Physical Security Lead

About this role

Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. With a vertically integrated approach, Northwood designs, builds, and rapidly deploys scalable systems that power the next generation of space missions. If you like solving complex challenges and seeing your work deployed around the world with real impact, Northwood is the place to do it.

Role Overview

As Physical Security Lead, you will design, implement, and manage the physical security program that protects Northwood's personnel, facilities, and operations across corporate offices, ground station sites, and international environments. This is a senior leadership role for a practitioner with deep expertise across facility security, executive protection, and travel security, and who brings the operational judgment required to secure a rapidly scaling dual-use space communications company operating in sensitive and complex environments.

You will build and lead a physical security team, own the security posture of Northwood's domestic and international facilities, develop executive protection programs for senior leadership, and serve as a key partner to the Facility Security Officer on NISPOM-related obligations. This role works in close collaboration with the Head of Security, legal counsel, and facilities teams, and reports to the Head of Security.

Responsibilities

Facility Security

- Own the physical security program across all Northwood corporate offices and ground station facilities, including access control systems, surveillance infrastructure, intrusion detection, visitor management, and perimeter security.

- Conduct regular physical security assessments across facilities, identifying vulnerabilities and driving remediation in alignment with government customer requirements and industry best practices.

- Design and implement physical security standards for new facility builds and ground station site deployments, ensuring security requirements are incorporated from the planning phase through commissioning.

- Manage relationships with physical security vendors, integrators, and contract security personnel, ensuring service levels and performance standards are consistently met.

- Develop and maintain emergency response plans, evacuation procedures, and crisis communication protocols for all facilities, and conduct regular drills to validate readiness.

Ground Station Security

- Develop and enforce physical security standards for Northwood's ground station network, including site hardening, access control, and monitoring for facilities operating in remote and internationally distributed locations.

- Partner with network and security engineering teams to ensure physical and logical security controls are integrated and mutually reinforcing at ground station sites.

- Conduct site security assessments for new ground station deployments, providing physical security requirements to site selection, construction, and commissioning teams.

- Establish and maintain security protocols for third-party access to ground station facilities, including vendor escorts, access logging, and site-specific security briefings.

Executive Protection

- Design and manage an executive protection program for Northwood's senior leadership, including threat assessment, travel security planning, and on-the-ground protective support for domestic and international travel.

- Conduct advance work for executive travel, including route planning, venue assessment, and coordination with local security resources and law enforcement where appropriate.

- Develop and maintain executive protection protocols, escalation procedures, and emergency response plans in coordination with the Head of Security and legal counsel.

- Monitor the threat landscape for risks relevant to Northwood's leadership and operations, providing timely briefings and actionable recommendations.

International Travel Security

- Own Northwood's international travel security program, including pre-travel risk assessments, country-specific security briefings, traveler tracking, and emergency support protocols for personnel operating in elevated-risk environments.

- Develop and maintain travel security policies and procedures, including guidance for personnel traveling to ITAR-sensitive destinations or operating in environments with heightened counterintelligence risk.

- Coordinate with government agencies, security consultants, and in-country resources to maintain current threat intelligence for regions where Northwood personnel operate.

- Provide security briefings and training for employees traveling internationally, with targeted content for personnel handling CUI or operating under ITAR obligations.

NISPOM & FSO Support

- Support the Facility Security Officer in administering Northwood's personnel security program in accordance with NISPOM requirements, including visit authorization requests, security clearance processing coordination, and cleared personnel management.

- Assist in maintaining facility accreditation documentation, DD Form 254 compliance, and government customer security requirements related to physical access and controlled areas.

- Coordinate classified visit requests and ensure physical access to controlled areas is managed in strict alignment with DCSA requirements and government customer obligations.

- Support insider threat program activities in coordination with the Security Operations Lead and GRC Lead, including physical security–related indicators and reporting procedures.

Team Leadership

- Hire, mentor, and develop a physical security team including security coordinators and contract security personnel as Northwood's facility footprint sca

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