Head of Site Security

Head of Site Security hours per week (half‑day Friday) Type: Full‑time Level: 6 Travel Required: Occasional Work Location: flexible Security Checks: BPSS, Disclosure Scotland, pre‑employment medical (including drug and alcohol testing) Join One of Ayrshire’s Largest Engineering Employers Prestwick Aerosystems continues Ayrshire’s long‑standing aircraft manufacturing tradition. From our Prestwick site, we manufacture aircraft wing structures used on Airbus commercial aircraft worldwide. Reporting directly to the General Manager, the Head of Site Security is the senior authority for physical, personnel and operational security. The role sets site security strategy, implements company security policies, and owns the Site Security Plan and risk register to protect the site’s people, information, assets, operations, logistics and supply chain. The postholder is also the designated Data Protection Focal and holds end-to-end accountability for employee and contractor screening and vetting. The role advises senior leaders, leads internal and multifunctional resources, manages contracted security providers, and represents the site with corporate functions, customers, regulators, law enforcement and external agencies. The role line-manages the Vetting & Security Coordinator and manages the manned guarding and vetting-provider contracts. How you will contribute to the team Strategic Security Leadership, Governance and Compliance Lead and continuously improve the site security function, ensuring alignment with company strategy, regulatory requirements and business objectives. Serve as the principal security adviser to site leadership, maintaining security governance, risk management, compliance and performance reporting frameworks. Direct the delivery and assurance of physical, technical and procedural security measures, ensuring the effectiveness and resilience of site security operations. Foster a strong security culture through engagement, awareness and leadership, promoting security as a shared responsibility across the organisation. Oversee security incidents, investigations, audits and continuous improvement activities, ensuring risks are effectively managed and corrective actions are implemented. Data Protection Leadership Act as the site Data Protection Focal, coordinating data protection matters with company privacy and legal functions and Airbus Data Protection Leads. Promote compliance with applicable data protection legislation, company policies, records requirements and privacy-by-design expectations across site activities and projects. Advise business areas on the proportionate handling, access, retention, sharing and disposal of personal data, escalating higher-risk or specialist matters where required. Coordinate the site response to suspected personal-data incidents, ensuring prompt containment, preservation of evidence, reporting, investigation and escalation through company processes. Personnel Security, Background Checks and Vetting Own the site process for background screening and vetting of all new employees and contractors, from initiation through review, decision, record control and closure. Define and maintain risk-based screening and vetting requirements aligned to role sensitivity, access needs, contractual obligations and company standards. Assess screening outcomes, identify anomalies or risks, obtain appropriate specialist advice and make or recommend proportionate clearance, restriction or escalation decisions within delegated authority. Ensure screening information is handled confidentially, access is restricted, records are accurate and complete, and cases are progressed within agreed service levels. Emergency Preparedness and External Engagement Own site security contingency arrangements and lead the security first response to major incidents, catastrophic events or disasters until the appropriate command structure is established.