Executive Director - School Safety

Jeffco Public Schools (Jeffco) is located in Jefferson County, Colorado. It is the second largest school district in Colorado serving 69,000 students across 155 schools. With 14,000 employees, the district is the largest employer in Jefferson County and has provided educational excellence for more than 70 years.

Jeffco Public Schools is a Single-State Employer. All candidates hired by Jeffco Public Schools must reside within the state of Colorado.

HOURS AND DAYS WORKED

Desired Start Date: 04/05/2026

Exec Dir - Strategic Initiativ

Annual Position

FLSA: Exempt

FTE: 1.00000 , Hours/Day: 8.000 , Days/Year: Year Round

Salary Plan, Grade, Step: JCA - Administrator - 229 days , G12, 1

Min-Mid Annual Salary Range: $129,902.00 - $155,252.00 Effective as of: 06-16-2025

PRE-EMPLOYMENT REQUIREMENT

The successful new hire or rehired candidate will be responsible to complete and incur the fingerprinting and processing fee of $54.50 through an appropriate fingerprinting vendor and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, within 48 hours of offer acceptance.

RESPONSIBILITIES

SUMMARY Provides executive leadership for Jeffco Public Schools' comprehensive school safety, security, and emergency management enterprise. Develops and oversees the district's school safety strategy, integrating prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery across 168 campuses over 774 square miles and serving approximately 74,000 students and 14,000 employees. Directs a complex, 24/7 Department of School Safety with responsibility for strategic planning, business operations, workforce management, and performance oversight. Serves as the district's senior safety advisor to the Superintendent, Cabinet, and Board of Education and as the primary executive liaison to the district's multiple municipal and county public safety partners, ensuring that safety and security practices support welcoming school environments, student well-being, equity, and public trust.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Develops, implements, and oversees the districtwide school safety strategy, integrating prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery and establishing clear priorities, standards, and expectations for schools and departments.
• Directs the Department of School Safety as a multi-division, 24/7 operation, including Campus Security, Armed Patrol, Dispatch, Emergency Management, and Judicial Services/Behavioral Threat Management, through the leadership of senior managers and supervisors.
• Provides executive oversight of the district's School Resource Officer (SRO) program and agreements, ensuring role clarity, alignment with district expectations, and effective collaboration with law enforcement partners.
• Establishes and enforces professional standards, training requirements, and operational expectations for armed and unarmed officers, dispatch personnel, and safety staff to ensure consistent, lawful, and effective practices across the district.
• Oversees districtwide governance for emergency management and preparedness, ensuring emergency operations planning, training, exercises, and improvement processes meet district standards and are consistently implemented at all sites.
• Provides executive oversight of the district's Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management framework and school-based judicial services to ensure proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of safety risks.
• Leads major incident response and serves in an executive incident command role during critical events, ensuring coordinated response, communication, and recovery across schools and departments.
• Provides executive oversight of business operations, including stewardship of an approximately $13 million annual budget, multi-year staffing and resource plans, fleet and equipment management, and sustainable workforce models for more than 180 safety and security personnel.
• Monitors readiness, response capability, staffing, training compliance, and operational effectiveness, and uses data, audits, after-action reviews, and performance metrics to drive continuous improvement.
• Develops, implements, and maintains district policies, procedures, and governance structures related to school safety, security, emergency management, and officer operations to ensure regulatory compliance and risk mitigation.
• Serves as the senior safety advisor to the Superintendent, Cabinet, and Board of Education, translating safety risks, trends, and operational realities into strategic options and recommendations.
• Represents the district with law enforcement, emergency management, and public safety partners, ensuring coordinated planning, interoperability, and strong interagency relationships while maintaining executive-level oversight rather than routine operational control.
• Represents the district as a subject-matter expert on school safety, security, and emergency management with community stakeholders, providing informed leadership and building public understanding, confidence, and trust in the district's safety approach.
• Be available during scheduled on-call periods and respond promptly and in-person to critical incidents or emergencies district-wide, providing leadership, direction, and support to staff and first responders.
• Carry and maintain a firearm in accordance with district policies, state law, and training requirements.
• Respond to critical incidents as an armed member of the district's safety and security team, following district protocols and emergency response procedures.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

EXPERIENCE 7 years of experience of senior leadership experience in public safety, law enforcement, emergency management, or a comparably complex organization, including senior-level responsibility for a multi-faceted safety, security, or emergency management function. Experience in an education system desirable.

EDUCATION & TRAINING Bachelor's degree required. Preferred field of study of emergency management or criminal justice. Additional years of experience may be accepted in lieu of degree. Advanced professional training in the areas of Disaster and Emergency Management, Preparedness, and Training Coordination preferred.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS Certification in National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) and Emergency Management Institute (EMI) and Professional Development Series required. Police Officer Standard Training (POST) in firearms, Arrest Control, Single Officer Response to an Active Shooter, and Rapid and Immediate Deployment (RAID) training is required. Driver's license required with good driving history required. Subject to random/post accident/reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing.

SPAN OF CONTROL

Leads the district’s 24/7 Department of School Safety, overseeing 180+ personnel across Campus Security, Armed Patrol, Dispatch, Emergency Management, and Judicial Services/Behavioral Threat Management. Establishes districtwide safety and emergency preparedness standards and represents the district on safety and security matters.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

Work occurs in office, school, and field environments. Requires standing, walking, moving throughout facilities, driving, and occasional bending, climbing, or kneeling. Must be able to respond to emergencies and safely carry and use required equipment, including firearms and ballistic vests.

MENTAL FUNCTIONS

Ability to direct safety operations, apply policies and legal requirements, manage multiple priorities, and make sound decisions in high-pressure or emergency situations.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Based in an office with frequent travel to district schools and facilities. Schedule may include evenings, weekends, and holidays with expected response to emergencies. Work may involve stressful situations and varied weather conditions.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

The Jefferson County School District does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation, pregnancy, or gender.