Director, Global Risk and Safety

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Job Details:

The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) is one of the largest public universities in the United States and the flagship of The University of Texas System. UT Austin enrolls more than 55,000 students in nearly 120 bachelor's degree programs and more than 220 graduate programs across 19 colleges and schools. UT Austin is steadfastly committed to global engagement and is home to more than 6,100 international students, over 3,400 education abroad students, and 1,500 international scholars from over 130 countries, with more than 530,000 alumni in 176 countries worldwide.

Texas Global advances UT Austin's academic mission by leading, supporting, and coordinating the university's international engagement efforts, fostering strategic partnerships on campus and abroad, welcoming international students and scholars, and creating opportunities for students and faculty to engage globally. Texas Global comprises nine units, employs over 140 staff members, and continues to grow.

Applications received by April 10, 2026 will receive priority consideration. Applications submitted after this date will be considered until the position is filled.

The Director of Global Risk & Safety in Texas Global provides university wide leadership and strategic oversight for the health, safety, and security of University travelers abroad (students, faculty, and staff). The role is responsible for establishing and advancing institutional policies, procedures, and training aligned with best practices in international travel risk management. In addition, the position serves as the central coordinator for preparedness and response efforts related to travel related incidents and emergencies abroad, ensuring timely, effective, and coordinated support for travelers and the University.

Governance, Compliance & Risk Mitigation

• Ensure compliance with University international travel policies and associated requirements, including travel registration and enrollment with the contracted emergency assistance provider.
• Manage and monitor the University travel registration process and related web resources, workflows, and guidance.
• Continuously maintain Restricted Regions criteria and the Restricted Regions list; communicate decisions, guidance, and policy updates to relevant stakeholders.
• Chair the Restricted Regions Review Team; evaluate high-risk travel and provide timely, well-documented recommendations to the Senior Vice Provost for Global Engagement (SVPGE) and other University leadership as required. Manage the operational aspects of the International Oversight Committee (IOC).
• Lead risk assessment and analysis for proposed international programming and initiatives; deliver clear risk rationales and mitigation requirements that enable informed decision-making.
• Adjudicate decisions and recommend modifications to high-risk and group travel requests (faculty-led and student organization travel) as needed, ensuring alignment with policy, mitigation requirements, and duty-of-care standards.
• Coordinate with UT System risk and insurance units and collaborate with campus partners and external entities to implement policy, practice, and process changes that strengthen international duty of care.
• Oversee and support compliance with laws and regulations related to health and safety abroad (e.g., FERPA, HIPAA, Title IX, Clery Act), partnering with the Office of the Dean of Students and other relevant offices as needed.
• Oversee pre-departure health clearance processes and related documentation to support student wellbeing and appropriate risk mitigation.

Crisis Management & Critical Incident Response

• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve international crisis management protocols and contingency plans for responding to a wide range of situations abroad.
• Serve as the primary 24/7/365 crisis manager for traveler emergencies abroad, and coordinate responses inclusive of Texas Global leadership, campus partners, and contracted emergency assistance provider.
• Manage incident case reporting and follow-up; collaborate closely with Education Abroad team members and the Office of the Dean of Students on student-facing crises, and with other relevant offices as needed, for all travelers' acute and post-incident support.
• Lead the International Critical Incident Response Team (I-CIRT), providing coordinated assistance, situational awareness, and actionable recommendations to University leadership during crisis events; conduct after-action reviews to drive sustained improvement.

Risk Intelligence, Preparedness & Program Support

• Monitor global events, prominent health and safety issues, and legal developments affecting international higher education; translate identified issues into actionable guidance for leadership and program stakeholders.
• Serve as a subject-matter resource to faculty, staff, and student-facing teams on destination risk, safety planning, and responsible program design in support of global engagement.
• Develop and maintain tools and standards that enable preparedness (e.g., pre-departure materials, emergency guidance, and orientation resources) and ensure they remain current and operationally usable.
• Conduct and/or commission site- and program-specific risk assessments (including periodic site visits as needed) and define practical mitigation measures that strengthen traveler readiness and program continuity.

Outreach, Training & Strategic Communication

• Design and deliver risk and safety training for students, faculty, and staff; lead workshops and contribute to pre-departure orientations to build a culture of preparedness.
• Synthesize complex information into briefings, analytical reports, procedures, and training documents tailored to varied audiences.
• Manage internal and external communications during and after incidents abroad, coordinating with SVPGE leadership and Texas Global's Marketing and Communications team on media-sensitive matters when appropriate.
• Maintain key relationships with national and international education professional organizations (e.g., NAFSA, The Forum on Education Abroad, OSAC, PULSE) to stay current with global health and safety trends, technologies and best practices. Deliver presentations pertaining to the field at conferences, as appropriate. Serve on campus committees to represent Texas Global and provide subject matter expertise.

International Insurance Compliance

• Manage the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) to comply with UT System policy and federal immigration regulations pertaining to health insurance requirements for international students and scholars. Oversee the integrity of systems and accurate data management in enrollment processes. Deliver quality support and services to all stakeholders and ensure clear communication through outreach and training.

Leadership & Supervision

• Lead and cultivate a high-performing team. Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and annual performance evaluation processes.
• Partner with the SVPGE and Texas Global leadership to advance global engagement priorities through risk and safety-informed strategy and operational excellence.
• Represent Texas Global with professionalism and credibility to internal and external stakeholders; build trust through clear guidance, responsiveness, and sound judgment.

Graduate or professional degree in a relevant field (e.g., higher education, international affairs, public policy, area studies, law, public health, or emergency management) and 10+ years of progressive experience in international health, safety, and security/risk management, including demonstrated leadership in complex organizations. Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate. Experience with CRM/workflow and collaboration tools (e.g., Microsoft, Asana) and the ability to scale processes through effective systems design. Meaningful global experience (living, working, and/or studying abroad) and a demonstrated commitment to global engagement. Demonstrated expertise in international travel risk assessment and crisis response coordination. Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to brief senior leaders and communicate effectively with students, families, faculty, staff, and external partners. Change management capability-able to build consensus, implement policy/process improvements, and drive adoption across distributed stakeholders. Working knowledge of duty-of-care considerations for international travel and education abroad. Demonstrated judgment, discretion, resilience, and the ability to remain calm and decisive during fast-moving, high-stakes situations. Ability to empathize and respond to the needs of various stakeholders. Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills. Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail. Previous work experience associated with essential job functions. Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Demonstrated experience working in a higher education environment with faculty and university administration.

$100,000

Work in a shared office environment. Work around standard office conditions. This position is located in Austin, Texas.

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor
• Letter of interest

Importantfor applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers:You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure thatALLRequired Materials have been uploaded. Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers:As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questionspresented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.

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Employment Eligibility:

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Retirement Plan Eligibility:

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Background Checks:

A criminal history background check will be required for finalist(s) under consideration for this position.

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Equal Opportunity Employer:

The University of Texas at Austin, as an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer,complies with all applicable federal and state laws regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

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Pay Transparency:

The University of Texas at Austin will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information.

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Employment Eligibility Verification:

If hired, you will be required to complete the federal Employment Eligibility Verification I-9 form. You will be required to present acceptable and original documents to prove your identity and authorization to work in the United States. Documents need to be presented no later than the third day of employment. Failure to do so will result in loss of employment at the university.

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E-Verify:

The University of Texas at Austin use E-Verify to check the work authorization of all new hires effective May 2015. The university's company ID number for purposes of E-Verify is 854197. For more information about E-Verify, please see the following:

• E-Verify Poster (English and Spanish) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (English) [PDF]
• Right to Work Poster (Spanish) [PDF]

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Compliance:

Employees may be required to report violations of law under Title IX and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act). If this position is identified a Campus Security Authority (Clery Act), you will be notified and provided resources for reporting. Responsible employees under Title IX are defined and outlined in HOP-3031.

The Clery Act requires all prospective employees be notified of the availability of the Annual Security and Fire Safety report. You may access the most recent report here or obtain a copy at University Compliance Services, 1616 Guadalupe Street, UTA 2.206, Austin, Texas 78701.