Director of Risk & Emergency Management

The Director of Risk and Emergency Management is responsible for leading the university’s processes for identifying, analyzing, managing, monitoring, reporting and responding to key risk and emergency management issues and situations. 

The Director is responsible for providing a systematic and disciplined approach to promoting both risk compliance and best practices across all levels of the university.   The Director will develop and implement policies, procedures and training programs in safety, insurance and loss prevention, and other areas, as needed, to mitigate exposure and efficiently protect the university's assets and integrity. The Director will also oversee the administration of the university’s comprehensive insurance protections including property and casualty policies, and coordinate claims activity with University stakeholders, the Office of Government & Legal Affairs and insurance providers.

This position will also be responsible for ongoing development and implementation of the university’s Emergency Operations Plan.  This role will coordinate disaster response and crisis management activities, provide disaster preparedness training and mock exercises, ensure compliance with all applicable rules and regulations and monitoring developments and trends related to emergency planning and response.Risk Management

• Responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and fostering of a collaborative, campus-wide approach to risk management through partnership with departments, faculty and staff to further safety and risk management objectives.
  • Identifies and analyzes the university's risk exposure to build a risk-aware culture, including appropriate education and training. 
  • Develops consistent measures, policies, and procedures for delivery and communication of insurance and risk management services across the university.
• Develops insurance strategy, directly handles insurance procurement for the university, and provides the administration of all policies including, but not limited to, Property, Casualty, General Liability, Workers’ Compensation etc.
  • Manages relationships with third party service providers including brokers, underwriters, claims adjusters, and other third-party administrators.
  • Investigates, resolves, and responds to all property and liability claims in consultation with the Office of Government and Legal Affairs.
  • Manages the workers’ compensation and incident-reporting program and processes, assesses, and reports claims to carriers, as appropriate.
  • Monitors case closing action, coordinates negotiations for settlement of claims wherein court action is not involved with claims adjuster and prepares reports for determined action.
• Participate in and/or Chair or Co-Chair various committees, as needed (Threat Assessment Team, Emergency Management Team etc.).  

Emergency Management 

• Act as primary expert in the area of emergency management by providing professional guidance and support to leadership including planning and implementing program goals and activities.
• Continue to develop, enhance and implement the university’s existing Emergency Operations Plan.
• Develop and maintain liaisons with the City of New Orleans and similar entities in order to facilitate plan development, response effort coordination, and exchanges of personnel and equipment.
• Develop and perform tests drills, exercises, and evaluations of emergency management plans in accordance with state and federal regulations.
• Design, administer, and evaluate emergency/disaster preparedness training courses on incident command system that teach people how to effectively respond to major emergencies and disasters.
• Inspect facilities and equipment such as emergency management centers and communications equipment in order to determine their operational and functional capabilities in emergency situations.
• Keep informed of activities or changes that could affect the likelihood of an emergency as well as those that could affect response efforts and details of plan implementation.
• Keep informed of federal, state, and local regulations affecting emergency plans and ensure that plans adhere to these regulations.
• Maintain and update all resource materials associated with emergency preparedness plans.
• Prepare, review, and revise emergency plans that outline operating procedures to be used in response to and recovery from disasters/emergencies such as floods, hurricanes, hazardous materials spills, terrorist attacks, etc.
• Propose alteration of emergency response procedures based on regulatory changes, technological changes, or knowledge gained from outcomes of previous emergency situations.
• Review emergency plans of individual program areas such as housing in order to ensure their adequacy.

Additional Responsibilities:
Perform other duties as assigned.Required Education, Experience, Skills and Abilities:

• Bachelor degree.   
• Minimum of five years’ experience in risk management and a minimum of 3 years in Emergency Management.
• Significant experience with comprehensive insurance policies, including property and casualty policies, and in the coordination and management of claims activity.
• Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written, with the ability to produce concise and effective presentations to influence and advise senior leadership across campus.
• Strong organization skills with the ability to multitask and prioritize; ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Ability to work collaboratively, build and maintain a network of contacts (internal and external) and coordinating with a large number of stakeholders across campus to achieve effectiveness.
• Experience working closely with cross-functional teams and various stakeholders to identify and solve complex problems.
• Ability to work outside of normal working hours to address immediate needs/risks.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Advanced degree.
• CRM or other professional certification in risk management or insurance.
• Prior experience in managing risk and/or emergency management in higher education.
• Prior experience serving in a crisis management leader/facilitator capacity.
• Prior experience in threat assessment methodology.         

Physical Requirements:
      Ability to perform essential functions of the position with or without reasonable
      accommodations.