Safety Coordinator, READI Chicago - Heartland Human Care Services

Title: Safety Coordinator, READI Chicago

Location: 5715 W. Belmont

Schedule: Monday to Friday (8:30am-5:00pm)

Summary:

The Safety Coordinator manages security procedures at the Belmont Site, develops training programs, and conducts quarterly safety drills. This role oversees access points and ensures welcoming policies are effectively implemented. Reporting to the Director of Security and Emergency Response, the Safety Coordinator supports READI Chicago’s partners and collaborates with Heartland Human Care Services (HHCS) Risk Management team and other stakeholders to enhance safety protocols.

Key responsibilities include developing, assessing, and monitoring safety practices, providing safety trainings, maintaining an on-site presence, coordinating security responses, and reviewing incidents. This position promotes a trauma-informed, strengths-based safety culture aligned with HHCS’s Philosophy of Care.

Why Join Us?

• Make a meaningful impact on the lives of individuals seeking education and career pathways.
• Collaborate with a diverse and passionate team dedicated to the mission and vision of our organization.
• Enjoy a hybrid work arrangement, providing flexibility and work-life balance.
• Participate in professional development opportunities to enhance your skills and expertise.

Our Benefits:

• Medical insurance. BCBS PPO, EPO, and HSA Plans
• Dental insurance.
• Vision insurance.
• 401(k) 3% Employer Contribution.
• Paid maternity leave.
• Paid paternity leave.
• Commuter benefits.
• Student loan assistance.
• Tuition assistance.
• Disability insurance
• FSA Spending Account
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Special Vendor Discounted Offerings on Travel, Amusement Parks, etc.

Essential Functions:

Duties & Responsibilities

Workplace Safety and Security

• Works collaboratively with partner sites in normalizing the Belmont Sites safety and security systems in accordance with organizational philosophy, incorporating an approach to security that, to the extent possible, integrates program leadership, partners, and participants.
• Provides guidance on site safety and security systems and plans based on mitigating risks for staff and participant.
• Conducts periodic safety site inspections and assessment and site and safety inspections to identify and eliminate potentially unsafe working conditions or practices.
• Evaluates and conducts periodic safety site observations to ensure compliance with COVID 19 safeguards.
• Establishes and reviews safety and physical security protocols in collaboration with the Director of Security and Emergency Response, HHCS Risk Management Team, HHCS Safety Committee, and other health, safety, security, and quality management teams. These protocols will address a variety of security situations, including workplace violence, theft, emergencies, and gun violence.
• Establishes ongoing trainings, with support from the Director of Security and Emergency Response, to ensure that staff and participants are well-trained on security and safety protocols.
• Oversees physical safety and security equipment; applies safety procedures; identifies unsafe conditions; conducts safety inspections and site evacuation drills.
• Manages the effective use of the metal detectors at each partner site, while working collaboratively with partner managers.
• Co-facilitates a variety of safety and security trainings with the READI Chicago Safety Manager, including partner staff New Hire Orientation.
• Monitors implementation of safety and security protocols, conducts periodic perimeter checks inside and outside the facility, observes movement of program participants within program guidelines and makes recommendations to improve safety.
• Assists in conducting After Incident Reviews and Debriefs, follows up all incidents, to ensure compliance and safety mitigation strategies are implements in collaboration with partner site managers.
• Responsible for conducting follow-up, in collaboration with partner site mangers, regarding the action items identified during the After Incident Review.

Incident Response:

• Works cooperatively with internal and external partners to implement a basic emergency program to provide a timely, integrated and coordinated response to events that may disrupt normal operations.
• Works in collaboration with partner stakeholders to ensure safe reintegration of participants and staff after major incident, including after-incident reviews.
• Responsible for ensuring HHCS partner agencies are trained and prepared to respond to threats of violence, in compliance with HHCS Weapon Free Policy.
• Ensures that programs are prepared to implement an emergency management response in alignment with HHCS Critical Incident Protocol that addresses the following objectives: Attends promptly and efficiently to participants or staff injured as a result of violence.
• Ensures a logical and flexible chain of command is in place, under the direction of the Director of Security and Emergency Response, to maximize resource utilization. This will support the swift maintenance and restoration of essential services following any incident, emergency, or disaster.
• Ensures debriefing and critical incident debriefing resources are available.
• In response to emergency situations, a trauma informed approach is at the core of the work.
• Represents HHCS in safety and security working groups and engage with community partners safety and security systems reflect effective practices and are responsive to changing trends.
• Other duties may be assigned.

Education and Experience:

Qualifications: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.

• High School Diploma or GED required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Three (3) years minimum related experience/education and/or training required.
• Emergency Response Planning (ERP) and crisis response experience preferred; experience working concurrently with multiple partners or as part of a collaborative preferred.
• Experience working with diverse participants (gang-affiliated, police and justice system stakeholders, community residents and agencies strongly preferred.

Certifications/Licenses:
The Safety Coordinator is expected to engage in regular professional development.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities (K/S/A):

• Knowledge and/or experience with crisis prevention interventions, restorative justice practices, trauma-informed principles of care
• Time Management – Ability to prioritize tasks, manage time and complete projects in a fast-paced, changing environment with minimal supervision.
• Quality Management - Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness.
• Analytical – Investigates and synthesizes complex or diverse information; collects and assesses data.
• Verbal and Written Communication – Presents to internal and external audiences; writes clearly and informatively; edits work for spelling and grammar; varies writing style to meet needs, including incident reports; presents numerical data effectively.
• Adaptability - Adapts to changes in the work environment; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.
• True team player with a high level of professional ethics and personal integrity.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange, Windows operating systems
• leadership and technical expertise on all aspects of physical security (e.g., risk management, planning, training and exercises, program review and resource application/management);
• Developing physical security policy in collaboration with others.
• conducting vulnerability assessments, surveys, inspections and audits of the security program; and
• Maintaining awareness of all physical security issues to keep senior leaders advised of any changes in security policies.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, program participants, and staff. Genuine willingness to work with and for staff by actively engaging staff in community safety and security practices. Ability to build strong rapport with management, program participants and staff.
• Demonstrate a commitment to being consistent, fair, accessible, and visible.
• Access to regular, dependable and timely transportation.
• Ability and comfortability working with people of varying socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Excellent communication skills. Strong networker, convener, relationship builder and communicator with experience collaborating with diverse work teams and stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to handle confidential and sensitive information possessing skills to handle situations in a professional and diplomatic manner.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Outlook/Exchange; Windows operating systems; and other software routinely used by Heartland Human Care Services.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form.
• Ability to work independently and remain self-motivated with minimal direct supervision.
• Strategic thought partnership and consultancy skills.

Work Arrangement:

This role is an on-site position. There may be remote shifts based on programming.

Work Environment:

• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Each program site operates on a 24/7 basis, 365 days per year. To meet both the needs of our participants and contractual obligations, employees are required to be flexible regarding scheduling and work location.
• Program sites are located throughout the Chicago area, including the North and South sides of Chicago, as well as the suburbs. Employees may be required to report to any one of our locations on a temporary or permanent basis.

Physical Demands:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear.
• The employee is regularly required to sit, stand and walk.
• The employee must be able to stoop, kneel and/or crawl.
• The employee is regularly required to use hands to key, handle, or feel and reach with hands and arms.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.
• The employee must have unrestricted ability to provide physical restraint.
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Heartland Human Care Services makes all hiring and employment decisions, and operates all programs, services, and functions without regard to race, receipt of an order of protection, creed, color, age, gender, gender identity, marital or parental status, religion, ancestry, national origin, amnesty, physical or mental disability, protected veterans status, genetic information, sexual orientation, immigrant status, political affiliation or belief, use of FMLA, VESSA, military, and family military rights, ex-offender status (depending on the offense and position to be filled), unfavorable military discharge, membership in an organization whose primary purpose is the protection of civil rights or improvement of living conditions and human relations, height, weight, or HIV infection, in accord with the organization's AIDS Policy Statement of September 1987.

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