Senior Manager, Protective Security Operations, FIFA World Cup 2026

Senior Manager, Protective Security Operations, FIFA World Cup 2026

Department: Safety & Security

Employment Type: Fixed Term - Full Time

Location: Miami

Description
Reporting organisationally to the Director, Protective Security Operations, the Senior Manager, Protective Security Operations, will be a key member of the FIFA26 Safety and Security team, and will work in close collaboration with the key stakeholders and other individuals responsible for delivering the integrated security operations with various departments, government agencies, and private security details to ensure the safe and secure operations of all events and movements. This role will have a special focus on personal security of teams, referees, FIFA executives, high-profile individuals and other distinguished guests. This role will lead the safety and security protective planning for all matches across the 16 FIFA World Cup 2026 (FWC26) host cities throughout Canada, Mexico, and the U.S, and 13 FIFA Club World Cup 2025 (FCWC25) cities within the US.

This critical role will manage the planning, coordination, and implementation of all comprehensive safety and security protective security functions at competition and non-competition venues with host cities as well as integration of non-host cities within the FIFA event footprint. Working closely with FIFA counterparts from the Safety & Security Department tournament wide, this Senior Manager will have oversight of Close Protection Officers, Team Security Liaison Officers, and Referee Security Liaison Officers across the affiliates in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

The Senior Manager, Protective Security Operations will integrate protective security protocols with safety and security screening for certain client groups, while contributing to the development of best practices and procedures for incident management. This will also include interactions with multi-national organizations supporting participating member associations and clubs as well as corporate security partners who may attend FIFA events during these tournaments.

THE POSITION
The main responsibilities and oversights of the Senior Manager, Protective Security Operations, for the FIFA World Cup 26™ include:

• Serve as an additional liaison with the Local Law Enforcement (LE) agencies and other federal entities, such as United States Secret Service (USSS) for security planning involving the President, Vice President, First Lady, and other dignitaries.
• Coordinate with state, local LE and other LE agencies, as appropriate, for visiting heads of state/government and dignitaries attending matches, VIP events or frequenting FIFA non-competition venues.
• Assist in coordinating walkthroughs for publicly protected stakeholders in coordination with FIFA representatives.
• Assist and coordinate walkthroughs for venue familiarization with corporate security representatives where necessary.
• Coordinate and manage as required, the hired private security details for the FIFA President and Secretary General, teams, referees, and other distinguished guests, as situations arise.
• Develop comprehensive security parameters for private security attending FIFA related events and communicate properly with relevant stakeholders.
• Work as a Team Leader in the implementation, coordination, and execution of the overall security plan for close protection for a multitude of client groups.
• Work with venue management teams on overall security planning in conjunction with national team representatives for competition venues and non-competition venues, such as team hotels, VVIP hotels, and non-stadium areas.
• Brief large groups and assist in training private security partners on the FIFA team security construct, best practices, and responsible stewardship of resources.
• Ability to instruct private resources on how best to collaborate with local law enforcement for escort requests to and from matches, airports, and other FIFA responsible venue locations for all stakeholders under the security profile.
• Liaise and consult with Mexican and Canadian counterparts for certain client groups and heads of state/government attending matches in those countries.

YOUR PROFILE
• Bachelor's degree or similar education / experience in safety, security, policy development, and event management.
• Minimum 8 years of experience managing safety and security for large, complex major events, with a focus stadium safety and security operations. FIFA Tournaments and private security management experience to be considered a plus.
• Knowledge of sport event or major event safety and security planning accompanied by best practices.
• Knowledge of private vs publicly protected persons and procedures.
• Experience in intelligence analysis and conforming security protocols accordingly.
• Deep understanding of risk management, crisis response, and emergency preparedness.
• Proven track-record in building and/or managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders for a high-profile organization.
• Experience working in multicultural environments.
• Experience in the Sports industry is an advantage.
• Fluent in English. Spanish and/or French proficiency is a plus
• Proficient in MS Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio & Project) and planning software and online collaboration tools