The Placement Exchange Job Board

Department: Safety & Security UP Evanston
Salary/Grade: EXS/12

Job Summary:

The Director of Behavioral Consultation Programs is a leadership/practitioner position that is expected to manage, develop, and assess the range of operations that encompass Northwestern University’s Behavioral Consultation Team and the Community Care & Response Team.  The Director serves as the Chair of the Behavioral Consultation Team, working collaboratively with the Northwestern University community to identify, assess, & manage threats or potential threats of harm or significant disruption to the safety of students, faculty, and staff. The Director supervises members of the Community Care & Response Team who provide crisis response and intervention services for the University community, serving as a source of care, support, and assistance in situations that do not involve violence or serious criminal activity. The Director works closely and collaboratively with university and community departments and resources including Counseling and Psychological Services, the Dean of Students Office, Office of Equity, Faculty Wellness, Human Resources, Office of General Counsel, the Office of the Provost, and community mental health and law enforcement agencies. Additionally, the Director will develop and facilitate training and awareness programs in issues related to threat assessment and management, crisis intervention and support, recovery and resiliency, suicide prevention, and provide outreach and resources to the campus community. This is a civilian position reporting to the Chief of Police & Senior Associate Vice President, Department of Safety and Security.

Application Requirements: Applicants should include a cover letter and resume for full consideration.

Specific Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership, vision and oversight of Northwestern University’s Behavioral Consultation Programs including the Behavioral Consultation Team and the Community Care & Response Team.
• Manage and chair the Behavioral Consultation Team, working collaboratively with the Northwestern University community to identify, assess, & manage threats or potential threats of harm or significant disruption to the safety of students, faculty, and staff.
• Lead, develop and refine the formation of a mobile Community Care & Response Team that provides crisis intervention field response to community members in crisis or who are experiencing serious, on-going situations, and assists the community in addressing conflict. Recruit, train and supervise staff members that support the function. 
• Assess, triage, manage or refer all incoming threat cases about actual or potential incidents of violence consistent with contemporary standards of practice and provide team’s
• recommendation to school, department, or unit.
• Provide oversight of the monitoring and tracking of individual cases to track progress, ensure compliance with recommendations, on-going assessment and addresses new or emerging concerns as they arise.
• Ensures timely and appropriate referrals to support services within the university and coordinates intervention plans through the use of, and collaboration with, various university and off-campus resources in order to minimize or resolve concerns.
• Assists in developing and providing comprehensive outreach and consultation services to faculty, staff and students through the use of traditional in-person presentations, social media, and other creative multi-media efforts; collaborates with other campus offices to ensure coherent integration of messaging and education to the campus community.
• Review incident reports and referrals to determine cases that will be tracked or monitored.
• Manage case management database integrity to ensure that all correspondence, notes, and action items are appropriately and accurately documented.
• Ensure conformance with protocols in safeguarding information and documents in accordance with pertinent codes, policies, regulations and laws.
• Guide the ongoing development and revision of threat assessment and violence prevention procedures, protocols, and resources.
• Provide and/or refer victim/witness assistance services to reporting victims and concerned community members.
• Provide consultation and support to workplace violence reduction and education efforts.
• Responsible for all data collection, analysis and reporting related to ongoing program assessment/evaluation and annual reports.
• Oversee the design, development and assessment of a 24-hour threat response system.
• Engages in annual performance evaluation with assigned staff.
• Other duties and tasks as assigned by supervisor(s) and/or their designees.

Please note: Works integrally with partner units, including the Division of Student Affairs and Human Resources.

• Time sensitive, or emergent issues may require after-hour response or consultation 
• Occasional field supervision will be expected for identifying issues, challenges, and opportunities, especially during implementation of the Community Care & Response Team.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in psychology, social work, criminal justice, human services, or similar course of study.
• Previous experience in threat assessment & management, crisis intervention & response,  or related services.
• Demonstrated experience in process development and implementation of behavioral consultation programs in a diverse higher education environment.
• Ability to build relationships and establish collaborative partnerships across the University.
• Ability to communicate vision, assign objectives, schedule staff scalable to program demand, and participate in promotional and management activities.
• Ability to effectively develop and deliver training to students, campus personnel and others on a wide variety of threat assessment, crisis intervention and conflict related issues.
• Experience in working with interpersonal violence (for example, through violence risk assessment, investigations, or victim advocacy)
• Experience collaborating with mobile crisis response units or suicide prevention hotlines.
• Experience in providing training and outreach on such topics as suicide prevention, workplace violence prevention, effective communication strategies, etc.
• Experience working with diverse communities (people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, low-income, religious minorities, people with disabilities, etc.)

Minimum Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities.)

• Knowledge and/or skills in managing a threat assessment & management program in higher education and/or with college community members regarding crisis, mental health and/or wellness.
• Knowledge and understanding of contemporary standards of practice in violence prevention and intervention techniques and a strong theoretical and practical understanding of interpersonal violence.
• Knowledge and/or skills in coordinating multi-disciplinary responses to situations involving concerning or threatening behavior.
• Knowledge, awareness and skills in conflict de-escalation, unconscious bias, mental health conditions, trauma informed responses and crisis intervention.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and exercise judgment and diplomacy in dealing with sensitive issues.
• Ability to effectively delegate tasks and action items to cross functional team members in the absence of formal line authority.
• Ability to read, analyze and understand issues related to FERPA, Clery, Title IX, VAWA, Illinois Campus Security Act 2008 and other statutes as they relate to threat assessment and crisis intervention.
• Skills in developing policies, procedures, training curriculum, outreach programs, website materials all related to improving the knowledge, familiarity and response capabilities of stakeholders and end users involved in the threat assessment process. 
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain positive relations with members of the Behavioral Consultation Program, Human Resources, Student Affairs, Office of General Counsel, Provost Office, oversight and advisory groups, Deans and Associate Deans and associates working outside the University. 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Doctoral degree in psychology, counseling, or social work, and at least ten years of previous experience in threat assessment & management, or similar field.
• Certified Threat Manager
• Experience in supervising mobile crisis response teams comprised of behavioral health professionals
• Experience partnering with Human Resource related issues.

Preferred Competencies: (Skills, knowledge, and abilities)

• Skill in effectively communicating risk and working as a business partner at all levels of the organization.
• Ability to proactively respond to a wide array of issues or emerging student needs, showing good judgment about when to make referrals, set boundaries, and equip students with skills and strategies to engage in self-advocacy and resilience building behavior
• Experience in managing field response to crisis intervention, conflict resolution and suicide prevention in a higher education setting.

Benefits:
At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful, competitive, high-quality health care plans, retirement benefits, tuition discounts and more! Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life’s challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you’re interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more.

Northwestern strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters for people who can obtain them as a critical tool for minimizing severe illness. More information can be found on the COVID-19 and Campus Updates webpage.

The Northwestern campus sits on the traditional homelands of the people of the Council of Three Fires, the Ojibwe, Potawatomi, and Odawa as well as the Menominee, Miami and Ho-Chunk nations. We acknowledge and honor the original people of the land upon which Northwestern University stands, and the Native people who remain on this land today.

Northwestern University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer of all protected classes, including veterans and individuals with disabilities. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply. Click for information on EEO is the Law.
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About Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a major private research university with 12 academic divisions located on three campuses in Evanston, Chicago, and Education City in Doha, Qatar. We have approximately 2,500 full-time faculty members, 17,000 graduate and undergraduate students, and over 5,700 full and part-time staff. Northwestern University combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment. It provides students and faculty exceptional opportunities for intellectual, personal and professional growth.

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