Director of Security & Guest Protection

Distro • Franklin, TN

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The Director of Security & Guest Protection leads the security and protective operations program for a confidential, 300+ acre luxury hospitality campus in the Franklin/Brentwood area of Tennessee. The role protects guests, employees, property, and high-profile visitors while fostering a discreet, calm, professional, approachable, and reassuring security environment. The campus includes luxury guest accommodations, private cottages, dining, spa and wellness facilities, event venues, outdoor activities, service roads, remote areas, and 24/7 operations.

This leadership role combines physical security, executive protection, emergency management, hospitality, and strategic leadership. The director oversees security operations, VIP protection, event planning, emergency response, investigations, security systems and vendors, and team development. The role also manages budgets, staffing forecasts, security metrics, training programs, reports, SOPs, and executive communications, using security trends to drive preventive improvements. The position is on-site and requires schedule flexibility for evenings, weekends, holidays, VIP stays, major events, critical incidents, and emergencies.

Requirements

• At least 8 years of progressively responsible experience in physical security, protective operations, emergency management, law enforcement, military security, hotel security, corporate security, or a comparable field.
• At least 3 years of leadership experience managing supervisors and multi-shift security operations.
• Demonstrated responsibility for staffing, performance management, training, incident command, and service delivery.
• Experience in a luxury hospitality, private estate, resort, corporate campus, healthcare campus, entertainment venue, mixed-use property, or similarly service-sensitive environment.
• Experience protecting VIPs, executives, celebrities, public figures, or other high-visibility individuals.
• Strong experience with emergency planning, incident command, evacuation and shelter operations, fire and life-safety coordination, and emergency drills.
• Ability to create professional security plans, SOPs, post orders, incident reports, diagrams, dashboards, and executive presentations.
• Working knowledge of surveillance systems, access control, key management, alarms, radios, mass notification, visitor management, and security-reporting platforms.
• Excellent judgment, discretion, written communication, verbal briefing, and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Valid driver's license and ability to meet applicable background, licensing, and registration requirements.
• Ability to work on-site with schedule flexibility for evenings, weekends, holidays, VIP stays, major events, critical incidents, and emergencies.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree in Security Management, Criminal Justice, Emergency Management, Hospitality, Business, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.
• ASIS CPP, PSP, or comparable professional certification.
• FEMA ICS-100, ICS-200, IS-700, and IS-800 training.
• Current CPR, AED, and First Aid certification.
• Previous leadership experience in hotels, resorts, private clubs, private estates, executive protection, or high-end event security.
• Experience managing security vendors, contracts, budgets, capital requests, and security technology implementations.
• Tennessee security registration or ability to obtain it.
• Armed registration, preferred only if the final position requires carrying a firearm.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the property's physical security program, including staffing, patrols, access control, risk assessments, SOPs, and security standards, and advise senior leadership on risks and priorities.
• Lead VIP protection planning and coordinate with executive-protection teams, private staff, transportation providers, and law enforcement while maintaining confidentiality and discretion.
• Develop security plans for major events and productions, covering access, credentials, transportation, traffic, guest movement, emergency response, and overnight protection.
• Maintain emergency plans for fire, medical emergencies, severe weather, active threats, missing persons, suspicious activity, and other incidents; lead internal incident command and coordinate with emergency responders.
• Manage security and safety incidents, preserve evidence, prepare reports, identify root causes, assign corrective actions, and ensure issues are resolved.
• Oversee surveillance, access control, alarms, radios, mass notification, visitor management, and security vendors, partnering with IT, Facilities, and Engineering on system needs.
• Recruit, coach, schedule, train, and develop security professionals while maintaining standards for professionalism, discretion, de-escalation, guest service, and emergency readiness.
• Manage budgets, staffing forecasts, security metrics, training programs, reports, SOPs, and executive communications, and turn security trends into preventive improvements.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed