Senior Public Safety Officer - UTPD

Join the UTHealth Houston Police Department as a Senior Public Safety Officer and play a vital role in protecting the people, property, and operations that support our academic health institution. In this leadership position, you will help maintain a safe and secure environment through proactive patrols, policy enforcement, visitor management support, and oversight of security technology systems. As a senior team member, you will mentor and support Public Safety Officers, collaborate closely with departmental leadership to achieve operational objectives, and serve as a key resource in maintaining readiness and continuity of operations. This is an exciting opportunity for a dedicated public safety professional to make a meaningful impact while helping lead a team committed to excellence in service, safety, and security.

What we do here changes the world. UTHealth Houston is Texas’ resource for healthcare education, innovation, scientific discovery, and excellence in patient care. That’s where you come in.

Once you join us you won't want to leave. It’s because we reward our team for the excellent service they provide. Our total rewards package includes the benefits you’d expect from a top healthcare organization (benefits, insurance, etc.), plus:  

• 100% paid medical premiums for our full-time employees  
• Generous time off (holidays, preventative leave day, both vacation and sick time – all of which equates to around 37-38 days per year) 
• The longer you stay, the more vacation you’ll accrue! 
• Longevity Pay (Monthly payments after two years of service) 
• Build your future with our awesome retirement/pension plan! 

We take care of our employees! As a world-renowned institution, our employees’ wellbeing is important to us. We offer work/life services such as... 

• Free financial and legal counseling 
• Free mental health counseling services 
• Gym membership discounts and access to wellness programs 
• Other employee discounts including entertainment, car rentals, cell phones, etc. 
• Resources for child and elder care 
• Plus many more! 

Position Summary:

The primary purpose of the Senior Public Safety Officer position is to safeguard institutional property, personnel, and visitors through vigilant observation and proactive foot and vehicle patrols, and the enforcement of Institutional and Divisional policies, rules, and regulations. The position maintains a collaborative partnership with the Patient Relations Team in support of the institutional visitor management strategy. The Senior Public Safety Officer plays a critical role in ensuring operational readiness of security technology, software, and devices by monitoring and reporting technology issues. As a team lead, the Senior Public Safety Officer supports the development of Public Safety Officers, works closely with supervisors to accomplish departmental objectives, and may assume supervisory duties in the absence of the Public Safety Supervisor.

Position Key Accountabilities:

• Provides team leadership and ongoing professional development of Public Safety Officers. Models professionalism, engagement, and teamwork expectations for the Public Safety team.
• Assists in the coordination and security services related to campus events. Actively engages in the overall entry experience in partnership with the patient relations team. Works closely with Public Safety Supervisor to accomplish department objectives.
• In the absence of the Public Safety Supervisor, may be required to perform Public Safety Supervisor duties.
• Completes quality assurance reviews of staff. Participates in the field training of Public Safety Officers. Engages in classroom and field training activities to meet the goals of the public safety team. Performs uniform, vehicle, and operational readiness focused inspections.
• Ensures staff have a clear and thorough working knowledge of security devices and protocols.
• Ensures security devices are operating reliably and as intended, and devices in failure are reported immediately when detected. Assist in the configuration and application of institutional video management systems.
• Patrols university buildings and property on foot and by vehicle to prevent theft, vandalism, or other criminal activity. Responds to calls for service and provides requested services in a timely manner and in accordance with policies and procedures.
• Completes appropriate security incident reports. Serves as a front-line contact with clients and acts as the customer's advocate to ensure the efficient and effective delivery of security services. Defines and oversees risk prevention rounds to identify and mitigate security risks. Assigns radios, keys, and other operational equipment.
• Other duties to include, but not limited to, emergency recall and/or may be required to remain on-site or work extended hours during man-made or natural disasters and unusual occurrences on campus. Local or long-distance travel may be required for training or other business purposes occasionally.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Certification/Skills:

• Strong leadership, mentoring, and team development skills.
• Calm under pressure with sound decision-making in emergencies.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Commitment to customer service and institutional safety.
• Commercial Driver License Class A (Class A - CDL) by State of Texas required or
• Commercial Driver License Class B (Class B - CDL) by State of Texas required or
• Commercial Driver License Class C (Class C - CDL) by State of Texas required or
• Driver License (DL) by State of Texas required
• Certified Healthcare Security Officer (CHSO) by International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) preferred
• Certified Advance Healthcare Security Officer (CAHSO) by International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) preferred
• Certified Health Security Supervisor (CHSS) by International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety (IAHSS) preferred

Minimum Education:

High School Diploma or equivalent required
Associate's Degree preferred

Minimum Experience:

2 years as a Public Safety Officer or related experience required
3 years of experience as a Public Safety Officer preferred

Physical Requirements:

Exerts up to 50 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 20 pounds frequently and/or up to 10 pounds constantly to move objects.

Security Sensitive:

This position is a security-sensitive position pursuant to Texas Education Code §51.215 and Texas Government Code §411.094. To the extent that a position requires the holder to research, work on, or have access to critical infrastructure as defined in Texas Business and Commerce Code §117.001(2), the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure is a minimum qualification to be hired for and to continue to be employed in that position. Personnel in such positions, and similarly situated state contractors, will be routinely reviewed to determine whether things such as criminal history or continuous connections to the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the applicant, employee, or contractor from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure. A foreign adversary is a nation listed in 15 C.F.R. §791.4.

Residency Requirement:

Employees must permanently reside and work in the State of Texas.