Director of Safety Response
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Director of Safety Response
Job Summary
The Director of Safety Response role is an integral part of the Operations team, is an integral part of the Operations team, ensuring KIPP DC campuses utilize data-driven insights and real-time response strategies to mitigate safety incidents and enhance crisis preparedness. This role moves beyond traditional reactive security by architecting the network’s safety data systems to predict and track risks across 20 campuses. The starting salary range for this role is $113,839-$125,821. This is a full-time, fully on-site role based at HDQ with an anticipated immediate start date.
For 25 years, KIPP DC has partnered with students, families, and the community to create joyful, academically excellent schools across the nation’s capital. Today, our network of 22 schools educate more than 7,500 students in grades PreK3-12, supported by 1,500 dedicated teachers, leaders, and staff.
Our work is grounded in five pillars–Academic Excellence, Joy & Sense of Belonging, Highly Effective Teachers and Leaders, Safe, Structured, and Nurturing Learning Environments, and Commitment to College Readiness–which ensure every student is equipped with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to pursue success in college, careers, and beyond. Our schools combine high expectations with joyful, affirming environments that nurture academic success and personal growth for students and staff alike.
As part of the national KIPP network, we share best practices and innovations while maintaining deep roots in Washington, D.C. Together, we strive toward a future without limits for our students, alumni, and community.
The Director of Safety Response leads cross-functional and team efforts to support campus safety. In addition, this position supports the academic team in building strong relationships within the school community that promote safety beyond the immediate school environment to help ensure the safety of students and staff.
In a Director role, this position must also ensure adherence to established internal control policies and procedures and maintain compliance within the organization.
Location and Type of Work
This is an exempt position and will report to the Vice President of Operations. As a headquarters team that is focused on being responsive to our schools and meeting the needs of our students and families, we approach our work in a way that reflects these priorities. Schools operate in person and our students and families rely on us for in-person support, and this position will regularly provide on-site support to school teams, frequently partner with other headquarters teams, or regularly work in multiple locations. Because of the nature of the work, this role allows for occasional flexibility and will be required to be onsite 4 days per week.
Responsibilities
The percentages for each key responsibility are estimates, and other duties may be assigned. Flexibility and responsiveness are encouraged to accommodate organizational needs.
Crisis Management & Incident Response (35%)
- Serve as the lead regional responder for all escalated safety incidents on or near KIPP DC campuses, including emergencies such as gunshots, weapons, contraband, and serious student altercations.
- Coordinate with campus security leads, school leaders, and the operations team to ensure a unified, timely, and effective response during crises.
- Support School leaders in communication with students, staff, and families during and after safety incidents to provide accurate information, reduce anxiety, and support resolution.
- Design the framework for post-incident reviews and coach school teams on how to facilitate effective debriefs, utilizing automated dashboards and trend-capture tools to identify lessons learned and drive continuous improvement in safety response protocols.
- Maintain detailed incident logs and ensure all required documentation and compliance reporting is transformed into actionable intelligence through the design of centralized reporting systems and summary visualizations that provide the Regional Operations team with a high-definition view of regional safety.
Regional Safety Intelligence & Strategic Systems (35%)
- Collaborate with school leaders, academic teams, and mental health professionals to foster a school culture in which safety supports student and staff well-being, using high-definition data trends to identify specific areas where culture-building interventions are most needed.
- Work closely with Managers of Campus Safety and school-based staff to build relationships with students that prevent and de-escalate safety incidents, leveraging regional intelligence to proactively identify "at-risk" periods or locations across the network.
- Partner with the Director of Safety Operations to ensure that response protocols align with the broader safety systems, procedures, and infrastructure, acting as the lead architect for the dashboards and reporting logic that bridge physical security with regional operational strategy.
- Support school teams in navigating complex or sensitive safety situations, providing data-backed guidance that balances systemic accountability with restorative approaches.
Stakeholder Engagement and Community Partnerships (15%)
- Serve as KIPP DC’s primary liaison to external safety stakeholders, including local law enforcement, fire services, and DC government agencies.
- Build and maintain relationships with community-based organizations, including safe-passage providers, violence interrupters, and neighborhood safety coalitions, using regional data to identify where and when these external interventions are most needed.
- Represent KIPP DC in local safety forums, inter-agency working groups, and community meetings, leveraging data-backed insights to ensure school safety and student well-being initiatives are aligned with network needs.
- Partner with school teams to develop and sustain strong relationships with students, with a particular focus on high school campuses, using restorative data and feedback loops to support a culture of trust and safety.
Stakeholder Engagement and Community Partnerships (15%)
- Design and lead training sessions for staff, students, and families on how to recognize, report, and respond to various safety threats and emergencies.
- Collaborate with the academic team and mental health professionals to integrate safety response training into the broader educational environment.
- Partner with the Director of Safety Operations to ensure that safety response training is aligned with and reinforces the standard operating procedures and compliance requirements across the network.
- Identify emerging safety threats and regional trends through deep-dive data analysis, and update training content and protocols accordingly to ensure KIPP DC remains proactive rather than reactive.
- Lead organizational implementation of CPI and other safety strategies.
Requirements & Preferences
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree required
- At least 6 years of experience in safety planning, security management, or a related field, with a focus on operational management.
- Minimum of 3 years of experience managing and leading teams, preferably in safety or operations.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s degree in a related field (MBA, MPA, Homeland Security, Operations, etc.)
- Management of safety operations in an educational or public sector setting.
- Familiarity with local and federal safety regulations affecting schools.
- Experience with compliance reporting and auditing in a safety context.
- Proven experience in managing vendor relationships and contracts, including security services.
- Strong knowledge of safety and security equipment, including camera systems, alarm systems, and weapons abatement tools.
- Proficiency with Google Workspace and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Experience in developing and implementing safety protocols and emergency preparedness plans.
- Demonstrated experience in managing budgets and financial oversight related to safety operations.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to lift 30 pounds
- Ability to stand frequently
- Ability to travel across KIPP DC schools
- Flexibility to work outside normal business hours or weekends for KIPP DC events
Demonstrated Excellence in the Following Areas:
- Commitment to Students and Schools: Demonstrates commitment to education reform, believing in every child's potential for success and prioritizing students, schools, and the essential role of families.
- Strategic Thinking and Problem Solving: Finds creative solutions to challenges that achieve broader goals of team and organization.
- Project Management: Sets a high bar for own work and supports others to achieve desired team outcomes.
- Communications and Influence: Demonstrates adept communication skills and influence to advance work by adjusting content and style.
- Teamwork: Contributes to a supportive team culture, fostering diverse work styles and maintaining a high performance standard.
- Trust and Collaboration: Establishes and nurtures effective relationships with a diverse set of stakeholders to support the best outcomes for our work.
- Cultural Humility: Advances KIPP DC’s commitment to anti-racism by creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for all stakeholders.
- Continuous Learning: Commits to continuous learning through feedback, self reflection, humility, and action.
Benefits & Compensation
KIPP DC offers an extremely competitive compensation and benefits package:
- The anticipated starting salary range for this position is $113,839-$125,821. At KIPP DC we strive for clarity, equity, and to be highly competitive. When determining salaries we look at benchmarks in the education and non-profit sector.
- KIPP DC offers a robust benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurances; various voluntary benefits; and employer paid benefits such as short term disability, long term disability, life insurance, and a membership to One Medical.
- KIPP DC also offers a 403(b) retirement account with a 3% employer contribution and a 3% match with vesting after three years.
Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
KIPP DC Public Schools does not discriminate against, or tolerate discrimination against, employees or applicants for employment on any legally-recognized basis or protected class including, but not limited to, actual or perceived race, color, national origin, immigration status (except as necessary to comply with federal, DC, state, or local law), religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, gender (including gender identity or expression), marital status (including domestic partnership status), genetic information, political affiliation, pregnancy, family responsibilities, personal appearance, veteran status, uniform service member status, status of being unemployed, status of victim a survivor of domestic violence, sexual offense or stalking, matriculation or any other protected class under federal, state, DC, or local law.
Click here or here to review KIPP DC’s non-discrimination policy and KIPP DC’s Title IX Coordinator’s contact information.
Please Note: If you encounter difficulties submitting your application or fail to receive a confirmation email after applying, kindly reach out to Danica Cunningham at danica.cunningham@kippdc.org. Please include your name, resume, and specify the role you are applying for in your email. We appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience caused.