Security Guard

Overview

The school security officer is responsible for the safety and security of the school’s inhabitants and assets. The school security officer is generally the first and primary point of contact to the school for parents, visitors, community members, and other external parties. The school security officer warmly, courteously, and effectively interacts with these parties, ensuring that their experience of the school is consistently positive. The school security officer provides a centralized administrative resource to the school and fulfills a range of administrative duties.

Why extraordinary professionals teach at Ascend

Ascend is the largest Brooklyn-based public charter school serving over 5,000 K-12 students in 17 schools. We exist to serve every student – to help them embody their inherent excellence by providing rich, joyful learning experiences that unlock a life of boundless choice.

Access to education is a social justice issue. As educators, we center justice and live out our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism (DEIA) by ensuring that our students have the skills, tools, and confidence they need to thrive today and in the future. We are proud to have a workforce that mirrors the diversity seen in our students. Working at Ascend provides a community focused on developing an environment of support and belonging. Educators collaborate closely and encourage each other to achieve great outcomes.

Our schools honor, nurture, and challenge the whole child. Ascend fosters critical thinking skills and a love of learning through an inquiry-based learning approach, Responsive Classroom model, and anti-racist education. We are deeply committed to advancing educational equity for all of our students. Students at Ascend benefit from a rich and rigorous liberal arts curriculum that nurtures natural curiosity about the world and guides them to think critically and independently.

For more information on Ascend Public Charter Schools’ model, approach, and core values, please visit our website.

Responsibilities

The school security officer greets all visitors, controls access to the school, and sets the tone for the school’s warm and professional culture. Additionally, the school security officer:

• Access control for the school
• Monitor arrival and dismissal of students
• Set up cones or other objects for student arrival and dismissal
• Deter and detect intruders
• Monitor alarms and surveillance cameras
• Actively promote a safe work environment and accident prevention
• Receive, sort, and visually inspect mail and packages
• Provide excellent customer service
• Address questions from parents, students, and other individuals
• Answer and direct phone calls
• Participate in evacuation, lockdown, shelter-in, and other emergency procedures.
• Check email regularly and respond in a timely fashion
• Enforce company rules, regulations, and policies
• Inspect, maintain, or operate emergency equipment (Fire Extinguisher, AED, building alarm, etc.)
• Perform perimeter and vertical patrols
• Report irregularities and facility issues
• Document unusual occurrences and collect witness statements
• Contact Police, Fire Department, or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for emergencies
• Other tasks as directed by Assistant Director of Network Security or the school’s Assistant Principal of Operations.

Staff and reporting relationships

The school security officer reports to the principal of operations or the security manager when a school has one.

Schedule

The school security officer must be present and engaged during operational hours. Security officers are expected to work a tour of duty that may start as early as 6:30 am and may end as late as 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Security officers may be required to work occasional evenings on weeknights and weekends, including parent events. This position has a year-round schedule, with time off for school holidays and vacation.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Valid NYS security guard license
• Eight (8) hour pre-assignment Security training
• Sixteen (16) hour on-the-job Security training
• Driver’s license (preferred)
• Five (5) continuous years of experience (K-12 preferred)
• Arrive at work on time, in uniform, ready to perform security duties
• Must be able to lift approximately 30 pounds
• Must be able to use Microsoft Office applications and internet browsers
• Passion and commitment to urban education and our ultimate goal of closing the achievement gap
• A "can do" attitude and the enthusiasm to be a hard-working, team player
• An openness to accept and implement feedback and engage in the process of self-improvement
• A winning personality and professional demeanor that conveys warmth, caring responsiveness, and a desire to help at all times
• An interest in people and the capacity to connect sincerely and appropriately with children and their parents
• Strong organizational skills and thorough attention to detail
• Effective communication skills

Compensation

Initial salary offers for this position range from $16/hr – $21/hr. Salaries are determined using an equitable compensation scale that accounts for years of experience and levels of attained education.

Diversity at Ascend

Ascend is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community, both through our hiring practices and our focus on creating a culture and environment where diverse perspectives, ideas, and identities are valued and integrated into our way of working and educating students. Ascend staff represent a wide diversity of racial, socio-economic, gender, religious, and national identities—opening a window to the entire Ascend community on the richness of humanity. We welcome all applicants who share our mission and vision to join us in our deeply consequential work.