Director, Physical Security - US - Gibson Dunn : Job Details

Join to apply for the Director, Physical Security - US role at Gibson Dunn

Join to apply for the Director, Physical Security - US role at Gibson Dunn

Gibson Dunn is a leading global law firm, advising clients on significant transactions and disputes. Our exceptional teams craft and deploy creative legal strategies that are meticulously tailored to every matter, however complex or high-stakes. The firm's work is distinguished by a unique combination of precision and vision.

Based in New York, the Director, Physical Security – US will help build and lead a newly created Physical Security department at the firm. This role will serve as the primary architect and operator of the firm's global physical security posture. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in law enforcement, military, or corporate security and a proven ability to establish and scale physical security programs within global, high-sensitivity environments.

This role reports to the Chief Information Security Officer.

Responsibilities include:

Core Security Operations

• Working closely with the US Directors of Administration (DOAs), oversee the firm's physical access control platform (Brivo), CCTV infrastructure, and 24/7 security operations across all US office locations.
• Coordinate with the firm's Human Resources (HR), Office of the General Counsel (OGC), Information Technology (IT) and Info Security (InfoSec) teams to build appropriate system integrations (e.g. access logs tied to employment data).
• Provide event-based security planning and real-time response management across all US office locations.

Technology and InfoSec Team Integration

• Collaborate with Physical Security Technology Lead, the firm's InfoSec team and OGC, to ensure alignment of physical and cybersecurity policies (e.g., incident response procedures, secure server room access, log correlation).
• Participate in cross-functional threat modeling with cybersecurity risk analysts.
• Coordinate with the firm's IT department via the Physical Security Technology Lead on hardware and peripheral inventory protection, especially in open-plan or visitor-accessible areas.
• Develop insider threat response protocols where physical access intersects with data risk.
• Working closely with Physical Security Technology Lead, Director, Technology Management Solutions (US and Non-US) and the InfoSec team, maintain audit readiness for ISO 27001, SOC 2, and client security assessments related to physical access.
• Working with the Physical Security Technology Lead and the Director, Technology Management Solutions (US and Non-US), oversee, maintain and evolve the firm's visitor management system (Maptician) and third-party vendor access procedures.
• Ensure alignment between Brivo and Maptician, supporting real-time space reservation insights and occupant verification.
• Lead internal investigations into physical theft, loss, or misconduct incidents.
• Collaborate with HR, DOAs, OGC, and external agencies when required (law enforcement, building security).
• Manage digital forensics coordination with the firm's InfoSec department when firm devices are involved.

Threat, Protest, and Crisis Response

• Working closely with the firm's Chief Administrative Officer, build a threat intelligence and early warning program for protests and civil unrest.
• Working closely with the firm's Chief Administrative Officer and the local office DOA's, coordinate lockdown procedures, staff briefings, and emergency law enforcement engagement.
• Partner with the firm's HR department and OGC to support protective measures (e.g., stalking or harassment cases).

Crisis & Emergency Preparedness

• Working closely with the firm's Chief Administrative Officer, serve as a primary liaison with the firm's Business Continuity Planning/Disaster Recovery (BCP/DR) team to ensure operational continuity.
• In collaboration with the firm's BCP/DR team, oversee the planning for evacuation, fire, active shooter, bomb threats, and other crisis events.
• Working closely with the firm's Chief Administrative Officer and the DOA's, design and conduct tabletop physical security exercises with local/regional office leadership.

Training, Integration, and Governance

• In collaboration with the firm's Chief Administrative Officer, CISO and the Director, Physical Security Non-US, develop and deliver physical security awareness training for attorneys and staff.
• Build reporting dashboards and analytics to track incidents and readiness.
• Collaborate with the firm's IT team, InfoSec team, BCP/DR team and DOA's to create an integrated security training framework.

Global Travel Security

• Working closely with the Travel Manager and the firm's outside travel vendor, help oversee and evolve the existing travel risk management program .
• Provide pre-travel briefings and in-trip support for high-risk assignments.
• Monitor attorney movements and issue alerts for emergent threats.

Qualifications:

• Excellent interpersonal and leadership skills; ability to brief firm leadership under pressure.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent objectives or activities, and effectively make judgments in prioritizing and time allocation in a high-pressure environment.
• Ability to collaborate with individuals at all levels of the firm and across all locations.
• Ability to adapt and effectively manage change.
• Must demonstrate the ability to maintain strict confidentiality of the firm's internal and personnel affairs.
• Ability to travel as needed.

Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice, Security Management, Homeland Security, or a related field preferred. Equivalent military or law enforcement experience will also be considered.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of experience in physical security, ideally within legal, corporate, or government settings.
• Experience working in and/or knowledge of the legal industry, including recent trends and general structure of law firms.
• Prior law enforcement, military, or intelligence background strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with access control technologies (ideally Brivo), video surveillance systems, and emergency communication tools.
• Proven track record managing security programs.
• Experience developing incident response procedures and investigations.
• The following qualifications/certifications would be helpful, either to have when starting the position, or to obtain when joining the firm:
• CPP (Certified Protection Professional) – ASIS International gold-standard for enterprise security management.
• PSP (Physical Security Professional) – Strong for facilities, access control, threat assessment.
• FEMA ICS/NIMS (for emergency response frameworks).
• CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) – increasingly cited for office access planning.

Gibson Dunn will consider for employment qualified Applicants with Criminal Histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of local law.

The annual compensation range for this position is $210-270k. The salary offered within this range will depend upon qualifications and other operational considerations.

Benefits offered for this position include health care; retirement benefits; paid days off, including sick time, and vacation time; parental leave; basic life insurance; Flexible Spending Accounts; as well as discretionary, performance-based bonuses.

Seniority level

• Seniority levelDirector

Employment type

• Employment typeFull-time

Job function

• Job functionLegal
• IndustriesLaw Practice

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