Lead, Data Center Physical Security Operations (north America)

Anthropic Anthropic · AI Frontier · United States · Remote · Security

Lead Data Center Physical Security Operations for Anthropic's North American data center footprint, partnering with build and operations teams to shape security posture, manage vendors, and lead incident response. This role is hands-on and strategic, requiring the ability to set direction in an ambiguous and fast-moving environment.

What you'd actually do

  1. You will own a region of North America data center security operations program across owned and colocation sites.
  2. You'll partner with data center build and engineering teams on new-site design and activation, ensuring security scope is defined, delivered, and turned over to operations cleanly.
  3. You'll lead the regional vendor portfolio such as integrators, guard-force providers, and general contractors with meaningful budget and SLA ownership.
  4. You'll author and maintain the policies, standards, and SOPs that govern physical security in the region, keeping them aligned with company-wide frameworks.
  5. You'll lead physical security incident response and investigations, and you'll represent the region in cross-functional forums that shape infrastructure, compute, and real estate decisions.

Skills

Required

  • Extensive experience operating physical security at hyperscale or at a major colocation operator across multiple sites, with direct ownership of the operating model, vendors, and on-call.
  • Personally led the security scope on new-build data center projects from design through construction, commissioning, and turnover to operations.
  • Worked across both owned data centers and colocation space, and understand how the operator/tenant dynamic changes your controls, vendors, and incident response.
  • Can author physical security policies, standards, and SOPs that get adopted and followed.
  • Drive security outcomes through cross-functional partners (infrastructure, construction, real estate, compliance, legal) by shaping decisions, not by blocking them.
  • Manage a real vendor portfolio, integrators, guard force, general contractors with SLAs, budget, and performance accountability.
  • Adapt well when design and strategy shift mid-stream and can re-scope a program without losing momentum.
  • Calibrate security to business reality can explain when you chose not to apply a control and why.

Nice to have

  • CPP (Certified Protection Professional) or PSP (Physical Security Professional) certification.
  • Experience standing up a data center security function from 0→1 (not just running an established one).
  • Background in a regulated environment, critical infrastructure, financial services, federal/defense, or similar.
  • Direct experience leading an external audit or customer security review of data center physical controls.

What the JD emphasized

  • own the physical security program
  • shaping the security posture
  • hands-on and strategic
  • author the policies and standards
  • lead incident response
  • shaping how security integrates
  • Data Center Security Engineering function that is still in build mode
  • set direction without waiting for mature playbooks
  • security as an enabler of business outcomes
  • own a region
  • partner with data center build and engineering teams
  • lead the regional vendor portfolio
  • author and maintain the policies, standards, and SOPs
  • lead physical security incident response and investigations
  • extensive experience operating physical security at hyperscale or at a major colocation operator
  • direct ownership of the operating model, vendors, and on-call
  • personally led the security scope on new-build data center projects
  • worked across both owned data centers and colocation space
  • author physical security policies, standards, and SOPs that get adopted and followed
  • Drive security outcomes through cross-functional partners
  • Manage a real vendor portfolio, integrators, guard force, general contractors with SLAs, budget, and performance accountability
  • Adapt well when design and strategy shift mid-stream
  • standing up a data center security function from 0→1