Global Director of Physical Security

An Amazing Career Opportunity for a Global Director of Physical Security!! 

Location: Austin, TX or Galway, IRL

Job ID: 46605

As HID continues to scale globally, the Global Director of Physical Security is responsible for protecting the company’s people, facilities, travelers, events, and physical operations across all regions. This role establishes the enterprise physical security strategy; leads programs for personnel protection, workplace violence prevention, travel security and duty of care, centralized physical access control, event security, investigations, and emergency response; and ensures that security practices reflect HID’s culture, brand expectations, and operational standards.

Success in this role requires a leader with deep physical security expertise, exceptional emotional intelligence, and the ability to influence Real Estate, HR, Legal, Safety, Risk, IT, and regional leadership. The position frequently operates in sensitive environments where discretion, sound judgment, empathy, and composure are essential. 

This role sits within the Real Estate & Indirect Spend organization and operates with strong cross functional influence, partnering closely with all Business Areas, site leaders, and functional stakeholders to advance a harmonized approach to physical security across the company. 

Who are we? 

HID powers the trusted identities of the world’s people, places, and things, allowing people to transact safely, work productively and travel freely.

We are a high-tech software company headquartered in Austin, TX, with over 4,500 worldwide employees. Check us out here: www.hidglobal.com and https://youtu.be/23km5H4K9Eo 

As our Global Director of Physical Security, you’ll support HID’s success by: 

• Defining and leading the enterprise‑wide physical‑security strategy, ensuring alignment with HID’s business priorities, global footprint, and evolving risk environment.
• Establishing global standards, governance frameworks, and operating expectations across workplace‑violence prevention, investigations, travel security, emergency response, access control, guard operations, and event security.
• Developing scalable playbooks, policies, and decision frameworks that support consistent global adoption while enabling appropriate local adaptation.
• Partnering closely with Real Estate, Facilities, HR, Legal, Safety, Risk, IT, Communications, and Business Areas to reinforce alignment, clarify ownership, and embed security considerations into operational and strategic planning.
• Leading governance forums and cross‑functional working groups to strengthen communication, support cohesive implementation, and maintain global transparency on issues, risks, and program maturity.
• Anticipating emerging risks, technologies, and regulatory expectations, guiding the evolution of the physical‑security program with an enterprise mindset and proactive, data‑informed decision‑making.
• Partnering with HR, Legal, Safety, and Site Leadership on global programs that safeguard employees and visitors, including workplace‑violence prevention, threat assessment, and cross‑functional case management.
• Owning global governance and performance of Physical Access Control and Visitor Management, including enterprise‑wide deployment and modernization of HID technology.
• Leading the centralization of access provisioning, privileged‑access oversight, auditing, and integration of all new sites and acquisitions into a unified global access‑control ecosystem.
• Establishing standards that strengthen consistency, reduce risk, and support a seamless employee and visitor experience.
• Leading the global travel‑security program, including traveler risk assessments, advisories, tracking, and emergency support.
• Utilizing predictive risk analytics to guide travel approvals and protective measures.
• Ensuring travelers receive clear guidance, timely escalation, and empathetic support—especially in elevated‑risk regions or during global disruptions.
• Serving as the global physical‑security lead during emergencies and incidents, operating at the intersection of Enterprise Risk, Global Security, and local crisis‑response teams.
• Ensuring clear escalation pathways and coordination during events such as natural disasters, intrusions, protests, and workplace‑violence threats.
• Partnering with Enterprise Risk on tabletop exercises, contributing physical‑security requirements and improvement actions.
• Overseeing physical‑security monitoring and investigations and strengthening global preparedness through governance, guidance, and alignment.
• Serving as the global owner for HID’s Site Leadership Network, partnering with Real Estate, Facilities, and Enterprise Risk to define expectations and strengthen alignment.
• Establishing and maintaining site‑level call trees and escalation pathways to ensure clear communication and coordinated response.
• Providing governance rhythms, communication structures, and best practices that enable site leaders to implement physical‑security standards across diverse regions.
• Partnering with HID Marketing and Communications Events to lead security planning for global conferences, executive offsites, customer events, and internal gatherings.
• Coordinating with third‑party security and risk partners to conduct venue assessments, evaluate access and crowd‑management needs, and determine appropriate security measures.
• Developing brand‑appropriate, discreet event‑security strategies and working with stakeholders to ensure readiness for escalation when needed.
• Guiding the development of HID’s physical‑security operations, including assessing and establishing the appropriate model for a Global Command Center (GCC).
• Overseeing contracted and on‑site security personnel to ensure expectations, SOPs, and escalation pathways align with HID’s service and culture standards.
• Building foundational consistency while maturing operational capabilities over time.
• Supporting integration of new sites or acquisitions, alignment with enterprise initiatives, and continuous improvement of global physical‑security tools, policies, and practices as the function evolves.

Your Experience and Background include:  

• Bachelor’s degree required in Criminal Justice, Security Management, Business, International Relations, or a related field.
• 12+ years of progressive physical‑security leadership in multi‑site or global environments, with responsibility for standards, governance, and enterprise program development.
• Experience in global corporate security environments, with exposure to multi‑region governance, cross‑cultural engagement, and security operations spanning diverse regulatory landscapes.
• Experience leading workplace violence prevention and threat‑assessment programs, including cross‑functional case management with HR, Legal, Safety, Risk, and site leadership.
• Strong working knowledge of HID Global access‑control technologies and relevant ASSA ABLOY products, with demonstrated ability to apply them in global modernization and standardization efforts.
• Proficiency with leading access‑control software platforms, including Genetec (strong preference), and Lenel, with the ability to guide adoption, governance, and enterprise deployment.
• Experience with physical alerting, monitoring, and dispatch systems, including the evaluation, activation, or oversight of early‑stage command‑center or monitoring functions.
• Leadership experience overseeing contracted security personnel and on‑site security teams (where applicable), ensuring clear expectations, foundational SOPs, and consistent service standards.
• Demonstrated ability to lead physical‑security incident response and investigations with discretion, sound judgment, and emotional steadiness.
• Proven success partnering across Real Estate, Facilities, HR, Legal, Safety, Risk, IT, Communications, and Business Areas, with strong influence and alignment‑building capabilities.
• Ability to create and implement global standards, playbooks, escalation pathways, and governance frameworks that work across diverse regulatory and cultural environments.
• High emotional intelligence and executive presence, with the ability to communicate clearly, build trust, and navigate sensitive situations across all levels of the organization.
• Strong analytical and decision‑making capability, with experience

What we can offer you:

• Competitive salary and rewards package

• Competitive benefits and annual leave offering, allowing for work-life balance

• A vibrant, welcoming & inclusive culture
• Extensive career development opportunities and resources to maximize your potential
• To be a part of a global organization that is pioneering the hardware, software and services that allow people to confidently navigate the physical and digital worlds

Why apply? 

• Empowerment: You’ll work as part of a global team in a flexible work environment, learning and enhancing your expertise. We welcome an opportunity to meet you and learn about your unique talents, skills, and experiences. You don’t need to check all the boxes. If you have most of the skills and experience, we want you to apply.
• Innovation: You embrace challenges and want to drive change. We are open to ideas, including flexible work arrangements, job sharing or part-time job seekers.
• Integrity: You are results-orientated, reliable, and straightforward and value being treated accordingly. We want all our employees to be themselves, to feel appreciated and accepted.

HID does not accept unsolicited resumes from headhunters, recruitment agencies, or fee-based recruitment services. We are not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes.

HID is committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workforce that reflects the global communities we serve. As an equal opportunity employer, we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We evaluate applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. Our goal is to create a workplace that empowers everyone to thrive and be their authentic selves, fostering an environment of mutual respect and inclusivity. If you have a disability and require assistance or accommodation to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions, please contact accommodations-ext@hidglobal.com.

Please be aware that our recruitment process may include the use of AI-powered tools to assist in screening applicant resumes. These tools help us efficiently identify candidates whose qualifications and skills align with the job description. We use AI in a responsible manner and in accordance with applicable data privacy laws and regulations. Importantly, all applicants are reviewed by our Talent Acquisition team. AI is used to support, not replace, human judgment in the evaluation process.

We make it easier for people to get where they want to go!
On an average day, think of how many times you tap, twist, tag, push or swipe to get access, find information, connect with others or track something.  HID technology is behind billions of interactions, in more than 100 countries.  We help you create a verified, trusted identity that can get you where you need to go – without having to think about it.  
 
When you join our HID team, you’ll also be part of the ASSA ABLOY Group, the global leader in access solutions. You’ll have 63,000 colleagues in more than 70 different countries. We empower our people to build their career around their aspirations and our ambitions – supporting them with regular feedback, training, and development opportunities. Our colleagues think broadly about where they can make the most impact, and we encourage them to grow their role locally, regionally, or even internationally. As we welcome new people on board, it’s important to us to have diverse, inclusive teams, and we value different perspectives and experiences.

 #LI-HIDGlobal