Head of Physical Security – France HQ

Mistral; Paris; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Relocation support

Wellness programs

Job summary

At Mistral AI, we seek a seasoned security leader to safeguard our France HQ and scale our physical security program across Europe. You will own access control, surveillance, crisis response, and liaison with authorities to protect people, assets, and IP in a cutting‑edge AI company.

Reporting into the global security team, you will align global policies with French regulations, manage vendors under SLAs, optimise the security budget, and drive metrics‑based improvements while maintaining the

Qualifications

• Proven experience designing and implementing physical security programs for high‑stakes facilities.
• Vendor management expertise, consolidating and negotiating security service contracts.
• Crisis leadership with emergency response protocol development.
• Deep knowledge of CNIL, RGPD, NIS2 and ISO 27001/28000.
• Builder mentality in ambiguous environments to create scalable security solutions.
• Data‑driven decisions using KPIs and risk assessments.
• Resilience under pressure in fast‑moving situations.
• Uncompromising integrity and confidentiality.

Responsibilities

• Define and implement a unified physical security strategy for France facilities, aligning global policies with local regulations.
• Lead security vendor consolidation under SLAs, ensuring performance and cost‑efficiency.
• Establish a regulatory compliance program to meet French/EU laws (CNIL, RGPD, NIS2) and ISO standards.
• Deploy AI‑powered surveillance, access control, and intrusion detection technologies.
• Develop and test crisis response frameworks including evacuations and lockdowns.
• Formalize liaison protocols with French authorities for threat intelligence sharing.
• Optimize the France security budget (€1M–3M/year) through efficiency gains.
• Measure and report security performance, targeting zero major incidents.

Skills

Security program design

Vendor management

Crisis leadership

Compliance frameworks

Builder mentality

Data-driven decisions

Resilience under pressure

Integrity

Job description

About Mistral

Mistral provides full-stack AI solutions: from frontier models to developer tools, applications, and compute. We partner with enterprises tackling the hardest problems across high-stakes industries like finance, manufacturing, defense, healthcare, and the public sector, co-creating customized AI systems that they can run on their terms.

We are a dynamic, collaborative team passionate about AI and its potential to transform society. Our diverse workforce thrives in competitive environments and is committed to driving innovation. Our teams are distributed between Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. We are creative, low-ego and team-spirited.

The Role

This role exists to ensure the physical safety, regulatory compliance, and operational resilience of Mistral's HQ.

As a member of the global security team, you will shape and execute the HQ's physical security strategy for one of the world’s leading AI companies, directly impacting the protection of employees, assets, and intellectual property. Your work will establish Mistral's HQ as a benchmark for physical security in the tech sector, enabling business growth while mitigating risks in a cutting-edge, AI-driven environment.

You will own the end-to-end physical security framework—from access control and surveillance to crisis response—collaborating closely with French authorities (Police, Gendarmerie, ANSSI) and internal stakeholders. This is a unique opportunity to build a scalable, compliant, and innovative security model that sets the standard for Mistral's expansion across Europe.

What You Will Do

• Define and implement a unified physical security strategy for Mistral AI’s France facilities, aligning global policies with local regulations.

• Lead the consolidation and management of security vendors under SLAs, ensuring performance, cost-efficiency, and compliance.

• Establish a regulatory compliance program to achieve 100% adherence to French/EU laws (CNIL, RGPD, NIS2) and industry standards (ISO 27001/28000).

• Deploy state-of-the-art security technologies, including AI-powered surveillance, access control, and intrusion detection systems.

• Develop and test crisis response frameworks, including emergency protocols for evacuations, lockdowns, and high-impact incidents.

• Formalize liaison protocols with French authorities to enable threat intelligence sharing and collaborative security measures.

• Optimize the France security budget (€1M–3M/year) through vendor consolidation, efficiency gains, and risk-based prioritization.

• Measure and report on security performance, ensuring zero major incidents and continuous improvement of safety standards.

What we are looking for

• Proven experience designing and implementing physical security programs for large, high-stakes facilities or multi-site operations.

• Vendor management expertise with a track record of consolidating, negotiating, and optimizing security service contracts (e.g., guard services, CCTV, access control).

• Crisis leadership with hands-on experience developing and testing emergency response protocols for incidents like protests, cyber-physical threats, or natural disasters.

• Deep knowledge of French/EU compliance frameworks (CNIL, RGPD, NIS2, ISO 27001/28000) and a history of leading audits or certifications.

• Builder mentality—thrives in ambiguous environments, turning strategy into scalable, operational security solutions.

• Data-driven decision-making—uses KPIs, risk assessments, and metrics to continuously improve security posture.

• Resilience under pressure—maintains clarity and effectiveness in high-stakes, fast-evolving situations.

• Uncompromising integrity—upholds the highest ethical standards, ensuring confidentiality and trust in sensitive contexts.

What We Offer

We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and work-life balance. Benefits vary by country and may include healthcare coverage, parental leave, retirement plans, relocation support, wellness programs, meal and transportation allowances, and other location-specific perks.

For the most up-to-date details on benefits available in your location, please refer to our Benefits page.

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