Director for the Office of Global Safety and Security - Princeton University

The Office of the Provost at Princeton University seeks a mission-driven and collaborative Director for the Office of Global Safety and Security (GS&S).  Through safety, security, threat intelligence, and support services to members of the Princeton community, GS&S enables domestic and international mobility that are in service of the University’s mission.  The office offers governance and assurance on institutional risk management related to the University’s worldwide engagements.  It also coordinates immediate safety and security support to travelers experiencing an incident and the structure for managing international crises.

Applicants must submit a cover letter. For best consideration, apply by August 30, 2024.

Reporting to the Vice Provost for International Affairs and Operations and serving on a global team committed to facilitating international engagement, the director establishes the overall strategy for the unit and works collaboratively with internal partners and external vendors to accomplish it. They lead directly on issues of governance, standards, policies, and assurance for GS&S and supervise the work of the associate director for intelligence and crisis management and the assistant director for training and traveler support. The director also oversees the administrative requirements of the office, including budgeting and hiring.

Key responsibilities include:

Governance and Policy

• Oversee the collaborative governance structure that will be established to evaluate and recommend standards/policies to mitigate security and operational risks related to domestic and international travel and to wider international programs.
• Recommend and manage implementation of institution-level standards and policies related to travel risk management and the security of international operations. Solicit and incorporate input from key stakeholders to ensure buy-in around standards/policies. Conduct assurance on and evaluate the effectiveness of health and safety measures implemented by the institution for supporting travelers abroad.
• Advise the Vice Provost for International Affairs and other University leaders on emerging and/or urgent threats and risks to University interests stemming from geopolitical or other safety and security developments in the United States and abroad.
• Develop and constantly improve the overall strategy for fulfilling the GS&S mission in support of the University’s enterprise risk management structure.
• Plan for and coordinate ongoing outreach to U.S. and foreign government offices and agencies in order to maintain networks for information sharing and potential assistance in international crises affecting University interests.
• Ensure University travel and international operations programs are compliant with federal regulatory requirements.

Traveler Support Services, Intelligence, and Crisis Management

• Oversee the travel support function (travel registration process and system, consultations, and training) for Princeton community members, led by the assistant director. Plan for and coordinate engagement strategies to travel sponsors and individual travelers (faculty members, students, researchers, and other internal audiences) to increase understanding of and support for standards, policies, and procedures.
• Oversee the intelligence function (analysis, forecasting, and products), led by the associate director. Plan for and coordinate timely, accurate, and useful security and other risk intelligence analysis and products related to worldwide travel and the University’s international operations.
• Maintain and strengthen trust and collaboration with University units supporting and enabling travel (e.g. Office of International Programs, the Graduate School, the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies) and administrative units related to health, travel logistics, financial and tax compliance, research security and export controls, environmental health and safety, and IT security.
• Together with the associate director and units sponsoring travel, coordinate decision-making around incident management and emergency response. Provide back-up support to the Associate Director, who is the first point of contact for travel-related incidents and crises. This will involve some “on-call duties” beyond regular work hours, especially before and during times of heavy travel (e.g. fall, Wintersession, spring, and summer breaks).
• Manage internal communications to share the office’s resources and services.

Administration

• Supervise the associate and assistant directors, fulfilling all administrative responsibilities and ensuring their professional growth and development.
• Manage budget and staff, including hiring, procurement, and other management tasks to ensure quality services to the University community.

• Understanding of the critical value of international travel and engagement in advancing Princeton’s mission of research, teaching, learning, and service. Ideally, experience working, studying, and living abroad.
• Experience (10-15 years) managing health, safety, and security issues, including emergency management in a global context. Experience working in higher education is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and cross-cultural engagement.
• Service-oriented and collaborative approach and a willingness to substantively engage campus stakeholders to empathetically understand and address user needs. Ability to productively partner with campus offices to build and maintain trust. Track record of successfully aligning stakeholders with divergent opinions.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate in an accessible, clear, and jargon-free way. Strong written and verbal communication competencies including listening skills. Executive presence and a proven ability to remain composed under pressure.
• Entrepreneurial spirit and creativity in institutionalizing a newly developed but high functioning administrative unit. Demonstrated ability to manage a budget and supervise direct reports. Commitment to supporting staff professional development.
• Strong sense of personal responsibility and the ability to build and maintain authentic and trusting relationships with diverse stakeholders, including students, parents, faculty, and staff.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential matters with discretion.
• Excellent judgement, decision-making skills, consultative management skills, patience, flexibility, humility, and comfort with ambiguity.
• Bachelor’s degree required. Master’s degree or other professional certification preferred.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS