Data Center Physical Security Lead

Who We Are

Vultr is on a mission to make high-performance cloud infrastructure easy to use, affordable, and locally accessible for enterprises and AI innovators around the world. With 33 global cloud data center locations, Vultr is trusted by hundreds of thousands of active customers across 185 countries for its flexible, scalable, global Cloud Compute, Cloud GPU, Bare Metal, and Cloud Storage solutions. In December 2024 Vultr announced an equity financing at a $3.5 billion valuation. Founded by David Aninowsky and self-funded for over a decade, Vultr has grown to become the world’s largest privately-held cloud infrastructure company.

Vultr Cares

• Medical Insurance stipend paid annually

• 9 Company-Paid Holidays

• Generous Leave Policy + 1 month paid sabbatical every 5 years + Anniversary Bonus each year

• Professional Development Reimbursement

• Internet reimbursement

• Fitness membership reimbursement

• Company paid Wellable subscription

Join Vultr

Vultr is seeking an experienced Data Center Physical Security Lead person who will play a key role in protecting our data centers and critical infrastructure. As a Security Lead, you will oversee site-level physical security operations, lead security personnel and vendors, manage access control and surveillance systems, drive risk assessments and incident response, and ensure compliance with security standards. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to strengthen our security posture, support critical infrastructure projects, and maintain a safe, secure, and operationally ready environment. If you are passionate about security leadership, risk management, and protecting mission-critical infrastructure, we’d love to hear from you.

Role Overview

The Data Center Physical Security Lead is responsible for the overall physical security program and day-to-day security operations at assigned Vultr data center and critical infrastructure facilities. This role serves as the primary on-site security point of contact, protecting people, facilities, technology infrastructure, proprietary equipment, and other critical assets.

The Data Center Physical Security Lead combines hands-on security operations with program leadership, ensuring that security standards, policies, processes, technology, compliance requirements, and vendor performance are effectively implemented and maintained at the site.

This position will work closely with the Physical Security PMO, Data Center Operations, Facilities, IT, EHS, HR, Legal, Procurement, customers, colocation providers, security vendors, and other stakeholders. The role is expected to identify risks, drive corrective actions, support security projects, and ensure the site remains operationally ready and aligned with Vultr's physical security standards.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on security professional who can operate effectively in a critical infrastructure environment while also thinking strategically about risk, program maturity, technology, compliance, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

Physical Security Operations

• Lead day-to-day physical security operations for assigned data center and critical infrastructure facilities.

• Serve as the primary on-site physical security point of contact for employees, contractors, customers, vendors, and facility partners.

• Enforce physical security policies, standards, procedures, post orders, and site-specific requirements.

• Oversee access control, visitor management, badge issuance, patrols, security monitoring, and protection of critical areas.

• Maintain effective controls to prevent unauthorized access, tailgating, piggybacking, and other physical security violations.

• Ensure security coverage and operational readiness during normal operations, maintenance activities, construction, and special events.

• Conduct routine security walkthroughs, inspections, and physical security assessments.

• Maintain accurate security documentation, logs, records, and shift handovers.

Security Team & Guard Force Leadership

• Lead and oversee contract security personnel and/or on-site security resources.

• Establish clear expectations for performance, professionalism, customer service, documentation, and adherence to security procedures.

• Partner with security vendors to ensure staffing, training, post orders, and service levels meet Vultr requirements.

• Monitor guard-force performance and address deficiencies through documented corrective actions.

• Support onboarding, training, drills, tabletop exercises, and ongoing security awareness activities.

• Ensure security personnel are prepared to respond appropriately to incidents and emergencies without unnecessary use of force.

Security Systems & Technology

• Oversee the operational effectiveness of electronic physical security systems, including:

  • Electronic Access Control (EAC)

  • CCTV/Video Management Systems (VMS)

  • Intrusion detection

  • Alarm monitoring

  • Biometric and multifactor access systems

  • Intercom and related security technologies

• Review access, video, and alarm activity to identify anomalies, policy violations, and security trends.

• Coordinate preventive maintenance, testing, troubleshooting, and repair of security systems with integrators, vendors, facilities, and internal technical teams.

• Identify system deficiencies and recommend improvements to security technology, barriers, lighting, perimeter controls, and other protective measures.

• Support implementation and operational acceptance of new security technologies and site security systems.

Risk Management & Physical Security Assessments

• Conduct regular physical security risk assessments, vulnerability reviews, and site walkthroughs.

• Identify security gaps and develop practical corrective and preventive actions.

• Track security findings through closure and verify that remediation is effective.

• Apply layered security and defense-in-depth principles to site protection.

• Evaluate changes to site operations, construction, equipment, occupancy, or customer requirements for potential physical security impacts.

• Escalate significant risks and unresolved security issues to the Physical Security PMO Lead and appropriate stakeholders.

Incident Management & Emergency Response

• Serve as the primary security escalation point for physical security incidents at the assigned site.

• Lead or support response to security incidents, unauthorized access attempts, suspicious activity, security system failures, alarms, facility emergencies, and physical security breaches.

• Act as security incident commander when required and coordinate with internal stakeholders, emergency services, law enforcement, and facility management.

• Support emergency response, evacuation, lockdown, shelter-in-place, business continuity, and crisis management procedures.

• Conduct or support incident investigations and produce clear, timely, and accurate incident reports.

• Identify root causes and track corrective actions resulting from security incidents.

• Participate in emergency drills, tabletop exercises, and incident-response testing.

Compliance, Audits & Security Documentation

• Maintain site compliance with applicable physical security requirements, customer obligations, contractual requirements, and industry frameworks.

• Support compliance requirements associated with SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, NIST controls, NIST 800-88, MSA requirements, and other applicable standards.

• Prepare and maintain documentation and evidence required for internal, customer, and third-party audits.

• Conduct periodic access reviews and recertification of physical access rights.

• Maintain accurate records related to badges, visitors, incidents, security inspections, system testing, corrective actions, and security personnel.

• Identify audit findings and coordinate remediation through closure.

Vendor & Colocation Management

• Manage day-to-day relationships with contract security providers, security technology integrators, and other physical security vendors.

• Establish and monitor vendor performance against contractual requirements, SLAs, KPIs, and Vultr security standards.

• Partner with colocation and facility providers to ensure building, perimeter, and shared security controls adequately protect Vultr assets and operations.

• Participate in vendor performance reviews, issue resolution, and corrective action planning.

• Escalate vendor or facility security deficiencies when appropriate.

Security Projects & PMO Support

• Partner closely with the Physical Security PMO Lead on security projects, site deployments, upgrades, and program initiatives.

• Provide site-level operational requirements and subject-matter expertise for physical security projects.

• Support project planning, implementation, testing, commissioning, and operational handoff of security systems and infrastructure.

• Review project designs, security drawings, technology deployments, and proposed security solutions for operational suitability.

• Identify site-specific security risks or requirements that may not be captured in standard security designs.

• Participate in project meetings with internal teams, customers, contractors, integrators, and facility partners.

• Track site security actions, dependencies, risks, and deliverables through completion.

• Help ensure new or modified facilities meet Vultr physical security standards before operational handoff.

Asset, Shipment & Media Security

• Support secure receipt, verification, staging, and handling of inbound technology equipment and critical components.

• Verify shipments against applicable manifests, bills of materials, or documentation.

• Maintain appropriate records within asset tracking or IT asset management systems.

• Ensure equipment and sensitive materials are appropriately secured while awaiting deployment.

• Maintain knowledge of and enforce applicable media storage, handling, and destruction procedures.

• Coordinate with appropriate teams regarding secure media destruction and documentation.

Reporting & Metrics

• Provide regular security status updates to the Physical Security PMO Lead and relevant site stakeholders.

• Develop and maintain site security metrics, including incidents, vulnerabilities, corrective actions, system availability, access reviews, audit findings, and vendor performance.

• Produce clear and concise incident reports, risk assessments, security summaries, and management reports.

• Identify trends and recommend actions that improve the effectiveness and maturity of the site security program.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in physical security, corporate security, critical infrastructure security, data center security, law enforcement, military security, or a related field.

• At least 2 years of experience in a lead, supervisory, or program ownership role.

• Experience operating in a data center, critical infrastructure, technology, or high-compliance environment.

• Hands-on experience with electronic access control, video surveillance, alarm systems, and other physical security technologies.

• Working knowledge of physical security risk assessment, vulnerability management, and defense-in-depth principles.

• Demonstrated experience managing contract security personnel and security vendors.

• Strong incident response, investigation, documentation, and report-writing skills.

• Experience supporting audits and compliance programs.

• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and competing deadlines.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with technical teams, operations personnel, executives, vendors, customers, and first responders.

• Ability to work independently and make sound operational decisions within established security policies and procedures.

• Ability to pass required background checks and obtain applicable site access or clearances.

• Willingness to work flexible hours and participate in after-hours security escalations when required.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Security Management, Criminal Justice, Emergency Management, Business, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• Professional certifications such as CPP, PSP, PCI, CPO, or equivalent.

• Experience securing hyperscale, colocation, cloud, data center, or other critical infrastructure environments.

• Experience with security platforms such as Lenel, Genetec, Software House, Avigilon, Milestone, or similar systems.

• Experience with security program metrics, KPIs, and reporting.

• Experience with project management or participation in security technology/infrastructure projects.

• Knowledge of SOC 2, ISO 27001, PCI DSS, NIST, and other security/compliance frameworks.

• Training in First Aid/CPR/AED, de-escalation, incident command, ICS/NIMS, or emergency management.

Inclusion & Privacy

We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences, and we prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable laws. Vultr will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records in accordance with applicable laws and will not conduct a background check until after an offer of employment has been extended and accepted.

We also take your privacy seriously. We handle personal information responsibly and follow applicable laws, including U.S. privacy rules and India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. Your data is used only for legitimate business purposes and is protected with proper security measures.

Where allowed by law, applicants may request details about the data we collect, access or delete their information, withdraw consent for its use, and opt out of nonessential communications. For more details, please see our Privacy Policy.