Security Lead

About: 

The Rolex SailGP Championship is the most exciting racing on water, where anything can happen in short, adrenaline-fueled battles between national teams at iconic stadium destinations worldwide. Top athletes fly in identical high-tech F50 catamarans faster than the wind, at speeds in excess of 100km/h (60mph). Founded in 2018, SailGP is one of the world’s fastest-growing sports and entertainment properties, now in its sixth season.

SailGP is a global organisation with defined values that shape the culture of its team – Deliver Quality and Consistency; Evolve with Focus; Make it Count; Stand Together and Strike a Balance.

Summary:

SailGP is looking for an outstanding leader to take global ownership of Security, Crowd Safety, Accreditation and Traffic Management across our international championship. This is a high-impact role at the heart of one of the world’s most dynamic sporting properties. You will set the strategy, own the standards and lead delivery across multiple international host cities - ensuring every event is secure, compliant and operationally world-class. From threat assessments and emergency planning to multi-agency coordination and venue command integration, you will combine strategic oversight with hands-on execution.

We’re seeking a calm, decisive expert with a proven track record in major events or complex, high-profile environments. Someone who can build disciplined systems, inspire confidence under pressure and position SailGP at the forefront of global security and crowd safety excellence. If you’re ready to lead at scale, operate at pace and deliver impact on a global stage, we want to hear from you.

Key Responsibilities:

This is a senior role for an individual with a demonstrable track record of delivering security and public safety operations for major sporting events, large-scale public gatherings, international touring or a multi-location large-scale venue portfolio. 

• Set strategic goals and KPI’s for Security, Crowd Safety, Traffic Management and Access Control across the league 


• Deliver briefings across all areas at a defined cadence to internal stakeholders and during operational deployment. 


• Operate within and be a key contributor to the SailGP C3 Framework


• Build a culture of professionalism, calm, clarity, discipline and respect


• Own budget lines for security, accreditation, crowd safety and traffic management


• Produce post-event, championship and annual reports highlighting incidents, trends, lessons identified and actionable corrective and developmental plans
  

Security & Risk Management

• Lead SailGP’s global security strategy, governance, and operational delivery


• Conduct threat, vulnerability, and travel risk assessments with proportionate mitigations


• Ensure event security compliance with local laws and international best practice


• Appoint and manage security vendors, systems, and venue security operations


• Coordinate with law enforcement, public agencies, and internal stakeholders


• Oversee incident response, security training standards, and post-event reporting


• Track emerging security threats and technologies to maintain industry leadership

Accreditation & Access Control

• Lead SailGP’s accreditation policy and access control governance, balancing stakeholder needs with safety and security


• Oversee consistent, end-to-end accreditation delivery across the Championship


• Manage accreditation leadership and support event delivery teams


• Ensure robust, auditable accreditation processes and post-event reconciliation

Crowd Safety

• Lead the SailGP global Crowd Safety strategy, ensuring compliance with international best practice and local legislation


• Conduct crowd safety and capacity assessments with proportionate mitigations and contingency planning


• Own event-specific Crowd Safety Plans, including capacity analysis and scenario modelling


• Validate SailGP and partner plans against crowd safety requirements


• Develop and oversee emergency and major incident response protocols


• Provide expert crowd safety advice during event operations and incident management


• Monitor emerging crowd safety risks, trends, and technologies to maintain industry leadership

Traffic Management

• Lead the SailGP Strategic Transport Management Plan, aligned with best practice and local legislation


• Ensure host city road and public transport networks are protected through effective, sensitive planning


• Appoint and manage local traffic management vendors and specialist partners


• Oversee network capacity assessments and validate local Traffic & Transport Plans
  Integrate transport operations with SailGP command structures and ensure safe pedestrian management across event sites

Key Expectations:

• Champion an inclusive environment where diversity is valued


• Advocate and promote SailGP Values and contribute to a positive culture


• Operate with a financially responsible mindset and strive for the commercial sustainability of SailGP


• Consider how each team action contributes to Better Sport, Better Planet


• Develop creative solutions that allow for quality work to be delivered


• Drive collaboration and team work within the department and across the organization


• Promote working practices that enable a healthy work life balance within the team and celebrate wellbeing 


• Support out of the box thinking


• Support teams with developmental goals and growth plans

About You

• Highly detail-oriented with strong organisational and communication skills


• Confident, adaptable communicator across senior, global, and local stakeholders


• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment


• Experienced in complex, high-profile operational environments


• Calm, decisive, and principled under pressure


• Strong planning, documentation, and data-led decision-making skills


• High integrity with discretion in handling sensitive information


• Relevant professional memberships and qualifications in security, crowd safety, or related fields


• Strong knowledge of UK event safety guidance (e.g. Green Guide, Purple Guide)

Location: Minimum 3 days per week in our London HQ

SailGP is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace committed to building a team culture that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion.