Job Responsibilities
The Director of Public Safety serves as the College's chief public safety officer and senior law enforcement executive. This position provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for law enforcement, emergency management, business continuity, Clery compliance, risk reduction, security technology, emergency communications, and physical security across all College campuses and locations. The Director fosters a student-centered, service-oriented culture while ensuring the safety and…
security of students, employees, visitors, property, and institutional operations.
Key responsibilities include:
- Provide executive leadership and oversight for all public safety operations, including law enforcement services, emergency communications, physical security, investigations, crime prevention, special event security, and protection of College personnel and property.
- Lead the recruitment, development, supervision, and accountability of sworn and non-sworn public safety personnel while promoting professionalism, ethical conduct, customer service, community engagement, and operational excellence.
- Develop and administer departmental budgets, purchasing activities, contracts, equipment programs, staffing plans, performance metrics, policies, procedures, and strategic initiatives in compliance with College and state requirements.
- Direct law enforcement and public safety operations, including patrol services, investigations, emergency response, evidence management, traffic and parking safety, crime prevention initiatives, and campus safety programs.
- Provide leadership for emergency management, disaster preparedness, business continuity, crisis response, and institutional resilience planning. Coordinate the College's preparedness, response, recovery, and continuity efforts for severe weather, active threats, public health emergencies, technology disruptions, and other critical incidents.
- Serve as the College's lead authority for Clery compliance and related public safety reporting requirements. Oversee crime statistics collection, emergency notifications, timely warnings, annual reporting, compliance monitoring, risk assessments, and law enforcement reporting requirements.
- Direct the planning, implementation, maintenance, and lifecycle management of campus security technologies, including video surveillance, access control systems, emergency notification platforms, intrusion detection systems, dispatch systems, emergency phones, and related infrastructure.
- Build and maintain collaborative relationships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, emergency management organizations, community partners, and College stakeholders. Coordinate joint planning, training, mutual aid agreements, and emergency response activities.
- Advise executive leadership on public safety, security, emergency management, institutional risk, regulatory compliance, and emerging threats. Prepare executive briefings, strategic plans, performance reports, and recommendations that support informed decision-making.
- Collaborate with Facilities, Information Technology, Construction and Engineering, and other departments to incorporate security, emergency access, life safety, and crime prevention principles into campus planning, construction, renovation, and capital improvement projects.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Minimum and Additional Requirements
This position requires a bachelor's degree and experience supervising law enforcement personnel within a public law enforcement agency. Certification by the South Carolina Department of Public Safety in accordance with Section 23-23-40 of the South Carolina Code of Laws is also required.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in criminal justice, public administration, emergency management, security management, or a related field.
- Progressive command-level leadership experience in law enforcement, public safety, campus safety, or emergency management operations.
- Experience leading public safety operations within a higher education or multi-campus environment.
- Knowledge of Clery Act requirements, emergency management principles, business continuity planning, risk management, and public safety compliance programs.
- Experience overseeing security technology systems, emergency communications, physical security infrastructure, and public safety operations.
- Experience developing budgets, managing contracts, overseeing purchasing activities, and administering complex organizational resources.
- Demonstrated ability to lead organizational change, develop strategic initiatives, and manage complex public safety programs.
- Strong interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with executive leadership, public officials, law enforcement agencies, and community stakeholders.
- Knowledge of federal and state laws, regulations, and professional standards related to public safety, law enforcement, emergency management, and higher education environments
Additional Comments
This position is designated as essential personnel and includes emergency call-back responsibilities. The successful candidate must be available to respond to emergencies and remain on campus for extended periods during hurricanes, severe weather events, and other disasters. The position may require rotational support across campuses, irregular work hours, and availability outside normal business operations to support critical public safety functions.
Organization
Trident Technical College's vision is to be the leading force for educational opportunity and economic competitiveness in the communities we serve.
Trident Technical College is a public, two-year, multi-campus community college that provides quality education and promotes economic development in Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties.
An open-door institution of higher education, the college serves approximately 17,000 traditional and nontraditional curriculum students who have a wide variety of educational goals, from personal enrichment to career development to university transfer. To help students meet their goals, TTC offers university transfer associate degrees and applied technical associate degrees, diplomas and certificates. The curriculum includes programs in arts and sciences, agriculture, business, computer technology, engineering technology, health sciences, industrial technology, and public service. TTC students draw on knowledge from a broad range of disciplines to develop the communication and critical thinking skills that are fundamental to lifelong learning.
TTC further promotes economic development through continuing education courses; customized education and training for business, industry and government; and a variety of employment training programs.
TTC is committed to being accessible and responsive to community needs. To foster student success, TTC provides developmental education and comprehensive student services. In addition to traditional instruction, TTC's flexible course offerings and alternative delivery methods, including online instruction, enable more members of the community to pursue higher education.