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Director of Safety and Emergency Management

American Chemical Society
dental insurance, life insurance, vision insurance, flexible benefit account, vacation time, paid holidays, sick time
United States, D.C., Washington
1155 16th St Nw (Show on map)
Mar 27, 2026
Description

Director of Safety and Emergency Management

The Director of Safety and Emergency Management provides enterpriselevel strategic leadership, governance, and oversight for ACS's safety, security, emergency management, and organizational resilience programs. The role is accountable for the design, execution, and continuous improvement of ACS's lifesafety infrastructure, emergency response capabilities, physical security posture, and business continuity framework. This role is responsible for ensuring the reliability, integration, and continuous improvement of ACS's lifesafety infrastructure, emergency response operations, physical security systems, and business continuity capabilities. This role reports to the Chief Financial Officer and resides within the Treasurer & CFO Division. The Director serves as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, partnering with Facilities, IT/Workplace Technology, HR, Communications, and external agencies to mitigate enterprise risk, guide crisis response, and protect ACS's people, assets, and mission.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Enterprise Security & Risk Operations



  • Own ACS's physical security strategy, standards, programs, and operating models across multiple facilities and sites across the United States.
  • Oversee daily operations and governance of C*CURE access control, badge administration, credentialing, and zoning policies.
  • Manage security vendor relationships, includinriskg guard services, systems integrators, and technology partners, ensuring SLA adherence and high operational standards.
  • Conduct regular threat, vulnerability, and risk assessments; maintain and govern a formal risk register ensuring mitigation strategies are prioritized, tracked, and reported to senior leadership.
  • Stay aware of trends, studies, or evaluations that might inform our understanding of security threats.
  • Maintain visibility into emerging technologies, security platforms, and continuityrelated software upgrades to ensure ACS's program remains modern, resilient, and aligned with industry best practices.


Emergency Preparedness & Critical Incident Management



  • Serve as the enterprise owner of the ACS Emergency Action Plan (EAP), with authority over procedures, escalation protocols, and response governance for evacuation, shelterinplace, and lockdown scenarios.
  • Direct and govern the planning, execution, evaluation, and continuous improvement of enterprise emergency preparedness exercises, including evacuation, shelterinplace, lockdown/activethreat scenarios, and tabletop exercisesLead oversight of the Everbridge mass notification system, ensuring SMS/voice/email delivery reliability, uptodate contact data, message templates, escalation paths, and allclear workflows.
  • Manage the Lynx active incident alerting ecosystem (desktop splash alerts, panic/lockdown button governance, incident logging).
  • Ensure PA, strobes, alarms, Lynx, and Everbridge follow defined test cadences with results tracked, published, and remediated.


Life Safety Systems & Compliance



  • Oversee compliance against lifesafety codes, local regulations, OSHA/EHS guidance, and ACS internal standards.
  • Ensure annual testing of alarms, strobes, fire panels, emergency power, and communications systems is completed and documented.
  • Lead ACS's response readiness for highrisk or highvisibility events, including those with external stakeholders or large gatherings.


Environmental Health & Safety (EHS)



  • Maintain oversight of EHS inspections, hazard abatement, safety walkthroughs, and regulatory compliance.
  • Develop and deliver safety training, awareness materials, and compliance reporting in collaboration with HR/EHS partners.
  • Support ergonomics, chemical safety (if applicable), and general workplace safety programs.



Business Continuity & Organizational Resilience



  • Own and govern ACS's Business Continuity Program, including enterprise plan maintenance, crossdepartmental readiness, scenario planning, and executive reporting.


  • Conduct continuity exercises and scenario planning to validate departmental preparedness.
  • Define, track, and analyze resilience KPIs (e.g., timetonotify, system availability, drill performance, riskreduction metrics) and present insights and recommendations to senior leadership.
  • Manage relationships with key software and technology vendors to ensure system reliability, contract compliance, and timely delivery of enhancements.


Governance, Policy, & Training



  • Develop, approve, and govern enterprise security and safety policies, SOPs, RACI models, and escalation matrices, ensuring version control, organizational adoption, and annual review.
  • Oversee staff training for emergency procedures, system use, drills, and response expectations.
  • Serve as a senior advisor to executives during incidents, briefings, and afteraction reviews.
  • Maintain a unified, accurate repository of safety documentation (Nucleus).


Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement



  • Provide enterprise leadership and functional direction for security, emergency management, and risk mitigation programs, including leadership of crossfunctional working groups and oversight of internal resources and external partners.


  • Lead a crossfunctional working groups supporting security, emergency management, and risk mitigation.
  • Routinely review potential safety & security risks and ACS' emergency preparedness and report to senior leadership.


  • Provide strategic guidance, coaching, and functional direction to Facilities/Security personnel and vendor leadership to ensure consistent enterprise standards and outcomes.
  • Serve as ACS's primary executive liaison to external agencies, building management, and emergency responders for incident planning, coordination, and response.



Qualifications



  • Bachelor's degree in Security Management, Emergency Management, Risk, Public Safety, Facilities Management, or a related field, or the equivalent level of experience and certifications
  • 15+ years of progressive experience in security operations, emergency management, risk management, or lifesafety leadership roles.
  • 10+ years of experience managing employees and contractors
  • 10+ years of experience managing vendors and external partners
  • Handson experience with:


    • C*CURE or similar access control platforms
    • Everbridge or similar mass notification systems
    • Lynx or similar active alerting tools
    • EHS/compliance platforms (e.g., SAI360)


  • Demonstrated success developing and leading SOPs, EAPs, drills, afteraction reviews, and risk mitigation programs.
  • Strong contract/vendor management experience with measurable performance oversight.
  • Excellent communication, crisisleadership, and crossorganizational collaboration skills.
  • Deep knowledge of OSHA/EHS regulations, NFPA and lifesafety codes, and industry best practices.
  • Demonstrated ability to operate effectively at the executive and enterprise level, including crisis leadership, risk communication, and crossorganizational influence.


This role is based in our Washington, DC office. A reasonable rate of base compensation for this position is $190,000- $210,000 per year.

ACS currently provides the following benefits for this position: paid vacation leave, paid sick leave, paid holidays, health insurance, flexible spending account or health care savings account, dental insurance, life insurance, vision insurance, retirement benefits, short- and long-term disability, and 4-week work from anywhere; each benefit is subject to the terms of the applicable program. Additional benefits may apply based on skills, experience, and location.

Any actual offer of employment, reflecting the total compensation package and benefits, will be made in the sole discretion of ACS. ACS reserves the right to amend or modify its employment benefits and compensation structure at any time.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.
For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.
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