Director, Emergency Management

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:
Boasting a 300-acre, tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio and a residential college system that supports students intellectually, emotionally, and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lecture series, courses, and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities.

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff, and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community, and Excellence.

Position Summary:
Rice University seeks a visionary and community-oriented leader to serve as the next Director of Emergency Management. As the university advances its strategic vision, anchored by excellence in research, transformative undergraduate education, and deep engagement with the city of Houston, the Director will play a pivotal role in ensuring a campus environment where innovation and safety seamlessly coexist. This position is not merely about enforcement; it is about building a broad, collaborative umbrella of protection that integrates traditional emergency management with policing and emergency medical services, all while reflecting the "culture of care" that uniquely defines the Rice community.

The Director provides strategic leadership for university-wide emergency management. This executive leads and directs the university’s efforts to develop, implement, test, document, and maintain plans for emergency management, institutional business continuity, and comprehensive emergency response across all academic, administrative, and research departments. A critical component of this role involves managing complex, cross-functional relationships on university-wide resilience initiatives. The Director interacts regularly with Executive Leadership, Senior Management, and Key Functional Areas to appropriately link all emergency response, mitigation, and recovery plans. This role reports directly to the Executive Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police.

Ideal Candidate Statement:
We are looking for a highly strategic, diplomatic administrator who can design and execute sophisticated safety and resilience programs that protect our physical campus, secure invaluable research assets, and enhance the well-being of our community. If you are a collaborative leader who values equity, embodies modern emergency management standards, and champions a safe, inclusive environment, we invite you to help shape the future of Rice University.

Workplace Requirements:
This role is classified as an Essential On-Campus Position, requiring on-site presence to effectively carry out its vital functions. During emergencies or crises, the Emergency Management Director is required to report to campus as directed to ensure continuity of critical operations and must remain accessible to leadership to fulfill responsibilities necessary for maintaining institutional functions.

Workplace Location:
This position is exclusively on-site, necessitating all duties to be performed in person at the Rice University Main Campus. The schedule may vary to fit the needs of the department and/or campus, including holidays, nights, and weekends. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: $122,496 - $140,000 annually

*Exempt (salaried) positions under