Senior Executive Protection (Lead)

Job Description Summary

The Senior Executive Protection Specialist (Lead) is responsible for leading executive protection operations for the Chairman, CEO, President, Board of Directors, senior executives, designated family members, visiting dignitaries, VIP guests, major customers, and other covered persons.
This role operates under general direction and is expected to exercise independent judgment, lead protective details, make real-time risk decisions, advise senior stakeholders, and determine appropriate protective service techniques and operational approaches within approved policy and legal parameters.
The Senior Executive Protection Specialist (Lead) serves as a trusted protective advisor, detail leader, mentor, and program contributor, ensuring safe, discreet, consistent, and seamless operations across domestic, international, corporate, residential, aviation, event, and travel environments.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

Lead Protective Operations and Detail Command:

• Lead and participate in close protection operations for executives during travel, meetings, events, daily movements, residential activity, aviation operations, and high-profile engagements.

• Serve as detail leader or senior agent-in-charge for assigned operations, including pre-mission planning, team briefings, role assignments, overwatch, movement control, immediate decision-making, and post-operation debriefs.

• Direct, mentor, and quality-control the work of junior agents, contract personnel, drivers, vendors, and supporting security staff during protective operations.

• Make real-time protective decisions involving route changes, venue access, emergency rerouting, separation from crowds, medical response, law enforcement coordination, and cancellation or modification recommendations.

Advanced Advance Work, Travel Security, and Global Mobility:

• Plan, coordinate, and execute advanced domestic and international protective advances, including venue, hotel, airport/FBO, medical, route, transportation, safe-haven, emergency evacuation, communications, and contingency planning.

• Develop written operational plans, movement orders, communication plans, emergency action plans, and trip security packages for executive travel and high-profile events.

• Coordinate with GSOC/intelligence personnel, aviation, travel, event teams, hotels, local security providers, law enforcement, medical resources, and third-party protective partners.

• Assess geopolitical, terrorism, protest, crime, health, transportation, cyber, reputational, and environmental risks that may affect travel or executive activity.

Protective Intelligence, Threat Assessment, and Investigations:

• Lead or support protective intelligence collection and analysis related to threats, harassment, online fixation, stalking indicators, doxxing, reputational risk, concerning communications, workplace violence indicators, and emerging risks to protected persons.

• Lead threat, incident, and protective intelligence internal investigations, including intake, triage, evidence preservation, source review, investigative documentation, escalation recommendations, and coordination with legal, HR, compliance, GSOC, and law enforcement partners.

• Produce written threat assessments, protective intelligence summaries, risk ratings, mitigation recommendations, and executive-facing briefings.

• Maintain protective profiles, intelligence notes, case files, watch lists, persons-of-interest summaries, and other documentation necessary to support operational readiness and enterprise risk visibility.

Aviation, Residential, Office, and Event Security:

• Lead security planning for corporate aviation facilities, fixed-base operators, hangars, airport movements, aircraft parking/overnight status, secure boarding/disembarkation, and aircraft-adjacent access control.

• Conduct and document security assessments of executive residences, vacation properties, temporary lodging, offices, event sites, and other protected locations.

• Recommend, coordinate, and validate security equipment, alarms, video systems, access-control measures, duress/panic devices, safe-room concepts, visitor controls, and communications tools for protected locations.

• Serve as the senior protective representative for medium-to-large corporate events, executive visits, shareholder events, client events, Board meetings, and dignitary/VIP visits.

Program Development, Governance, and Quality Control:

• Develop, update, and operationalize SOPs, playbooks, checklists, post orders, advance templates, travel risk templates, after-action products, and training materials for the executive protection program.

• Conduct after-action reviews, capture lessons learned, identify program gaps, and recommend corrective actions, training enhancements, technology needs, staffing changes, and process improvements.

• Support budget, procurement, vendor evaluation, contract security oversight, equipment lifecycle management, and technology integration related to executive protection operations.

• Ensure activities are conducted in compliance with applicable law, licensing requirements, privacy expectations, corporate policy, records retention requirements, and professional standards.

Emergency Response and Crisis Leadership:

• Direct or support emergency response activities during protective operations, including medical response, evacuation, shelter-in-place, aircraft or vehicle incidents, civil unrest, active assailant events, natural disasters, and crisis communications.

• Serve as a senior field decision-maker during incidents, coordinating with GSOC, incident command, law enforcement, medical responders, aviation, event staff, and company leadership.

• Maintain readiness to perform protective duties while wearing personal protective equipment and to operate for extended hours during travel, crisis, or high-tempo assignments.

Professional Standards and Senior Stakeholder Engagement:

• Provide discreet, professional, and trusted support to senior executives, Board members, families, guests, and internal stakeholders while protecting sensitive personal, travel, medical, investigative, and corporate information.

• Maintain a wide range of intra- and interagency coordination and collaborate with law enforcement, intelligence partners, vendors, venue security, aviation partners, and external stakeholders.

• Participate in professional forums and remain current on trends, standards, legal considerations, and best practices in executive protection, protective intelligence, aviation security, travel security, and corporate security.

Education/requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree, or international equivalent, in a relevant field of study, or equivalent combination of advanced protective operations training and relevant experience.

• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience with a major law enforcement, intelligence, public sector, military, private-sector security, or executive protection organization.

• Minimum 5 years of direct executive protection experience supporting senior executives, high-profile individuals, at-risk persons, Board-level principals, dignitaries, or comparable protectees.

• Minimum 3 years serving as a lead agent, detail leader, shift lead, advance lead, operational planner, team lead, supervisor, or senior field decision-maker in protective operations.

• Demonstrated experience planning and executing domestic and international protective advances, travel security operations, executive transportation plans, site assessments, and emergency contingencies.

• Demonstrated experience conducting or leading protective intelligence, threat assessment, incident review, or security investigations involving concerning communications, suspicious activity, harassment, threats, or workplace violence indicators.

• Ability to obtain and maintain Florida Class C, Class D, and Class G licenses, as applicable to assigned duties, and any additional permits or credentials required for the position.

• Ability to qualify with weapons, maintain firearms proficiency, and remain eligible to carry firearms in accordance with federal, state, local, and company requirements.

• Valid driver’s license with acceptable driving record and demonstrated ability to operate protective vehicles in support of executive protection operations.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Passport, travel domestically and internationally, and support short-notice, extended, weekend, holiday, overnight, and irregular-hour assignments.

• Ability to obtain transportation credentials or facility access credentials necessary for airport, aviation, secure facility, or event operations, as required.

• Must meet physical readiness requirements for defensive combat and protective operations personnel and be able to perform duties while wearing personal protective equipment.

• Demonstrated ability to produce professional written products, including operational plans, threat assessments, incident reports, after-action reports, executive summaries, and senior-leadership briefings.

Preferred Qualifications:

• ASIS Certified Protection Professional (CPP), Physical Security Professional (PSP), Certified Protection Officer (CPO), or equivalent professional certification.

• Advanced executive protection training from a recognized provider, protective operations school, military or government protection program, or comparable corporate executive protection program.

• Advanced protective/evasive driving certification and documented experience operating in motorcade, low-profile, high-profile, and secure transportation environments.

• Emergency Medical Responder, EMT, TECC, TCCC, advanced first aid, or other emergency medicine/crisis response training.

• Specialized experience in protective intelligence, OSINT, threat assessment, workplace violence prevention, behavioral threat assessment, intelligence analysis, or investigations.

• Experience using security technology and intelligence platforms such as Kaseware, Echosec, CAP Index, ISOS Quantum, NexusXplore, access control, video management, visitor management, incident reporting, or case management systems.

• Experience supporting multinational, Fortune 500, financial services, high-net-worth, public-company, or highly regulated corporate environments.

• Experience managing contract security resources, vendors, transportation providers, event security teams, local security providers, or third-party protective partners.

Education

Bachelor’s

Work Experience

General Experience – 10 to 15 years

Certifications

Adult First Aid/CPR/AED - Red Cross, Any State Driver's License - Various State Agencies, Certified Protection Professional (CPP) - ASIS Foundation

Travel

Up to 50%

Workstyle

Resident

The total compensation for this position includes base salary or wages, and may include components such as additional compensation (cash or equity), discretionary bonuses, or commissions. This position is eligible for a benefits package that may include medical, dental, and vision; life insurance; critical illness insurance and accident insurance; disability benefits; retirement savings; paid time off (including vacation, holidays, and sick leave); and parental leave.  Eligibility for benefits and specific offerings may vary based on position and employment status. To view more details of the benefits offered, visit Myrjbenefits.com.

 

 

At Raymond James our associates use five guiding behaviors (Develop, Collaborate, Decide, Deliver, Improve) to deliver on the firm's core values of client-first, integrity, independence and a conservative, long-term view. 

We expect our associates at all levels to:
•  Grow professionally and inspire others to do the same
•  Work with and through others to achieve desired outcomes
•  Make prompt, pragmatic choices and act with the client in mind
•  Take ownership and hold themselves and others accountable for delivering results that matter
•  Contribute to the continuous evolution of the firm

At Raymond James – as part of our people-first culture, we honor, value, and respect the uniqueness, experiences, and backgrounds of all of our Associates.  When associates bring their best authentic selves, our organization, clients, and communities thrive. The Company is an equal opportunity employer and makes all employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs. 

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