessment and management, and exercise design.

Required / Desired Experience

Required Experience

Five or more years of progressively responsible experience in K-12 school safety, emergency management, security operations, public administration, risk management, facilities safety, or a closely related function, including leadership of complex cross-functional work.
Experience with districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction.
Experience interpreting requirements, procedures, definitions, reports, system information, or technical documentation relevant to assigned work.
Experience coordinating or completing deadline-driven work with careful documentation and quality control.
Experience handling confidential information and communicating with users or stakeholders.

Desired Experience

Experience with emergency notification, access control, visitor management, video, intrusion detection, radio, mass communication, incident management, work-order, asset, mapping, reporting, training, transportation, student information, and business-continuity systems.
Experience partnering with students, families, school leaders, campus safety personnel, emergency management, facilities, transportation, technology, cybersecurity, student services, special education, communications, human resources, labor partners, legal counsel, insurers, vendors, law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, public health, and local government.
Experience in strategic governance, portfolio management, staff leadership, budgeting, procurement, and executive communication.
Experience using portfolio, risk, incident, asset, work-order, dashboard, geographic-information, or advanced spreadsheet tools for governance and executive reporting.
Experience developing accessible training, technical documentation, process maps, data dictionaries, or continuity materials.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Planning, Operations, and Service Delivery

Establish a districtwide safety and security strategy, governance structure, decision rights, risk criteria, service standards, escalation paths, performance measures, and improvement roadmap.
Direct all-hazards risk and vulnerability assessment, prioritization, mitigation planning, capital and operating recommendations, and lifecycle stewardship for safety measures.
Align school safety plans, emergency operations plans, physical security, behavioral threat assessment, reporting, training, exercises, transportation safety, continuity, recovery, and partner agreements.
Oversee safety personnel, contractors, technology, budgets, grants, procurement, maintenance, records, quality assurance, professional learning, and public communication within assigned authority.
Provide leaders and the governing board with clear risk, readiness, incident, corrective-action, investment, and outcome reporting while protecting sensitive security information.

Data Quality, Controls, and Documentation

Maintain a governed inventory of campuses, hazards, vulnerabilities, safeguards, systems, owners, dependencies, maintenance status, exceptions, incidents, findings, corrective actions, costs, and residual risk.
Use layered, site-specific security planning that supports learning, accessibility, student belonging, civil rights, and developmental needs rather than relying on a single product or tactic.
Define authoritative sources, access rules, retention, audit trails, system-of-record boundaries, data quality checks, and secure exchange for safety and incident information.
Require documented testing, acceptance, maintenance, backup, recovery, after-action review, and closure evidence for critical procedures and safety technology.
Separate school discipline, law-enforcement authority, clinical decision making, legal interpretation, and administrative safety responsibilities and route each to the proper accountable official.

Director of School Safety and Security-Specific Leadership and Support

Own or support the assigned portfolio for districtwide safety and security strategy, governance, layered protection, emergency readiness, threat management, transportation coordination, systems stewardship, partnerships, and measurable risk reduction, with responsibilities clearly matched to the position’s authority and classification.
Develop role-specific calendars, service expectations, status reporting, support channels, and escalation paths.
Coordinate decisions with responsible data owners, program leaders, technical custodians, reviewers, and approving officials.
Provide accessible training, guidance, communications, and technical assistance tailored to user responsibilities.
Analyze recurring errors, incidents, requests, and process delays and recommend sustainable improvements.

Security, Improvement, and Continuity

Protect personally identifiable and confidential information in systems, files, reports, email, tickets, meetings, training, and support activity.
Test consequential changes using representative cases, documented expectations, peer or owner review, and post-change validation.
Use automation only with appropriate access, versioning, logging, exception handling, review, and recovery procedures.
Maintain current standard operating procedures, cross-training, critical contacts, dependencies, backup coverage, and recovery steps.
Perform other related duties consistent with the position’s purpose and classification.

Required Skills and Abilities

Knowledge of

Districtwide school safety and security governance, prevention, protection, mitigation, response, recovery, risk management, and continuous improvement.
Emergency notification, access control, visitor management, video, intrusion detection, radio, mass communication, incident management, work-order, asset, mapping, reporting, training, transportation, student information, and business-continuity systems.
Data governance, source ownership, data quality, internal controls, change management, documentation, and continuous improvement.
Student privacy, confidentiality, role-based access, secure transmission, records management, incident escalation, and responsible use.
Project coordination, customer service, adult learning, accessible communication, and support practices appropriate to assigned work.

Ability to

Interpret detailed requirements and translate them into accurate procedures, system actions, reports, guidance, or decisions.
Trace discrepancies through source records, processes, configurations, mappings, transformations, and outputs.
Manage competing priorities and fixed deadlines with transparent status, documentation, review, and escalation.
Communicate clearly with technical, program, school, leadership, family, vendor, or agency audiences as appropriate.
Exercise discretion, preserve confidentiality, recognize limits of authority, and escalate material risk promptly.
Learn evolving requirements and technologies and improve processes without weakening controls or continuity.

Work Environment

Work is performed primarily in district offices, schools, service locations, meetings, training environments, and other computer-based professional settings.
The position requires sustained computer use and detailed review of records, systems, files, reports, requests, and technical or procedural documentation.
Work involves frequent interaction with students, families, school leaders, campus safety personnel, emergency management, facilities, transportation, technology, cybersecurity, student services, special education, communications, human resources, labor partners, legal counsel, insurers, vendors, law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, public health, and local government.
Workload may increase substantially during annual cycles, reporting windows, implementations, releases, audits, incidents, school transitions, or other critical deadlines.
The employee may encounter frequent interruptions, confidential matters, ambiguous records, failed processes, competing priorities, and urgent requests.
The position requires secure handling of personally identifiable student, family, or staff information.

Other Requirements

Successfully complete required criminal-record, fingerprint, and employment clearances.
Complete a tuberculosis risk assessment and any examination required by applicable law or district policy.
Complete annual mandated-reporter training and fulfill all legally applicable reporting responsibilities.
Complete district-required cybersecurity, student-privacy, safety, nondiscrimination, records, and workplace training.
Maintain professional confidentiality and comply with district policies governing records, information security, acceptable technology use, and data access.
Travel between district offices, schools, service locations, meetings, and professional-development activities as assigned.
Possess a valid California driver’s license and maintain insurability when driving is an essential function of the position.
Occasionally work early-morning, evening, weekend, or extended hours during critical operational, reporting, testing, implementation, or incident periods.
Regularly sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, read, and operate computers and standard office equipment.
Use hands and fingers for keyboarding and handling documents; maintain visual attention while reviewing detailed records and computer displays.
Occasionally lift, carry, or move records, devices, equipment, or supplies weighing up to 25 pounds.
Perform the essential functions of the position with or without reasonable accommodation.