Head of Physical Security & Safety - USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 128,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with match

Parental leave

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Wellbeing benefits

Paid holidays

Paid sick days

Paid personal time

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC seeks a Global Security Operations Leader to oversee 24/7 security operations, executive protection, crisis management, travel security, event security, and crisis response across a large global footprint. The role reports to the Head of Security & Privacy and drives enterprise security policy and governance.

The candidate will manage a global team of security directors, integrate physical, technical, and cyber-security functions, and collaborate with Legal, HR,

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years in physical security, law enforcement, military, or combination
• Global corporate security experience with senior executives
• Experience in physical security technology and investigations
• Strong communication and leadership skills
• Strategic thinking with tactical execution

Responsibilities

• Define USDS JV security strategy and governance
• Design and oversee an integrated security fabric across functions
• Lead workforce protection, crisis management, and business continuity
• Collaborate with Legal, HR, Facilities, Privacy; liaise with law enforcement
• Oversee budgeting, vendor contracts, and global team mentorship
• Lead threat intelligence and investigations with board-level briefings

Skills

Physical security

Security leadership

Executive protection

Crisis management

Policy development

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree

Criminal justice / Homeland security

Job description

Responsibilities

About the Team

With a commitment to excellence, innovation, and safety, we are seeking an experienced Global Security Operations Leader to lead 24/7 security operations (e.g., Physical Security, Executive Protection, Crisis Management, Emergency response, etc.) and contract security personnel. This role will report to the Head of Security & Privacy. You will manage all Physical Security operations, programs, and personnel in a large Global geographic area (encompassing multiple states, cities, countries).

About the Role

The USDS Leader for Physical Safety and Security will oversee and coordinate integrated converged security program efforts including the development, implementation, and operation across the company, workplace investigations, employee/office safety, executive protection, travel security, event security, TSCM (Technical Security Counter Measures), and crisis management. The candidate will report into the Head of Security and Privacy within TikTok USDS.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Governance: Act as an advisor to the Head of Security and Privacy and leadership, defining the USDS JV strategy for physical safety, workforce protection, and business resiliency. Develop and implement enterprise-wide security policies, standards, and metrics to measure program effectiveness and ensure alignment with the company’s risk appetite.
• Converged Security Operations: Design and oversee an integrated "security fabric" that bridges physical security, technical security, and cyber-investigative functions. Manage the USDS JV ecosystem for campus monitoring, access control, and converged threat detection to protect the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of technical operating environments and physical assets.
• USDS JV Workforce Protection & Crisis Management: Lead the end-to-end development of programs protecting the workforce, including executive protection, travel safety, and workplace violence prevention. Oversee Business Continuity and Crisis Management platforms to ensure the organization can detect, defend against, and respond to all-hazard incidents and business-impacting emergencies.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration & Liaison: Partner with Legal, HR, Facilities, and Privacy teams to embed security into the business lifecycle. Serve as the primary liaison to local, state, and federal law enforcement and counter-intelligence agencies to inform threat modeling and ensure regulatory compliance.
• Operational Excellence & Resource Management: Direct the department’s financial health, including budget development, vendor contracting, and project milestones. Lead and mentor a high-performing global team of security directors and practitioners, fostering a culture of professional expertise and technical innovation.
• Threat Intelligence & Investigations: Evaluate global threat intelligence and counter-intelligence profiles to proactively identify risks. Lead the investigation of serious security breaches and criminal activity, providing formal oral and written briefings to the Board of Directors and leadership regarding incident resolution and defensive strategy.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Must have 5+ years’ experience in physical security, law enforcement, military, or any combination thereof, with at least 5+ years of experience managing team strategy, physical security & safety professionals (non-security guard talent), and operational performance
• Successful candidates will possess global corporate security experience, including experience supporting senior executives
• Must have demonstrated experience in physical security technology, guard force management, executive protection, and investigations
• Strong customer service and service delivery with demonstrated integrity, honesty, poise, tact, and diplomacy
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills along with organizational, interpersonal and leadership skills with ability to plan, coordinate and manage staff and operations
• Ability to think strategically and act tactically to support successful and timely implementation of projects and programs

Preferred Qualifications

• BA or BS highly desired. Degrees in fields such as criminal justice, homeland security, emergency management, business administration, or organizational leadership preferred
• Membership in professional networking groups such as ASIS, InfraGard, or other physical security groups is a plus
• Proficient in a variety of conventional system and application software, including task/project management, visitor management, and case management

About USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC is dedicated to the safety and security of millions of Americans who create, discover, and connect with what they love on the apps we operate. The Joint Venture has been established in compliance with the Executive Order signed by President Trump on September 25, 2025. Our foundation is a comprehensive data privacy and cybersecurity program we operate under defined safeguards to protect national security and secure U.S. user data, apps and the algorithm. We safeguard the U.S. content ecosystem, holding decision-making authority for trust and safety policies and moderation. USDS Joint Venture helps ensure Americans can continue to express their creativity, discover new hobbies and interests, and build thriving communities and businesses on a global scale.

On-site presence across teams allows the company to operate with greater speed, alignment, and agility — especially in areas like real-time decision-making, team development, and integrated execution. As such, the company is shifting from a hybrid work model to a fully in-person schedule up to 5 days a week.

Why Join Us

Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy - a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.

Diversity & Inclusion

TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.

USDS Reasonable Accommodation

USDS is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/USDS-RA

Job Information

【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually)

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $128440 - $255360 annually.

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location.

• Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others.
• Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:

1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.