Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Security Protective Operations is primarily responsible for high risk journey management, security vendor management, teaching Hostile Environment Awareness Training, emergency medical support, and special missions as assigned by the Chief Security Officer.
This team is searching for a self-motivated, resourceful and dynamic individual that is comfortable working as an individual and in broader teams. Foreign language capability (French strongly preferred) and emergency/wilderness medical skills (EMT preferred) are recommended. Travel to high risk geographies with short notice is an element of this role.
Protective Operations team members enable foundation staff and executives to complete their work in as safe an environment as possible by mitigating holistic risk in high risk areas. This is done by researching and analyzing country risk data, creating mission specific risk assessments, briefing the appropriate foundation teams, coordinating vendor support, and providing candid opinion when risks exceed mitigation success probabilities. Additionally, the Protective Operations team is responsible for identifying opportunities to enhance and improve the broader Global Security organization’s strategies, processes, and procedures through cross team support, creative inquiry, and critical thinking.
This role reports to the Director, Security Operations and does not have any personnel management responsibility, yet is expected to work collaboratively with colleagues in Global Security, external partners, and others across the foundation’s global footprint.
Leadership and Culture
We believe that energized people, working well together, fueled by great leadership in an inclusive environment in which they thrive, will do phenomenal things.
Core Responsibilities
- Journey management for employees and contractors into high risk geographies, to include direct support to senior leadership, and security augmentation to foundation hosted events as tasked.
- Provides timely, thorough assessments of risks and threats to foundation activities globally in advance of and in response to an event that could potentially threaten the safety or health of foundation people, property, or programs.
- Monitors worldwide threats and changes in risk environment that would require an elevation or de-escalation of risk rating in collaboration with the Global Security Risk Intelligence team.
- Monitors and advises on changes to key vendor’s assessments of regional risks.
- Develops plans, briefings, and joins Program working groups in order to be informed and manage all necessary protective measures for foundation staff and executives globally as appropriate to the level of risk.
- Designs and maintains training programs for the protective operations team in order to maintain defined critical skills. (e.g., firearms, defensive tactics, advanced driving skills, and emergency medical support) as assigned.
- Reviews daily threat information both internationally and domestically in order to identify potential threats to the foundation, augment Seattle Campus security needs, and provide recommendations to travelers and management regarding to potential risks and opportunities.
Core Knowledge and Skills
- Experienced critical thinking, decision making, and ability to operate through ambiguous situations.
- Experience as an instructor with the ability to develop and deliver new Global Security training content.
- Open source research and report writing on assigned threats and geographies.
- Extensive knowledge of protective operation procedures in both permissive and non-permissive environments.
- Ability to conduct protective operations appropriate to the level of risk globally.
- Communicate effectively in a cross-cultural environment.
- Ability to effectively manage vendor relationships, expectations, and outcomes to achieve best results for the foundation missions.
Education and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree with 5+ years of experience, or equivalent experience.
- Experience in emergency medicine.
- Proven international experience working in high risk environments or equivalent experience.
- Former national military experience is preferred.
- This role is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
- No work visas are being sponsored for this role, and is open only to South African nationals.
This role will be posted internally and externally for five days starting on December 3, 2019.
As part of our standard hiring process for new employees, employment with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is dedicated to the belief that all lives have equal value. We’re committed to creating a workplace where employees thrive both personally and professionally. We also believe our employees should reflect the rich diversity of the global populations we aim to serve—in race, gender, age, cultures and beliefs—and we support this diversity through all of our employment practices.
All applicants and employees who are drawn to serve the mission of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will enjoy equality of opportunity and fair treatment without regard to:
- Race
- Color
- Age
- Religion
- Pregnancy
- Sex
- Sexual Orientation
- Disability
- Gender Identity
- Gender Expression
- National Origin
- Genetic Information
- Veteran Status
- Marital Status
- Prior Protected Activity