Head of Physical Security & Safety - USDS

TikTok USDS Joint Venture; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

TikTok USDS Joint Venture seeks a Global Security Operations Leader to oversee 24/7 security operations, including physical security, executive protection, crisis management, and emergency response, across a global footprint. You will report to the Head of Security & Privacy and manage security programs, policy, and staff.

The role requires 5+ years in physical security with global experience, strong leadership, and the ability to coordinate across Legal, HR, Facilities, and Privacy teams.

Qualifications

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

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for USDS JV physical safety and workforce protection
• Design an integrated security fabric across physical, technical, and cyber-investigative functions
• Lead crisis management and business continuity across multiple regions
• Collaborate with Legal, HR, Facilities and Privacy to embed security in lifecycle
• Oversee budgets, vendor contracting, and mentoring of security directors
• Investigate serious security breaches and brief Board and leadership

Skills

Security leadership

Strategic governance

Security operations

Executive protection

Crisis management

Education

BA/BS in Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Business Administration or Organizational Leadership

Tools

Guard force management

Investigations

Security technology

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.

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