Job Details

Executive Director, RIsk Management & Safety

Position Number: 9957160
Location: Bakersfield, United States
Position Type: Occupational and Environmental Safety

Executive Director, RIsk Management & Safety

Kern Community College District

Salary: $159,319.52 - $225,114.32 Annually

Job Type: Management - Classified Administrator

Job Number: FY26-2700148

Location: District Office, CA

Department: Business Services

Below is our job description for this position. Please also review the Important Instructions & Additional Information section below, which contains valuable information about our application process.

Basic Function

Under the direction of the assigned supervisor, provide executive leadership and oversight for District-wide risk management, loss prevention, occupational and environmental health and safety programs. Establish consistent standards, procedures, and systems across all District colleges, centers, and locations; identify and mitigate institutional risks; oversee insurance and liability risk coordination; and promote safe learning and working environments in collaboration with responsible departments.

Representative Duties

1.Plan, organize, direct, and evaluate District-wide risk management, loss prevention, and occupational and environmental health and safety programs.2.Develop and maintain District-wide risk management and safety policies, procedures, program standards, reporting systems, and long-range priorities.3.Lead the identification, assessment, prioritization, mitigation, and monitoring of risks affecting employees, students, visitors, property, facilities, and District operations.4.Oversee the District's Injury and Illness Prevention Program and other applicable workplace safety programs, coordinating implementation with colleges, Facilities, Human Resources, and operational departments.5.Provide executive oversight of compliance with occupational and environmental health and safety requirements, including applicable Cal/OSHA standards, hazard assessments, inspections, corrective actions, and required training and records.6.Establish consistent processes for reporting, investigating, and reviewing workplace safety hazards, accidents, near misses, unsafe conditions, and property losses; analyze trends and coordinate corrective measures.7.Coordinate inspections and risk assessments of facilities, operations, activities, and special events and recommend hazard reduction and loss prevention measures.8.Oversee insurance and risk financing activities, including coverage reviews, renewals, certificates of insurance, loss history, and coordination with insurance brokers, carriers, risk pools, and legal counsel, as assigned.9.Coordinate institutional liability and property-related claims, insurance reporting, and loss prevention with carriers, third-party administrators, legal counsel, and District departments; coordinate employee-related claims matters with Human Resources.10.Review contracts, facilities use agreements, and other institutional activities for risk allocation, insurance, indemnification, and safety requirements in coordination with Purchasing, Facilities, and legal counsel.11.Oversee environmental health and safety coordination, including hazardous materials, exposure prevention, and fire and life safety compliance in collaboration with responsible departments and regulatory agencies.12.Develop and coordinate District-wide safety education and training related to injury prevention, hazard recognition, incident reporting, workplace safety, and regulatory obligations.13.Coordinate with Human Resources regarding workplace violence prevention and employee safety while maintaining Human Resources responsibility for reasonable accommodations, disability management, and workers' compensation administration.14.Collaborate with Facilities and college leadership on emergency preparedness and continuity planning as they relate to occupational safety, hazard mitigation, and institutional risk, without directing campus policing or security operations.15.Develop and administer program budgets, contracts, consulting services, training resources, and safety-related equipment as assigned.16.Select, supervise, evaluate, and support the professional development of assigned management and staff.17.Prepare risk analyses, compliance reports, recommendations, and presentations for District leadership, college leadership, the Board of Trustees, and other stakeholders.18.Build effective working relationships with employees, students, bargaining-unit representatives, regulatory agencies, insurance partners, and community stakeholders.19.Recommend organizational and operational improvements to strengthen consistency, accountability, compliance, loss prevention, and safety outcomes across the District.20.Represent the District at local, regional, and statewide meetings related to risk management, insurance, and occupational and environmental health and safety.21.Perform related duties as required.

Minimum Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in risk management, occupational health and safety, environmental health, public administration, business administration, or a closely related field; and* Ten (10) years of progressively responsible professional experience in institutional risk management, insurance and claims administration, occupational or environmental health and safety, loss prevention, or a closely related field, including responsibility for developing and administering organization-wide programs; and* Five (5) years of senior-level management experience directing programs, budgets, compliance, and professional or management staff, including leadership of complex programs serving multiple locations or operating units.OR* An equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered if it demonstrates comparable executive-level preparation and the knowledge and abilities necessary to perform the duties of the position. Equivalent experience must include substantial senior-level management responsibility.* Valid California driver's license.* Demonstrated sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, and disability backgrounds of community college students and employees.
Preferred Qualifications* Master's degree in risk management, occupational or environmental health and safety, public administration, business administration, or a closely related field.* Three (3) or more years of executive or senior-level responsibility leading enterprise-wide risk management, insurance, or occupational safety programs across multiple sites.* Experience in higher education or a California community college district.* Experience with Cal/OSHA compliance, institutional risk assessment, insurance programs, and liability or property claims.* Professional certification in risk management

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge of:* Enterprise and operational risk management, insurance, liability and property claims, loss prevention, and contractual risk allocation.* Cal/OSHA standards, Injury and Illness Prevention Programs, workplace inspections, hazard recognition, and incident investigation.* Environmental health and safety, hazardous materials coordination, exposure prevention, and fire and life safety.* Workplace violence prevention and the division of responsibilities among Risk and Safety, Human Resources, Facilities, and college operations.* Strategic planning, budgeting, contract administration, supervision, and program evaluation.* Community college organization, governance, policies, procedures, and collective bargaining environments.Ability to:* Direct and coordinate multi-site risk management and occupational safety programs.* Establish consistent District-wide standards while supporting college-level implementation.* Assess institutional exposure, identify hazards, and develop practical prevention and corrective action strategies.* Interpret and apply laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and collective bargaining agreements.* Evaluate insurance and contractual risk requirements and coordinate with insurers, risk pools, regulators, and legal counsel.* Analyze loss and incident data and recommend improvements.* Manage personnel, budgets, contracts, and program resources.* Communicate effectively with executive leadership, college administrators, employees, students, and community partners.* Work collaboratively across multiple colleges and departments.* Maintain confidentiality and exercise discretion and tact.* Demonstrate sensitivity to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
SALARY RANGE$ 159,319.52 - $ 225,114.32 annuallyMaximum Entry Level Salary: $167,385.08 annually SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONSFirst Review of Applications: Complete application packets will be accepted until the position is filled; but those received by November 19, 2026, are assured consideration. The College reserves the right to extend time limits or reinitiate the recruitment/selection process at any point.
Completed application packet MUST include:

Completed Online Application for Employment form
Current resume
Letter of interest (Cover Letter)
Copy of legible transcripts
List of five (5) professional references - Listed on application form

It is the applicant's responsibility to redact (or remove) any personal information from all documents prior to uploading. This includes Social Security Numbers, Date of Birth, and any photos of the applicant.
Foreign Degree: Applicants with foreign degrees from colleges or universities outside of the United States must have their coursework evaluated by a professional association that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, INC. (ACEI). A copy of the evaluation must be submitted with your on-line application.
Applicants who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection process should contact Human Resources to make the necessary arrangements. EEO Plan 2021-2024
Note: The District is strongly committed to achieving staff diversity and the principles of equal employment opportunity. The District encourages a diverse pool of applicants and does not discriminate on the basis of national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race or ethnicity, color, medical condition, genetic information, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, or because he/she is perceived to have one or more of the foregoing characteristics, or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law, in any of its policies, procedures or practices. Discrimination Free Work Environment
The District does not provide sponsorship for authorization to work in the United States. Work authorization should be established at the time of application submission.

Important Instructions & Additional Information

Complete applications received by the "assured consideration date" above are guaranteed to be reviewed by Human Resources. If you apply after this date, there is no guarantee that your application will be reviewed. However, we still recommend that you apply because recruitments remain open until filled. The District and/or College reserves the right to extend time limits and/or repost or restart recruitments at any point.

For all positions, sensitivity to and understanding of the diverse academic, socioeconomic, cultural, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ethnic backgrounds of community college students, shall be considered a core system competency and job requirement. (5 CCR 53022)

Required Application Materials

Candidates may be required to submit any of the following materials based on the specific role. Please review the job posting and the attachments section of your application to confirm which documents are required for your submission:

Completed Online Application
Current resume
Letter of interest (Cover Letter)
Copy of legible transcripts
Copy of Driver's License

Important Privacy Notice: Applicants are responsible for redacting or removing all sensitive personal information from all uploaded documents prior to submission. Please remove Social Security Numbers, Dates of Birth, and Applicant Photos.

References

Professional reference information will be confirmed and required upon invite to second level interview, if applicable.

Equivalency for Minimum Qualifications

Applicants for faculty and educational administrator positions in California Community Colleges are required to meet certain minimum qualifications as provided by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office and detailed in the Minimum Qualifications for Faculty and Administrators in California Community Colleges handbook. If you do not meet these minimum qualifications, you may still be eligible by completing the KernCCD Application for Equivalence process. Please see our Faculty Equivalency Process website for more information.

International or Foreign Degrees

Applicants with international or foreign degrees from colleges or universities outside of the United States must have their coursework evaluated by a professional association that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, INC. (ACEI). A copy of the evaluation must be submitted with your online application.

Accommodations

Applicants who require reasonable accommodation to participate in the selection process should contact Human Resources to make the necessary arrangements. (For more information, see our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Equal Employment Opportunities website.)

Discrimination Free Work Environment

Discrimination based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, sexual orientation of any person, military and veteran status, or the perception that a person has one or more of these characteristics is illegal and violates Kern Community College District policy.

The Kern CCD Equal Employment Opportunity Plan guides the development, implementation, and monitoring of the District's efforts to foster equal employment opportunities and workplace diversity.

See our Discrimination-Free Work Environment webpage for more information.

Work Authorization

Kern Community College District does not provide sponsorship for authorization to work in the United States. Work authorization should be established at the time of application submission.

E-Verify

The Kern Community College District participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's E-Verify program to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all newly hired employees. To learn more about E-Verify, please visit e-verify.gov.

Helpful Links

Kern Community College District

Salary Schedules

Job Descriptions

Benefits

Faculty Minimum Qualifications/Equivalency Process

All applicants must apply online at https://www.schooljobs.com/careers/kccd/jobs/5541380/executive-director-risk-management-safety. Emails will not be accepted.

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