Senior Executive Protection (Lead)

Raymond James•Saint Petersburg, FL

13d•Onsite

About The Position

The Senior Executive Protection Specialist (Lead) is responsible for leading executive protection operations for the Chairman, CEO, President, Board of Directors, senior executives, designated family members, visiting dignitaries, VIP guests, major customers, and other covered persons. This role operates under general direction and is expected to exercise independent judgment, lead protective details, make real-time risk decisions, advise senior stakeholders, and determine appropriate protective service techniques and operational approaches within approved policy and legal parameters. The Senior Executive Protection Specialist (Lead) serves as a trusted protective advisor, detail leader, mentor, and program contributor, ensuring safe, discreet, consistent, and seamless operations across domestic, international, corporate, residential, aviation, event, and travel environments.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree, or international equivalent, in a relevant field of study, or equivalent combination of advanced protective operations training and relevant experience.
Minimum 10 years of progressive experience with a major law enforcement, intelligence, public sector, military, private-sector security, or executive protection organization.
Minimum 5 years of direct executive protection experience supporting senior executives, high-profile individuals, at-risk persons, Board-level principals, dignitaries, or comparable protectees.
Minimum 3 years serving as a lead agent, detail leader, shift lead, advance lead, operational planner, team lead, supervisor, or senior field decision-maker in protective operations.
Demonstrated experience planning and executing domestic and international protective advances, travel security operations, executive transportation plans, site assessments, and emergency contingencies.
Demonstrated experience conducting or leading protective intelligence, threat assessment, incident review, or security investigations involving concerning communications, suspicious activity, harassment, threats, or workplace violence indicators.
Ability to obtain and maintain Florida Class C, Class D, and Class G licenses, as applicable to assigned duties, and any additional permits or credentials required for the position.
Ability to qualify with weapons, maintain firearms proficiency, and remain eligible to carry firearms in accordance with federal, state, local, and company requirements.
Valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record and demonstrated ability to operate protective vehicles in support of executive protection operations.
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Passport, travel domestically and internationally, and support short-notice, extended, weekend, holiday, overnight, and irregular-hour assignments.
Ability to obtain transportation credentials or facility access credentials necessary for airport, aviation, secure facility, or event operations, as required.
Must meet physical readiness requirements for defensive combat and protective operations personnel and be able to perform duties while wearing personal protective equipment.
Demonstrated ability to produce professional written products, including operational plans, threat assessments, incident reports, after-action reports, executive summaries, and senior-leadership briefings.

Nice To Haves

ASIS Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Physical Security Professional (PSP), Certified Protection Officer (CPO), or equivalent professional certification.
Advanced executive protection training from a recognized provider, protective operations school, military or government protection program, or comparable corporate executive protection program.
Advanced protective/evasive driving certification and documented experience operating in motorcade, low-profile, high-profile, and secure transportation environments.
Emergency Medical Responder, EMT, TECC, TCCC, advanced first aid, or other emergency medicine/crisis response training.
Specialized experience in protective intelligence, OSINT, threat assessment, workplace violence prevention, behavioral threat assessment, intelligence analysis, or investigations.
Experience using security technology and intelligence platforms such as Kaseware, Echosec, CAP Index, ISOS Quantum, NexusXplore, access control, video management, visitor management, incident reporting, or case management systems.
Experience supporting multinational, Fortune 500, financial services, high-net-worth, public-company, or highly regulated corporate environments.
Experience managing contract security resources, vendors, transportation providers, event security teams, local security providers, or third-party protective partners.

Responsibilities

Lead and participate in close protection operations for executives during travel, meetings, events, daily movements, residential activity, aviation operations, and high-profile engagements.
Serve as detail leader or senior agent-in-charge for assigned operations, including pre-mission planning, team briefings, role assignments, overwatch, movement control, immediate decision-making, and post-operation debriefs.
Direct, mentor, and quality-control the work of junior agents, contract personnel, drivers, vendors, and supporting security staff during protective operations.
Make real-time protective decisions involving route changes, venue access, emergency rerouting, separation from crowds, medical response, law enforcement coordination, and cancellation or modification recommendations.
Plan, coordinate, and execute advanced domestic and international protective advances, including venue, hotel, airport/FBO, medical, route, transportation, safe-haven, emergency evacuation, communications, and contingency planning.
Develop written operational plans, movement orders, communication plans, emergency action plans, and trip security packages for executive travel and high-profile events.
Coordinate with GSOC/intelligence personnel, aviation, travel, event teams, hotels, local security providers, law enforcement, medical resources, and third-party protective partners.
Assess geopolitical, terrorism, protest, crime, health, transportation, cyber, reputational, and environmental risks that may affect travel or executive activity.
Lead or support protective intelligence collection and analysis related to threats, harassment, online fixation, stalking indicators, doxxing, reputational risk, concerning communications, workplace violence indicators, and emerging risks to protected persons.
Lead threat, incident, and protective intelligence internal investigations, including intake, triage, evidence preservation, source review, investigative documentation, escalation recommendations, and coordination with legal, HR, compliance, GSOC, and law enforcement partners.
Produce written threat assessments, protective intelligence summaries, risk ratings, mitigation recommendations, and executive-facing briefings.
Maintain protective profiles, intelligence notes, case files, watch lists, persons-of-interest summaries, and other documentation necessary to support operational readiness and enterprise risk visibility.
Lead security planning for corporate aviation facilities, fixed-base operators, hangars, airport movements, aircraft parking/overnight status, secure boarding/disembarkation, and aircraft-adjacent access control.
Conduct and document security assessments of executive residences, vacation properties, temporary lodging, offices, event sites, and other protected locations.
Recommend, coordinate, and validate security equipment, alarms, video systems, access-control measures, duress/panic devices, safe-room concepts, visitor controls, and communications tools for protected locations.
Serve as the senior protective representative for medium-to-large corporate events, executive visits, shareholder events, client events, Board meetings, and dignitary/VIP visits.
Develop, update, and operationalize SOPs, playbooks, checklists, post orders, advance templates, travel risk templates, after-action products, and training materials for the executive protection program.
Conduct after-action reviews, capture lessons learned, identify program gaps, and recommend corrective actions, training enhancements, technology needs, staffing changes, and process improvements.
Support budget, procurement, vendor evaluation, contract security oversight, equipment lifecycle management, and technology integration related to executive protection operations.
Ensure activities are conducted in compliance with applicable law, licensing requirements, privacy expectations, corporate policy, records retention requirements, and professional standards.
Direct or support emergency response activities during protective operations, including medical response, evacuation, shelter-in-place, aircraft or vehicle incidents, civil unrest, active assailant events, natural disasters, and crisis communications.
Serve as a senior field decision-maker during incidents, coordinating with GSOC, incident command, law enforcement, medical responders, aviation, event staff, and company leadership.
Maintain readiness to perform protective duties while wearing personal protective equipment and to operate for extended hours during travel, crisis, or high-tempo assignments.
Provide discreet, professional, and trusted support to senior executives, Board members, families, guests, and internal stakeholders while protecting sensitive personal, travel, medical, investigative, and corporate information.
Maintain a wide range of intra- and interagency coordination and collaborate with law enforcement, intelligence partners, vendors, venue security, aviation partners, and external stakeholders.
Participate in professional forums and remain current on trends, standards, legal considerations, and best practices in executive protection, protective intelligence, aviation security, travel security, and corporate security.