Security Specialist - Santa Clara

Applied Materials • Santa Clara, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Applied Materials is seeking a highly experienced and well-rounded Security Specialist to support its headquarters location in Santa Clara, California. The company is experiencing significant growth, leading to an active infrastructure pipeline. The Global Security Operations (GSO) team is responsible for the strategic development, risk oversight, and execution of security operations across all company locations. As a member of the Headquarters Campus team, this role will play an important part in the company's success. The Security Specialist role combines deep physical security and asset protection expertise with strong program management, investigative knowledge, workplace threat assessment, and crisis response capabilities to ensure the protection of personnel, intellectual property, and physical assets. The ideal candidate will be a successful security practitioner with proven corporate experience and the ability to collaborate across multiple business functions and external response agencies. This new position, based in the greater Sunnyvale/Santa Clara area, will support the greater North America security team and the local headquarters location. The role involves partnering with external public agencies, local business unit leaders, functional subject-matter-experts (Real Estate, EHS, BCP, IT), Finance, Legal, Employee Relations, Procurement, and other stakeholders to align on business requirements and common goals. This position will provide investigative capabilities, audit support, and workplace violence threat assessment, along with a variety of analytical and project-based deliverables to help achieve operational security plans and objectives. This position reports to the Sr. Security Manager of California for Global Security Operations and is based in Santa Clara, CA. The role requires travel up to 20%.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in a corporate security related field.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field required.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and conducting investigations.
• Workplace violence and Behavioral Threat Analysis & Management (BTAM) experience.
• Demonstrated collaboration skills across own organization and partner organizations (IT, Legal, Employee Relations, Facilities, Finance, etc.) to drive and deliver exceptional service.
• Ability to influence cross-functional teams.
• Deep knowledge of industry best practices and performance metrics.
• Experience in safety, business continuity, state-of-the-art asset protection systems, and emergency management.
• Skilled in strategic planning and global security program management.
• Customer-focused and service-oriented mindset.
• Strong organizational and decision-making skills.
• Excellent presentation and communication abilities.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, AI tools, and common security applications.
• Capable of influencing leadership and working in a matrixed environment.
• A very mature individual with the right balance of confidence and humility.
• Process oriented while also strongly developing and relying on interpersonal relationships across the company.
• Ability to connect equally well upwards, downwards, and sideways in the organization.
• Self-motivated and driven towards excellence.

Responsibilities

• Support the Global Security Operations team in North America, particularly in Santa Clara, to build strong working relationships with senior level stakeholders and key business partners.
• Design and implement security awareness and training programs in partnership with internal stakeholders.
• Partner with peer groups in Compliance, Legal, and Employee Relations to effectively manage workplace threats and security investigations.
• Build relationships with business unit partners and technical security project management teams to scope security requirements based on established principles and guidelines.
• Conduct audits and reviews of supply chain processes, manufacturing facilities, labs, and warehouses to ensure proper handling of critical intellectual property and security risks.
• Create security marketing, training, awareness, and branding for Global Security initiatives.
• Establish policy and procedures.

Benefits

• Supportive work culture that encourages learning, development, and career growth.
• Opportunities to take on challenges and drive innovative solutions.
• Empowerment to push boundaries and learn every day.
• Programs and support for personal and professional growth.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Eligibility for other forms of compensation such as participation in a bonus and a stock award program, as applicable.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior