Global Director, Physical Security
WSP · Chicago · $133,400–$223,600 (stated in the posting)
This Opportunity
The Global Director, Physical Security is a senior leader to work out of any of our WSP US offices responsible for developing and translating WSP’s global physical security policy, frameworks, standards, and technology roadmap into consistent, scalable execution across the global portfolio of offices, laboratories, and warehouses.
Reporting to the Head of Global Facilities and Physical Security, this role is a key driver of global program implementation and provides operational oversight for physical security services and security technology delivery. The role partners with regional Workplace teams and corporate functions to strengthen governance, improve risk visibility, standardize controls, and support safe, resilient workplace operations while allowing for documented regional and site-specific requirements.
Your Impact
Key Accountabilities
Global Strategy, Policy and Governance
- Implement the global physical security strategy and operating model under the direction of the Head of Global Facilities and Physical Security.
- Drive adoption of global physical security policies, standards, control frameworks, procedures, and governance requirements across regions and sites.
- Create implementation plans, tools, guidance, and reporting that translate global requirements into clear regional and local actions.
- Maintain a structured exception and escalation process for local legal, regulatory, operational, or building-specific requirements.
- Prepare program updates, risk insights, and recommendations for Workplace and senior leadership.
Security Operations
- Provide global oversight of day-to-day physical security operations across offices, laboratories, and warehouses.
- Establish consistent operating requirements for guarding, access management, visitor management, alarm response, incident escalation, key management, and other site security services.
- Define service expectations, performance measures, and escalation paths for regional teams, local site teams, and security service providers.
- Monitor operational performance and recurring issues, identify root causes, and lead corrective and continuous-improvement actions.
- Support the development and maintenance of local site security plans, post orders, response procedures, and operational playbooks.
- Coordinate the physical security response to workplace incidents in accordance with WSP’s global and regional crisis management and business continuity procedures.
Security Risk Assessments and Control Assurance
- Lead the rollout and ongoing management of the global physical security risk assessment program.
- Ensure sites are assessed using the approved tiering model, controls matrix, and risk-scoring methodology.
- Oversee the prioritization, tracking, and closure of identified security gaps and remediation actions.
- Maintain a consolidated view of portfolio risk, control maturity, exceptions, and improvement priorities.
- Use assessment results and operational data to inform capital planning, technology deployment, and resource decisions.
Security Technology and Implementation
- Lead execution of the global physical security technology roadmap for access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, visitor management, and related platforms.
- Oversee global and regional implementation initiatives, including requirements definition, design review, deployment governance, testing, commissioning, handover, and operational stabilization.
- Promote consistent use of approved technology standards while managing documented regional constraints and integration requirements.
- Partner with Information Technology, cybersecurity, privacy, procurement, and project teams to address system architecture, connectivity, data protection, support, and lifecycle requirements.
- Establish asset, configuration, maintenance, support, and replacement-planning requirements for the security technology estate.
- Develop and govern the responsible use of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics within the physical security program, identifying practical use cases that improve risk visibility, event detection, operational efficiency, and decision support while addressing privacy, cybersecurity, legal, ethical, data-quality, and human-oversight requirements.
Real Estate and Capital Project Integration
- Embed physical security requirements into new builds, relocations, renovations, lease events, and major restacks.
- Provide or coordinate security input during site selection, due diligence, programming, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover.
- Review project designs for alignment with the approved building tier, controls matrix, design standards, technology standards, and local risk profile.
- Work with Corporate Real Estate, Project Services, Facilities Management, Information Technology, and external design and construction partners to resolve requirements early and reduce redesign.
Vendor, Budget and Performance Management
- Oversee the performance of security integrators, guarding providers, monitoring providers, and other physical security vendors supporting the global portfolio.
- Contribute to sourcing strategies, scopes of work, service-level requirements, evaluation criteria, and contract governance.
- Develop operational and capital forecasts for physical security programs, technology, and remediation initiatives.
- Track cost, service, risk, and implementation performance through clear metrics and dashboards.
- Identify opportunities to standardize services, simplify the vendor landscape, improve value, and strengthen accountability.
Stakeholder and Team Leadership
- Act as a trusted physical security partner to global and regional Workplace leaders and key corporate functions.
- Lead through a matrixed global structure, providing clear direction, implementation support, and accountability to regional and local stakeholders.
- Build security awareness and capability through guidance, communications, training, and communities of practice.
- Develop direct reports and extended team members, where applicable, with clear objectives, roles, and performance expectations.
- Represent physical security in relevant Workplace governance forums, project reviews, and cross-functional working groups.
Success Measures
- Consistent adoption of global physical security policies, standards, tiering, and control requirements.
- Improved visibility of portfolio risk, control gaps, remediation status, and operational performance.
- Timely completion of security assessments and risk-based remediation plans.
- On-time, controlled delivery of security technology and capital initiatives.
- Reliable security operations with clear service expectations, escalation paths, and vendor accountability.
- Reduced design rework through earlier integration of security requirements into real estate projects.
- Practical regional flexibility managed through documented governance rather than inconsistent local practices.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Security Management, Criminal Justice, Risk Management, Business, Engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Typically 12 or more years of progressive corporate physical security experience, including leadership responsibility across multiple countries or regions.
- Demonstrated experience implementing enterprise physical security programs, policies, standards, risk assessments, and control frameworks.
- Strong operational experience overseeing security services and physical security technology across a geographically dispersed portfolio.
- Experience supporting offices and complex operational environments such as laboratories and warehouses.
- Experience integrating physical security requirements into real estate, design, construction, and facilities management processes.
- Experience managing vendors, budgets, capital programs, and measurable service performance.
Knowledge and Capabilities
- Strong knowledge of access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, visitor management, alarm monitoring, guarding, and associated operating practices.
- Practical knowledge of physical security risk assessment, site tiering, control assurance, incident escalation, and remediation planning.
- Ability to convert strategy and policy into scalable processes, implementation plans, tools, and measurable outcomes.
- Strong program and project leadership skills, including the ability to manage multiple global workstreams and dependencies.
- Commercial capability in vendor governance, sourcing, contract performance, budgeting, and business-case development.
- Excellent stakeholder management, written communication, and executive presentation skills.
- Ability to influence and deliver results in a global, matrixed organization while respecting regional legal, cultural, and operational differences.
- Professional certifications such as CPP, PSP, or PMP are desirable.
Leadership Profile
- Execution-focused and able to move global frameworks from design into sustained operation.
- Comfortable balancing global consistency with justified regional and site-level flexibility.
- Data-driven, structured, and focused on measurable risk reduction and service improvement.
- Collaborative and able to build credibility across Workplace, business, technical, and corporate functions.
- Calm, practical, and decisive when managing complex operational issues and competing priorities.
Role Scope and Travel
This is a global role supporting a diverse portfolio of offices, laboratories, and warehouses. The position requires collaboration across time zones and periodic domestic and international travel based on business, project, assessment, and incident-response needs.
Organizational Impact
The Global Director, Physical Security enables WSP to move from policy and framework development to consistent global execution. The role strengthens security operations, improves control assurance, guides
WSP Benefits:
WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings.
Compensation:
Expected Salary (all locations): $133,400-$223,600
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
Expected Salary (Colorado only): $133,400 - $209,900
WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position within the state of Colorado, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.
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WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.
WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.
At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.