Why This Job is Featured on The SaaS Jobs
Physical security is often treated as a supporting function in SaaS, but at companies operating large-scale infrastructure it becomes a core reliability and trust discipline. This regional lead remit sits at the intersection of facility buildouts, operational continuity, and compliance expectations that underpin always-on services. The emphasis on data center expansion signals a role shaped by footprint growth rather than steady-state maintenance, with security architecture needing to scale across sites and vendors.
For a SaaS career, the standout value is exposure to how physical controls, technical security systems, and audit programs translate into uptime, customer assurance, and risk management at platform level. Owning end-to-end security infrastructure design through commissioning builds transferable capability across cloud-adjacent SaaS organizations that run hybrid environments. The scope also develops fluency in cross-functional execution, aligning construction, IT, and security operations into a cohesive control plane.
This role suits professionals who prefer structured problem solving, documented standards, and measurable safeguards over purely policy work. It will appeal to leaders comfortable coordinating external partners, traveling to sites, and making pragmatic tradeoffs between security posture and operational constraints. Candidates aiming to deepen infrastructure security specialization within SaaS, especially where scale introduces new threat and compliance surfaces, are likely to find the mandate well matched.
The section above is editorial commentary from The SaaS Jobs, provided to help SaaS professionals understand the role in a broader industry context.
Job Description
About the Team
The Corporate Security team is responsible for the security and protection of all OpenAI employees and executives. We are committed to creating and maintaining a secure environment that allows our team members to focus on their work without fear of harm or disruption.
About the Role
As the Data Center Physical Security Regional Lead based in the US you will lead to ensure the highest level of physical security for OpenAI’s data centers. As OpenAI expands its data center footprint, there is a growing need for a regional leader who can design, implement, and manage robust security infrastructures that protect our facilities, assets, and people. This role is driven by the need to mitigate risk, ensure operational continuity, and comply with industry security standards while supporting OpenAI’s growth objectives. We are looking for someone who can thrive in a fast-paced environment, seamlessly collaborate with cross-functional teams and external partners, and proactively address security challenges through innovative and proven solutions. You’ll collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that OpenAI’s security posture remains strong and adaptive in a fast-evolving environment. The ideal candidate will not only safeguard our data center’s physical environments but contribute to building scalable, future-proof security systems that evolve with OpenAI’s growth.
The role is preferred to be based in San Francisco, Seattle or New York City but may consider remote work. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees. Ability and willingness to travel approximately 25% to regional and international locations to support data center security operations, audits, and risk assessments.
In this role, you will:
Physical Security Infrastructure:
Oversee the design and implementation of physical security features, including vehicle controls, physical barriers, secure doors, and man traps.
Collaborate with architects and engineers to incorporate security measures during the design phase.
Technical Security Systems:
Manage the deployment of CCTV, access control systems, alarms, and monitoring solutions.
Work with IT and security teams to integrate physical security systems with network infrastructure.
Manage the installation, and commissioning of technical security systems for assigned regions.
Manage a PSIM (Physical Security Information Management) – fusing alarms, access control, and CCTV video for real-time security monitoring.
Operations and Maintenance:
Develop and implement security operations protocols for data center sites.
Ensure regular maintenance, testing, and upgrades of security systems.
Train and support on-site security teams in system operations and emergency procedures.
Partnerships & Stakeholder Engagement:
Serve as the primary point of contact for all physical security technology matters during construction and operational phases within the region.
Liaise with internal teams, external partners, and vendors to align security measures with organizational goals.
Compliance & Risk Assessment:
You might thrive in this role if you:
Professional Experience: 12+ years in corporate security and/or law enforcement/military environments.
Physical security: 7+ years of leadership and experience in data center physical security operational environments.
Technical Experience: Implementing and optimizing advanced security technologies—such as access control, surveillance, visitor management systems, and intrusion detection systems.
Vendor Management: A successful track record of evaluating and managing third-party security vendors and contracted services.
Relationship Building: Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with internal teams and external agencies, forging strong, collaborative relationships.
Audit and Assessment: Proven skill in conducting industry audits and assessing physical security risk to ensure data centers meet and exceed industry standards and best practices.
Adaptability & Resilience: Comfortable working in a dynamic environment, swiftly pivoting in response to emerging threats or organizational changes.
About OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.
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