Job Description

Scheduled Hours

40Provides senior-level operational, planning, project, program, and performance leadership in direct support of the Office of the Vice Chancellor, Enterprise Physical Operations, Infrastructure, Capital Programs, and Real Estate.

Serves as the university’s enterprise leader for security capital planning, systems integration, and operational readiness across WashU and its academic medical center. This role is responsible for aligning planning, infrastructure, and technology to ensure that physical security and public safety systems operate as a cohesive, enterprise-wide platform.

Supports the full scope of responsibilities assigned to that position by translating strategic direction into coordinated work plans, supervising teams and cross-enterprise efforts, managing execution risk, and ensuring timely delivery of institutional commitments.

Operating in a complex, multi-campus, multi-mission environment, the position facilitates coordination across WashU Medicine’s Protective Services, the WashU Police Department, Emergency Management, Facilities, Information Technology, University Services, Residential Life, and external partners. The role leads the strategic planning, prioritization, and lifecycle management of security-related capital investments in support of institutional safety, compliance, risk mitigation, and business continuity objectives.

Serves as a central integrator across WashU Medicine and the Danforth Campus, working closely with facilities leadership teams, schools, departments, academic chairs, executive administration, and cross-functional partners. Provides functional and, where assigned, direct supervision of staff, project teams, consultants, and enterprise initiatives and requires strong communication, diplomacy, strategic planning, financial acumen, and risk management skills. Requires a servant leader who leads by mission, with empathy, in accordance with our departmental and university core values.

This position is highly collaborative and influence based, driving cross functional decision making, governance, standards, and process improvement without direct authority. A key focus is bridging the distinct operational environments of a major research university and an academic medical center, ensuring solutions are standardized where appropriate and specialized where required, including alignment with WashU Medicine and the BJC partnership. The role is part of the Emergency Management leadership team and works under the direction of the Director of Emergency Management.

Ensures continuity, alignment, and follow-through across complex initiatives and may serve as a primary point of coordination and representation in the Vice Chancellor's absence, as delegated.

Provide preliminary and conceptual planning and programming, as well as estimating for safety and security projects of a complex nature, including coordinating strategic and capital planning for enterprise-wide facilities infrastructure to support safety and security.

• Lead multi‑year enterprise planning for security systems and infrastructure, including CCTV, access control, radio communications, CAD/reporting systems, and related physical infrastructure.
• Lead design of databases for modules and/or projects, monitoring progress to ensure timely completion of deliverables; analyzes data related to integrated safety and security systems, efficiencies, and cost/time estimates.
• Works closely with facilities project personnel and other team members to develop detailed specifications and documents, and to support clear project deliverables and timelines.
• Ensure alignment with integrated capital planning frameworks, Repair & Renewal (R&R) priorities, and institutional risk, compliance, and safety objectives.
• Facilitate coordinated planning across academic, medical, and affiliated campuses.
• Guide assigned project managers through the full project lifecycle, ensuring consistency in scope definition, stakeholder engagement, implementation, and performance evaluation.
• Strengthen planning processes and decision frameworks to improve transparency, prioritization, and outcomes.

Direct Support to the office of the Vice Chancellor, Enterprise Physical Operations, Infrastructure, Capital Programs, and Real Estate.

• Provide operational, planning, project, program, and performance support to the Office of the Vice Chancellor.
• Support the execution, coordination, and follow-through of initiatives, priorities, and responsibilities assigned to the Vice Chancellor, translating direction into organized work plans, schedules, and deliverables.
• Exercise delegated decision-making authority related to sequencing of work, prioritization of deliverables, and day-to-day execution decisions, escalating policy, budget, or high-risk issues as appropriate.
• Prepare leadership briefings, analyses, presentations, and recommendations.
• Track priorities, risks, decisions, and follow-up actions across all assigned areas.

Functional Leadership, Supervision & Enterprise Coordination.

• Provide functional leadership for teams and cross-enterprise initiatives spanning operations, planning, projects, and programs.
• Supervise assigned staff, project teams, consultants, and workgroups, including setting priorities, coordinating workplans, monitoring performance, and supporting professional development.
• Lead cross-functional teams through collaboration, influence, and clear communication to achieve shared outcomes.
• Navigate competing priorities and differing stakeholder perspectives with professionalism, diplomacy, and sound judgment.
• Represent the Vice Chancellor’s priorities and direction in meetings, working sessions, and cross-campus forums, as delegated.

Helps determine appropriate technical solutions and makes relevant recommendations or implements them internally.

• Serve as the enterprise coordinator for security technologies, ensuring systems align and function as an integrated platform where appropriate.
• Coordinate strategy, standards, and deployment of security systems across campuses and stakeholders.
• Identify opportunities to standardize, modernize, and streamline systems while respecting operational and regulatory differences.
• Provide strategic leadership for the planning, deployment, optimization, and modernization of security technologies such as CCTV and access control systems.
• Communicate with the management team regarding efficiency and accuracy, as well as any progress and/or delays.
• Define and maintain enterprise standards for coverage, device placement, credentialing, alarm/event management, and access levels.
• Partner with Facilities, IT, Protective Services, and WUPD to embed security systems into capital projects from concept through occupancy.
• Develop and manage multi‑year roadmaps, including migration to common platforms and retirement of legacy or high‑risk systems.
• Use data and performance metrics to inform lifecycle decisions, capital planning, and continuous improvement.
• Facilitate ongoing assessment and alignment across dispatch, control, and response environments (Protective Services, WUPD, Facilities, and call centers).
• Identify and address gaps related to dispatch technologies, workflows, interoperability, redundancy, and continuity.
• Provide strategic support to resolve misalignment in coordination processes and communications infrastructure.

Pilot applications, systems, and integrated technologies to ensure performance and capacity plans meet expectations, including performing query writing and optimization.

• Develop enterprise strategies for lifecycle management of security systems and capital equipment.
• Partner with Facilities and IT to establish preventative maintenance standards and monitor system performance, reliability, and obsolescence risks.
• Strengthen long‑term capital forecasting and sustainability planning.
• Coordinate with the Information Security Office on assessing the risk of the database environments as needed and appropriate controls to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the information.
• Develop dashboards and reporting tools to track capital investments, system performance, and risk mitigation metrics.
• Conduct infrastructure‑focused security risk assessments to inform planning and prioritization.

Change Management, Communications & External Coordination.

• Support change management and communications strategies related to operational, planning, and program initiatives.
• Develop stakeholder engagement approaches, implementation plans, and messaging to support the adoption of new processes, systems, or organizational structures.
• Coordinate with external partners, consultants, and affiliated organizations in support of operations, planning, projects, and programs, ensuring alignment with institutional priorities and standards.

Governance, Standards & Process Improvement.

• Facilitate cross‑campus governance structures for security planning and coordination.
• Lead the development and implementation of design standards, technology guidelines, and access control and monitoring policies.
• Drive process improvements that enhance planning consistency, procurement efficiency, and decision‑making clarity.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions:
Job Location/Working Conditions

• Normal office environment.

Physical Effort

• On-Call.
• Typically sitting at a desk or table.
• Repetitive wrist, hand, or finger movement.
• Occasional lifting (< 25 lbs).
• Ability to move to on and off-campus locations.
• Alternative work schedule as regular part of job (on-call, shifts, evening, weekends).

Equipment

• Office equipment.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by the personnel so classified. Management reserves the right to revise or amend duties at any time.

Required Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's degree

CertificationsProfessional Licenses

No specific certification/professional license is required for this position.

Work Experience:

Business Strategy And Operations Planning And/Or Business Analysis (5 Years), Administration And Office Support (5 Years), Planning And Prioritization Of Strategic Organizational Objectives (5 Years), Relevant Experience (5 Years)

Skills:

Not Applicable

Driver's License:

A driver's license is not required for this position.

More About This Job

Preferred Qualifications:

• Project Management Professional (PMP) or equivalent.
• ASIS certifications (CPP, PSP).
• Certified Security Systems Integrator (CSSI) or comparable credential.

Preferred Qualifications

Education:

Master's degree

CertificationsProfessional Licenses

Certified Protection Professional (CPP) - ASIS International, Facility Management Professional (FMP) - International Facility Management Association (IFMA)

Work Experience:

Higher Education, Preferably In A Complex University Environment (7 Years), Progressive Facilities Operations (10 Years)

Skills:

Administrative Support Services, Capital Planning, Change Management, Complexity Management, Coordinating Programs, Cross-Functional Initiatives, Effective Written Communication, Electronic Access Control Systems, Facility Operations, Fast-Paced Environments, Higher Education Administration, Key Performance Indicators (KPI), Key Stakeholder Relationships, Leading Project Teams, Managing Ambiguity, Operations Support, Physical Security Systems, Program Coordination, Project Portfolio Management (PPM), Public Safety Technology, Reporting Systems, Risk Management, Security System Integration, Sound Judgment, Strategic Initiative

Grade

G15

Salary Range

$84,200.00 - $148,500.00 / AnnuallyThe salary range reflects base salaries paid for positions in a given job grade across the University. Individual rates within the range will be determined by factors including one's qualifications and performance, equity with others in the department, market rates for positions within the same grade and department budget.

Questions

For frequently asked questions about the application process, please refer to our External Applicant FAQ

Accommodation

If you are unable to use our online application system and would like an accommodation, please emailCandidateQuestions@wustl.eduor call the dedicated accommodation inquiry number at 314-935-1149 and leave a voicemail with the nature of your request.

All qualified individuals must be able to perform the essential functions of the position satisfactorily and, if requested, reasonable accommodations will be made to enable employees with disabilities to perform the essential functions of their job, absent undue hardship.

Pre-Employment Screening

All external candidates receiving an offer for employment will be required to submit to pre-employment screening for this position. The screenings will include criminal background check and, as applicable for the position, other background checks, drug screen, an employment and education or licensure/certification verification, physical examination, certain vaccinations and/or governmental registry checks. All offers are contingent upon successful completion of required screening.

Benefits Statement

Personal

• Up to 22 days of vacation, 10 recognized holidays, and sick time.

• Competitive health insurance packages with priority appointments and lower copays/coinsurance.

• Take advantage of our free Metro transit U-Pass for eligible employees.

• WashU provides eligible employees with a defined contribution (403(b)) Retirement Savings Plan, which combines employee contributions and university contributions starting at 7%.

Wellness

• Wellness challenges, annual health screenings, mental health resources, mindfulness programs and courses, employee assistance program (EAP), financial resources, access to dietitians, and more!

Family

• We offer 4 weeks of caregiver leave to bond with your new child. Family care resources are also available for your continued childcare needs. Need adult care? We’ve got you covered.

• WashU covers the cost of tuition for you and your family, including dependent undergraduate-level college tuition up to 100% at WashU and 40% elsewhere after seven years with us.

For policies, detailed benefits, and eligibility, please visit: https://hr.wustl.edu/benefits/

EEO Statement

Washington University in St. Louis is committed to the principles and practices of equal employment opportunity. It is the University’s policy to provide equal opportunity and access to persons in all job titles without regard to race, ethnicity, color, national origin, citizenship (where prohibited by federal law), age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, protected veteran status, or genetic information.