Director, Safety / Security

Visa•Ashburn, VA

4d•$153,600 - $245,900•Hybrid

About The Position

The successful candidate will serve as a senior leader and thought partner with a proven record of developing and managing global intelligence and protective intelligence programs. This role is responsible for advancing enterprise capabilities in threat identification, geopolitical analysis, investigations, and executive risk management, while leading the continued evolution of a mature and high performing intelligence function. The Director will define and drive the strategic vision for the Protective Intelligence program, including oversight of threat assessment processes, intake mechanisms, and standard operating procedures, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities and risk tolerance. This is a highly visible and high impact role requiring strong collaboration and communication with senior leadership and stakeholders across the enterprise. The Director will lead a small team responsible for identifying and assessing threats, delivering timely and actionable intelligence, and developing analytical products that support decision making. The role provides anticipatory warning and clear, risk based recommendations, and is accountable for establishing escalation thresholds and advising leadership on critical risk decisions during incidents and emerging threat situations. The Director also will serve as Deputy Director for the Global Security Operations Center and Intelligence function, providing leadership support during major incidents, crises, and high tempo operational periods. In these situations, the role is expected to expand beyond protective intelligence scope as needed, ensuring coordinated response, prioritization of risks, and alignment of intelligence and operational efforts across the organization. The Director will also provide regular direction and guidance to the GSOC during major events, high profile executive travel, and other elevated risk situations. This role includes direct management of a Protective Intelligence Analyst and broader responsibility for mentoring and developing analysts and operators across the intelligence and GSOC teams. The Director is expected to elevate analytic tradecraft, provide structured feedback and training, and help build a strong and sustainable pipeline of talent across the function. The Director will lead and mature the Protective Intelligence program by enhancing capabilities related to executive threats, digital exposure and vulnerability management, global events and sponsorships, brand and reputational risk, talent acquisition related threats, and high risk travel support. The role is responsible for leading active threat monitoring across multiple sources, including internal reporting channels and external platforms, and ensuring consistent triage, assessment, and response. This includes coordinating training and awareness efforts with business partners such as recruiting, communications, and other frontline teams to strengthen early identification and escalation of potential threats. The Director will drive strong collaboration across cross functional partners including cyber, insider threat, crisis management, recruiting, marketing, sponsorship, and executive support functions to ensure coordinated risk mitigation and effective information sharing. The role will also be responsible for developing and continuously refining the technical and analytical roadmap for the program, ensuring the effective use of tools, data, and systems to enhance both analytic output and operational efficiency. In addition, the Director will have ownership of key program resources, including vendor strategy and management. This includes oversight of third party intelligence and monitoring providers, ensuring alignment with business needs, defining technical requirements, overseeing implementation and integration, managing associated budgets, and ensuring appropriate training and adoption across the team. The role also includes accountability for maintaining and improving core program infrastructure such as threat databases, intake and reporting tools, and executive data protection solutions. The Director will establish and track key performance indicators to measure program effectiveness, demonstrate value to the business, and drive continuous improvement. The role requires incorporation of stakeholder feedback to expand engagement and ensure services remain aligned with evolving business needs. The Director will build and sustain strong relationships with industry partners, government entities, and law enforcement organizations to support information sharing and benchmarking. The role includes active participation in relevant industry groups to ensure alignment with leading practices. The position also requires support of crisis response and recovery efforts, contribution to the continued formalization of operational processes, and willingness to operate in an on call capacity to support global incidents. Limited domestic and international travel is expected. Visa requires at least 3 days in office, expectations of these days will be confirmed by your Hiring Manager.

Requirements

10 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or at least 8 years of work experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters/ MBA/JD/MD) or at least 3 years of work experience with a PhD
At least four years of work experience with a Bachelor’s degree or at least two years of work experience with an advanced degree.
A minimum of two years of experience managing and leading teams, whether contracted or full time, is required.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to write and present clearly, concisely, and with impact.
Experience supporting or partnering with executive protection programs, including threat informed risk assessments and coordination with executive protection teams.
Familiarity with digital threat monitoring, including social media analysis and behavioral threat indicators, and POI investigations.
A working understanding of legal and compliance considerations in threat management, including privacy, duty to warn, and escalation thresholds, is required.
Proficiency with core technical tools including Microsoft Office applications such as Excel, Visio, and SharePoint is expected.

Nice To Haves

12 or more years of work experience with a Bachelor’s Degree or 8-10 years of experience with an Advanced Degree (e.g. Masters, MBA, JD, MD) or 6+ years of work experience with a PhD
Candidates typically have between seven and ten years of work experience with a Bachelor’s degree, six years with an advanced degree, or three years with a PhD.
Candidates are preferred to possess direct intelligence and threat analysis experience in a private sector environment.
Relevant cybersecurity certifications such as Certified in Cybersecurity, Security Plus, CISSP, or CISM are preferred.
Experience working in 24 hour operations or call center environments is desirable.
A foundational understanding of data analytics, data engineering, or data science is preferred.
Experience managing travel security cases, POI investigations, and major event security within a vendor, private sector, or government environment is highly valued.
Candidates should have experience building and scaling protective intelligence programs, including developing and implementing threat and risk methodologies and services.
Experience establishing program governance, defining metrics, and measuring program impact is preferred.
Extensive experience briefing executives and senior leadership on threats, risk assessments, and security recommendations is expected.
Familiarity with platforms used in global operations centers, such as Ontic, 360Privacy, Dataminr, or Crisis24, is beneficial.
Formal threat assessment training through organizations such as ATAP or similar is preferred.
Candidates should demonstrate experience with analytical tools and structured analytic processes, as well as experience in crisis management, response, or preparedness.
Established relationships with government, law enforcement, and global intelligence, threat analysis, or protective services organizations are advantageous.
Experience managing third party vendors and external intelligence or travel risk providers is preferred.

Responsibilities

Advance enterprise capabilities in threat identification, geopolitical analysis, investigations, and executive risk management.
Lead the continued evolution of a mature and high performing intelligence function.
Define and drive the strategic vision for the Protective Intelligence program, including oversight of threat assessment processes, intake mechanisms, and standard operating procedures.
Lead a small team responsible for identifying and assessing threats, delivering timely and actionable intelligence, and developing analytical products that support decision making.
Provide anticipatory warning and clear, risk based recommendations.
Establish escalation thresholds and advise leadership on critical risk decisions during incidents and emerging threat situations.
Serve as Deputy Director for the Global Security Operations Center and Intelligence function, providing leadership support during major incidents, crises, and high tempo operational periods.
Expand beyond protective intelligence scope as needed during major incidents, crises, and high tempo operational periods to ensure coordinated response, prioritization of risks, and alignment of intelligence and operational efforts across the organization.
Provide regular direction and guidance to the GSOC during major events, high profile executive travel, and other elevated risk situations.
Directly manage a Protective Intelligence Analyst and provide broader responsibility for mentoring and developing analysts and operators across the intelligence and GSOC teams.
Elevate analytic tradecraft, provide structured feedback and training, and help build a strong and sustainable pipeline of talent across the function.
Enhance capabilities related to executive threats, digital exposure and vulnerability management, global events and sponsorships, brand and reputational risk, talent acquisition related threats, and high risk travel support.
Lead active threat monitoring across multiple sources, including internal reporting channels and external platforms, and ensure consistent triage, assessment, and response.
Coordinate training and awareness efforts with business partners such as recruiting, communications, and other frontline teams to strengthen early identification and escalation of potential threats.
Drive strong collaboration across cross functional partners including cyber, insider threat, crisis management, recruiting, marketing, sponsorship, and executive support functions to ensure coordinated risk mitigation and effective information sharing.
Develop and continuously refine the technical and analytical roadmap for the program, ensuring the effective use of tools, data, and systems to enhance both analytic output and operational efficiency.
Manage vendor strategy and management, including oversight of third party intelligence and monitoring providers, ensuring alignment with business needs, defining technical requirements, overseeing implementation and integration, managing associated budgets, and ensuring appropriate training and adoption across the team.
Maintain and improve core program infrastructure such as threat databases, intake and reporting tools, and executive data protection solutions.
Establish and track key performance indicators to measure program effectiveness, demonstrate value to the business, and drive continuous improvement.
Incorporate stakeholder feedback to expand engagement and ensure services remain aligned with evolving business needs.
Build and sustain strong relationships with industry partners, government entities, and law enforcement organizations to support information sharing and benchmarking.
Actively participate in relevant industry groups to ensure alignment with leading practices.
Support crisis response and recovery efforts.
Contribute to the continued formalization of operational processes.
Operate in an on call capacity to support global incidents.