Salary: Depends on Qualifications
Location : Houston, TX
Job Type: Regular Full-time
Job Number: 2026 - 01339 E
Department: Executive Bureau
Division: Executive Administration
Opening Date: 08/14/2026
Closing Date: 9/14/2026 11:59 PM Central

POSITION OVERVIEW
General Summary

The Director of Victim Strategy serves as the Sheriff's Office executive leader for victim-centered public safety strategy and victim services. The position provides executive leadership for the development, implementation, governance, and continuous evaluation of agency-wide victim-centered strategies, policies, performance standards, and collaborative partnerships that ensure the needs, rights, and safety of crime victims are integrated into every stage of law enforcement operations.

The Director leads victim advocacy services; develops agency-wide victim-centered practices; establishes strategic and operational performance measures; coordinates grant development and sustainability; collaborates with local, state, and federal partners; and advises the Sheriff and Executive Command on victim services, legislation, policy, emerging risks, and opportunities for continuous improvement.
Duties and Responsibilities
Executive Leadership & Strategic Direction

• Develops and directs an agency-wide victim-centered public safety strategy aligned with the Sheriff's mission and priorities.
• Serves as principal advisor to the Sheriff and Executive Command on victim services, victim rights, victim-centered practices, and emerging issues.
• Establishes long-range strategy, annual priorities, resource plans, and executive scorecards to measure progress and organizational outcomes.
• Fosters an organizational culture in which victim-centered decision-making is a core leadership expectation.

Enterprise Governance & Executive Coordination

• Establishes and leads a cross-bureau governance structure for victim strategy and coordinates executive-level initiatives spanning multiple commands.
• Establishes agency-wide victim performance standards and an executive accountability framework to monitor compliance, evaluate performance, and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Coordinates with Technology and Business Systems to develop solutions that improve case tracking, victim communication, data integrity, reporting, and performance monitoring.
• Provides recurring executive reports and recommendations regarding victim strategy performance, risks, and priorities.

Victim Services Program Leadership

• Provides executive oversight of the Victim Advocate program, including staffing models, service standards, performance expectations, succession planning, and long-term organizational capacity.
• Identifies opportunities to expand victim services through organizational redesign, partnerships, technology, and grant-funded initiatives.

Policy, Quality Assurance & High-Risk Victim Strategy

• Develops and recommends victim-centered policy and procedures for adoption across operational and support divisions.
• Establishes and monitors response standards across high-impact victim categories, including sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, human trafficking, elder abuse, missing persons, homicide family liaison, and officer-involved victim notification.
• Develops quality assurance measures for initial response, SANE coordination, evidence collection timelines, survivor communication, follow-up investigation, cold case review, and prosecutor coordination.
• Develops systems and protocols to identify repeat victims, high-risk domestic violence victims, lethality indicators, vulnerable populations, and human trafficking indicators, and coordinates cross-divisional intervention strategies.

Critical Incident & Emergency Victim Response

• Establishes victim support and notification strategies for active shooter incidents, mass casualty events, officer-involved shootings, and other critical incidents.
• Coordinates with Emergency Management, Behavioral Health, Strategic Communications, and operational commands to integrate victim-centered protocols into critical incident planning.

Performance Management, Analytics & Continuous Improvement

• Develops and maintains agency-wide performance measures and executive scorecards addressing victim notification, follow-up, response timelines, repeat victimization, lethality indicators, victim satisfaction, grant performance, and relevant professional standards.
• Analyzes trends and outcomes to identify service gaps, organizational risks, and issues requiring executive intervention.
• Uses performance findings to recommend policy, training, staffing, resource, and technology improvements.

Grant, Training, Community & Legislative Strategy

• Leads identification, development, administration, and sustainability planning for victim-services grants and external funding opportunities.
• Develops and oversees agency-wide curriculum on trauma-informed interviewing, victim communication, domestic violence response, sexual assault investigation, cultural competency, victim rights, and survivor advocacy.
• Represents HCSO before victim advocacy organizations, prosecutors, hospitals, SANE providers, state and federal agencies, and other community partners.
• Monitors relevant legislation and develops recommendations supporting the Sheriff's legislative agenda and victim-centered public safety priorities.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
The position exercises considerable independent judgment and discretion in strategic planning, policy recommendations, program design, performance standards, grant strategy, organizational improvement, and enterprise coordination. Work is performed under the general direction of the Chief Deputy or Sheriff, with latitude for independent action consistent with an executive strategic leadership role.

• Education: Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in Criminal Justice, Public Administration, Social Work, Psychology, Sociology, Public Policy, Law, or a closely related field.
• Experience: Eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience in victim services, criminal justice, public administration, strategic planning, program management, or policy development, including five (5) years in an executive, senior management, or leadership capacity.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Criminal justice systems, law enforcement operations, victim rights, and trauma-informed practices.
• Strategic planning, enterprise governance, public administration, and organizational change.
• Grant administration, budget development, program evaluation, and sustainability planning.
• Performance management, data analytics, executive dashboards, and quality assurance.
• Policy development and implementation in a complex public safety environment.
• Emergency management and critical incident victim response.
• Executive communication, political acumen, collaboration, public speaking, and organizational influence without direct line authority.
• Ability to translate policy and operational needs into technology, data, and process solutions.

PREFERENCES

• Master's degree in the subjects stated above is preferred.
• Experience in grant administration and legislative affairs.
• Law enforcement or public safety leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience implementing trauma-informed practices at an organizational level.
• Experience leading organizational development, cross-functional governance, or large-scale change initiatives.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment. This role routinely uses standard office equipment, such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines.
Work Environment & Physical Demands

• This position operates primarily in a professional office setting.
• The role requires comfort working in controlled-access environments, including housing units, intake, control rooms, and restricted law enforcement systems areas.
• Standard use of computers, phones, printers, servers, and technical equipment.

Position Type and Typical Hours of Work

• Position Type: Appointed by the Sheriff, Civil Service Exempt - Full-time, FLSA Exempt
• Work Schedule: Typically Monday - Friday, 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, with availability for after-hours and on-call support as required.

Other Duties:
This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this position. Management may, at its discretion, assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.

BENEFITS

Harris County offers a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive group health and related benefits plan as well as a defined benefit retirement plan.
The following list of benefits is offered only to employees in regular (full-time) positions:

• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Wellness
• Life Insurance
• Long-term disability
• Employee Assistance Program
• 10 days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service. Accrual rates increase based on years of service.
• 10 county holidays plus one (1) floating holiday
• Paid Parental Leave
• Professional development opportunities
• Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan
• Healthcare Reimbursement Account
• 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

The following benefits are also available to regular (full-time) employment and may be available to part-time employees:

• Retirement pension (TCDRS)
  • Flexible schedules (varies by department)
    • Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)

In accordance with the Harris County Personnel Regulations, Group Health and related benefits are subject to amendment or discontinuance at any time. Commissioners Court reserves the right to make benefit modifications on the County's behalf as needed.
For plan details, visit the Harris County benefits website: