Physical Security Watch Desk Manager

1611 Ally Bank; Charlotte (NC); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Ally Financial is seeking a Watch Desk Manager to lead a 24/7 operations team responsible for real-time monitoring, triage, and reporting of security events across shifts.

You will define SLAs, monitor performance, coach analysts, and translate data into actionable improvements for enterprise safety and operations. This role requires strong leadership, analytical thinking, and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operations of the Watch Desk across all shifts, including scheduling.
• Define, implement, and maintain SLAs aligned to event categories and tiered communication strategies.
• Monitor adherence to SLAs across all shifts and analyst levels and report monthly on SLA performance.
• Translate data into insights and recommendations for operational improvement.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in security studies or related field

Job description

Ally and Your Career Ally Financial only succeeds when its people do - and that’s more than some cliché people put on job postings. We love this stuff! We see our people as, well, people - with interests, families, friends, dreams, and causes that are all important to them. Our focus is on the health and safety of our teammates as well as work-life balance and diversity and inclusion. From generous benefits to a variety of employee resource groups, we strive to build paths that encourage employees to stretch themselves professionally. We want to help you grow, develop, and learn new things. You’re constantly evolving, so shouldn’t your opportunities be, too? Work Schedule: Ally designates roles as (1) fully on-site, (2) hybrid, or (3) fully remote. Hybrid roles are generally expected to be in the office a certain number of days per week as indicated by your manager. Your hiring manager will discuss this role's specific work requirements with you during the hiring process. All work requirements are subject to change at any time based on leader discretion and/or business need. The Opportunity At Ally, the Watch Desk serves as a centralized function for real-time monitoring, reactive intelligence, and enterprise situational awareness, supporting the safety and security of our people, facilities, and operations. Positioned at the intersection of operational response and intelligence analysis, the Watch Desk enables timely identification, triage, escalation, and reporting of both external and internal security events. As the Watch Desk Manager, you will build & lead a 24/7 operational team, responsible for delivering consistent, high-quality monitoring, triage, and intelligence outputs across all shifts. This role is accountable for establishing and maintaining service level agreements (SLAs) aligned to event types and tiered communication strategies, ensuring that critical information is delivered to stakeholders accurately, timely, and in accordance with organizational priorities. This position requires a leader who can balance real-time operational oversight with strategic program development, continuously evolving the Watch Desk’s capabilities in response to emerging threats, business needs, and leadership expectations. This role operates in a 24/7 environment. Flexibility is required to support nights, weekends, holidays, and on-call responsibilities, particularly during high-impact or crisis events. The Work Itself Lead day-to-day operations of the Watch Desk across all shifts, including scheduling Ensure consistency in monitoring, triage, escalation, and reporting activities Act as escalation support for complex or high-impact events Partner closely with the Security Operation Center (SOC), Intelligence, Executive Protection, Crisis Management & additional corporate stakeholders Define, implement, and maintain SLAs aligned to event categories and tiered communication strategies Monitor adherence to SLAs across all shifts and analyst levels and report monthly on SLA performance Drive targeted coaching and performance improvement strategies to ensure SLA attainment Develop, track, and report on operational performance metrics Build dashboards and reporting mechanisms to provide visibility to leadership Translate data into insights and recommendations for operational improvement Continuously evolve threat detection, monitoring practices, and reporting standards Drive refinement of monitoring strategies to improve detection accuracy and reduce noise Oversee the integration of open-source intelligence (OSINT), social media monitoring and threat intelligence tool Lead, coach, and develop a team of Analysts I, II, and/or Senior Analysts Preferred Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in security studies, criminal justice, international relations, homeland security or related discipline or equivalent military/law enforcement experience Experience managing people Background in operating in a 24/7 environment Experience building and developing physical security programs Experience in physical security threat intelligence, executive protection support, crisis management, travel risk management, or geopolitical analysis Familiarity with threat intelligence monitoring tools Experience with Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) monitoring, including social media Strong OSINT capabilities, threat assessment, travel risk analysis, and the ability to identify and triage emerging threats and produce actionable intelligence products Excellent verbal & written communication skills for executive-level communication Experience working with cross-functional teams and leaders across many levels of management Working independently in an unstructured environment; developing structure and clarity around the ambiguous by taking a concept and developing ideas/about solutions to achieve progress Navigating through complex collaborative initiatives Strong analytical thinking, sound judgment, attention to detail, source validation skills, situational awareness, and the ability to remain calm under pressure Interacting and influencing internal stakeholders of all levels of the organization Proven ability developing trusted partnerships in both public & private sectors Proficiency in Microsoft office products All Physical Security: Ability to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, which may include movement throughout company facilities, conducting security assessments, supporting operational activities, participating in emergency response procedures, and carrying out assigned security responsibilities. Ability to recognize, assess, document, escalate, and appropriately respond to security incidents, safety concerns, emergencies, disruptions, or unauthorized access events using sound judgment, established procedures, and effective communication. Ability to successfully obtain, maintain, and demonstrate proficiency in required security, safety, emergency response, compliance, or other job-related training, certifications, and qualifications applicable to the position. Ability to perform the essential functions of the position in applicable work environments, which may include indoor and outdoor settings, varying weather conditions, and construction areas, with or without reasonable accommodation. Ability to meet applicable job-related lifting requirements, including repetitive lifting where required by the role, with or without reasonable accommodation. Minimum Qualifications 7+ years of relevant experience or equivalent combination of education and experience High school Diploma or GED equivalent How We'll Have Your Back Ally's compensation program offers market-competitive base pay and pay-for-performance incentives (bonuses) based on achieving personal and company goals. Our Total Rewards program includes industry-leading compensation and benefits plus additional incentives that are designed to meet your needs and those of your family so you can get the most out of your career and your life, including: Time Away: Program starts at 20 paid time off days in addition to 11 paid holidays and 8 hours of volunteer time off yearly (time off days are prorated based on start date and program varies based on full or part-time status and management level). Planning for the Future: plan for the near and long term with an industry-leading 401K retirement savings plan with matching and company contributions, student loan pay downs and 529 educational save up assistance programs, tuition reimbursement, employee stock purchase plan, and financial learning center and financial coach access. Supporting your Health & Well-being: flexible health and insurance options including medical, dental and vision, employee, spouse and child life insurance, short- and long-term disability, pre-tax Health Savings Account with employer contributions, Healthcare FSA, critical illness, accident & hospital indemnity insurance, and a total well-being program that helps you and your family stay on track physically, socially, emotionally, and financially. Building a Family: adoption, surrogacy and fertility assistance as well as paid parental and caregiver leave, Dependent Day Care FSA back-up child and adult/elder care days and childcare discounts. Work-Life Integration: other benefits including Mentally Fit Employee Assistance Program, subsidized and discounted Weight Watchers® program and other employee discount programs. Other Compensations: depending on the role for which you are considered, you may be eligible for travel allowances, relocation assistance, a signing bonus and/or equity. To view more detailed information about Ally’s Total Rewards, please visit this link: https://www.ally.com/content/dam/pdf/corporate/ally-total-rewards-snapshot.pdf Who We Are: Ally Financial is a customer-centric, leading digital financial services company with passionate customer service and innovative financial solutions. We are relentlessly focused on "Doing it Right" and being a trusted financial-services provider to our consumer, commercial, and corporate customers. For more information, visit www.ally.com. Ally is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy status, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic disposition or any other reason protected by law. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if after review of the position expectations, you believe that you may need a medical accommodation to fulfill the duties of this role, please email [e-mail] with details of your accommodation request. Base Pay Range $90,000.00 - $150,000.00 An individual's position in the range is determined by the specific role, the scope and responsibilities of the role, work experience, education, certification(s), training, and additional qualifications. We review internal pay, the competitive market, and business environment prior to extending an offer. Incentive Compensation: This position is eligible to participate in our annual incentive plan. We all work better as allies. Join a team that thrives on doing it right — whether we're helping people live their best financial lives or helping each other grow in our careers. Share your resume with our recruiters so we can reach out to chat about roles that match your background and skillset. We're a leading financial services company serving over 11M customers through banking, auto financing, insurance and investment services. Our team's approach of celebrating differences and lifting each other up is consistently recognized on Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For list. Here, you'll find people who care about doing work that matters and making an impact in the communities we serve. Good enough is never enough for us — we're always looking for ways to be better, together. CCPA Notice