Director – Corporate Security Center of Excellence

Overview

This position may be hired remotely in North Carolina only.

This position directs the Corporate Security Center of Excellence (COE), leading a small team responsible for ensuring the Bank’s security function is healthy, operationally sound, and consistently meeting target performance requirements. The Director establishes and executes the COE’s strategy and governance across vendor performance, security processes, and operational performance. This position defines performance expectations and management routines, uses data and stakeholder feedback to identify gaps and drive continuous improvement, and strengthens the security organization’s ability to anticipate issues and operate proactively rather than reactively. The Director partners with the head of corporate security, other bank leaders, business stakeholders, and vendors to promote consistent execution, accountability, and alignment with the bank’s goals, objectives, risk standards, and contractual obligations. 

Responsibilities & Qualifications

Duties & Responsibilities:
COE Strategy and Governance - Leads the Corporate Security Center of Excellence and establishes the governance, operating routines, standards, and priorities required to sustain a healthy and operationally sound security function. Translates Bank and Corporate Security objectives into practical operating expectations, improvement initiatives, and measurable outcomes. Partners with senior and executive leadership, security stakeholders, associates, and vendors to coordinate activities, resolve performance gaps, and provide clear status reporting on key initiatives and high-profile issues. 
Vendor Performance Management - Establishes and maintains a disciplined vendor-management framework for security service providers. Defines performance expectations and review routines; monitors service-level agreements, contractual requirements, deliverables, quality, responsiveness, and day-to-day execution; and ensures performance issues are documented, escalated, and remediated. Uses performance data and stakeholder feedback to hold vendors accountable, identify recurring issues, and drive sustained service improvement. 
Security Process Management and Continuous Improvement - Defines, implements, documents, and maintains standard practices, procedures, controls, and operating expectations for the security team. Monitors adherence and assesses process effectiveness through data, direct observation, stakeholder listening, and structured feedback. Works across Corporate Security and partner functions to refine processes, implement changes, and reinforce adoption so that security services are consistent, scalable, and capable of delivering high levels of performance. 
Operational Performance Oversight - Defines critical performance metrics and management routines that provide visibility into daily, weekly, and monthly security operations. Develops reporting and analysis that identify trends, emerging risks, service gaps, root causes, and opportunities for improvement. Ensures leaders have timely, decision-useful information and that corrective actions are assigned, tracked, and sustained. Drives a proactive operating model by improving leading indicators, early-warning mechanisms, planning, and issue prevention while maintaining effective response capabilities. 
Managerial Functions - Establishes and monitors expectations to achieve company and division goals. Leads, develops, and manages the performance, training, and evaluation of assigned COE staff. Clarifies roles and decision rights, promotes accountability and collaboration, and builds the team’s capabilities in vendor management, process excellence, performance analytics, and continuous improvement. Makes appropriate changes to division policies, procedures, and efficiencies in order to meet objectives. Maximizes department achievements by providing professional development and talent learning opportunities. 
Financial Planning – Manages and prepares budget projections for the department and maintains regular financial reporting for executive management. Ensures optimal financial solutions, identifies strategic opportunities to reduce operating costs, and presents business cases in support of savings investments. Evaluates vendor performance and service outcomes in relation to cost and contractual value. 
Risk Management – Manages and mitigates risk exposure throughout Bank operations. Develops security programs and facilitates the implementation of tools and techniques that enhance safety, service quality, operational resilience, and cost-effectiveness. Develops and implements corporate policies and procedures that mitigate risk exposures. Ensures compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Provides guidance on complex, escalated security issues. 


Qualifications:
Minimum Required Education and Experience: Bachelor's Degree and 8 years' experience OR High School Diploma or GED/Equivalent and 12 years' experience in Program Management including leadership experience

Position Specific Skills: 
- Ability to build and lead a performance-focused Center of Excellence spanning vendor governance, process management, operational metrics, and continuous improvement 
- Ability to define meaningful leading and lagging indicators, translate operational data into actionable insights, and establish effective daily, weekly, and monthly performance routines 
- Strong stakeholder engagement, listening, facilitation, and change leadership skills, with the ability to gain adoption of standard practices across teams and influence outcomes without relying solely on direct authority 
- Demonstrated ability to manage vendor performance against service-level agreements and contractual requirements, address underperformance, and improve service quality and value 
- Maintain current knowledge and understanding of emerging risks, changes in legal environment, standards, and regulations 
- Ability to travel, including overnight for multiple days at a time 

Additional Information

Benefits are an integral part of total rewards and First Citizens Bank is committed to providing a competitive, thoughtfully designed and quality benefits program to meet the needs of our associates. More information can be found at https://jobs.firstcitizens.com/benefits.

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