Chief Administrative Officer - Division of Public Safety

$90,000 - $100,000/Yr

University of Illinois - Urbana, IL

Full-time - Senior

Urbana, IL

Educational Services

About the position

The Chief Administrative Officer for the Division of Public Safety at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will serve as a key advisor to the Executive Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police and the Command Staff. This role involves overseeing various administrative functions, strategic planning, and communication efforts to enhance the effectiveness of the division. The position requires strong leadership skills and the ability to manage complex issues impacting campus safety and public relations.

Responsibilities

• Attend and conduct meetings on behalf of the EDPSCOP during their absence.
• Serve as a confidant and advisor to the EDPSCOP, acting as a sounding board for ideas and high-level discussions/decisions.
• Assist with the Division's annual budgeting activities.
• Develop and publish annual reports.
• Prepare presentations or other materials to inform campus administrators, elected or appointed officials, and other key stakeholders on Division initiatives and priority issues.
• Provide leadership and implementation of the Division's responses to Freedom of Information Act requests.
• Attend special events and other functions where there is a public safety need, acting as Public Information Officer within the department's incident Command System.
• Act as a liaison between Public Affairs and the Division of Public Safety.
• Act as the Division's representative to the Champaign County Public Information Officers group.
• Communicate with the news media and general public regarding special events, critical incidents, division initiatives and other projects as assigned.
• Compose executive communications that address priority issues both externally and internally.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with other campus units, neighboring police jurisdictions, and community/campus groups.
• Respond to direct inquiries from community members.
• Supervision of staff as assigned.
• Responsible for driving efforts to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the executive team, managers, and supervisors.
• Coordinate and guide the implementation of key departmental strategic objectives and goals.
• Collaborate with executive team members to determine and prioritize business strategies that build departmental and community trust.
• Identify and initiate better reporting systems or conflict resolution strategies to ensure that employees' complaints are heard.
• Anticipate potential crisis communications needs and proactively address crisis issues.
• Identify training and development opportunities to enhance the communication skills of other Division employees.
• Analyze data and information to advise and draft responses on a wide range of issues both on campus and when responding to community concerns or inquiries.
• Oversee and implement comprehensive communication programming efforts, marketing and branding strategies, and associated external public relations activities.
• Represent the Division at campus-level meetings of communications officers.

Requirements

• Eleven (11) years of progressively responsible management work experience in a private or governmental organization.
• Eight (8) years in the area of designated specialization required by the position.
• Three (3) years supervising the work of a professional staff or process within the designated specialization.
• Bachelor's degree may be substituted for the above three (3) years non-specialized experience requirement.
• Master's degree may be substituted for one (1) year specialized work experience.
• Strong communication, writing and editing skills.
• Ability to work under a tight deadline.
• Ability to remain calm under pressure to effectively handle challenging interactions in stressful situations.
• Ability to de-escalate tense situations with a calm and professional demeanor.
• High level of interpersonal skills, including tact, diplomacy, and flexibility.
• Understanding of the Urbana-Champaign campus academic and administrative structure.
• Ability to exercise excellent judgment and discretion, especially in the handling of confidential and/or sensitive issues.

Benefits

• Salary range of $90,000.00 - $100,000.00, commensurate with qualifications and experience.