Head of Security in London

The Head of Security is responsible for leading the delivery of the airport’s Aviation Security Programme, ensuring a safe, compliant and high-performing operation that meets regulatory requirements and delivers an excellent guest experience.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide visible, values-led leadership to the Security function, creating a high-performance culture focused on safety, compliance, people and guest experience.
• Lead, develop and engage teams at all levels, ensuring clear accountability, succession planning and continuous professional development.
• Responsible for the delivery of security operations in compliance with DfT, CAA and regulatory requirements, implementing changes as required.
• Establish and maintain an effective organisational structure and management framework aligned to operational needs.
• Foster colleague engagement, evidenced through colleague feedback/surveys and other indicators, that delivers a highly effective and committed staff base, reflective of LLA Values.
• Monitor operational performance using data and insight, implementing improvements to service, efficiency and productivity and establish effective feedback mechanisms.
• Oversee delivery of security-related projects, ensuring effective planning, stakeholder engagement and on-time execution.
• Engaging with Finance, create and manage the Security budget utilising any available tools to optimise both service and cost effectiveness of the section.
• Implement innovative technology/ways of working that drive operational effectiveness.
• Ensure all health and safety and risk actions are addressed and embedded within operational practice.
• Represent Security in airport-wide projects and external stakeholder engagement.
• Responsible for delivering a great guest experience by the Security teams, recognising that every task whether guest facing or behind the scenes contributes to supporting the company’s overall LLA Way Strategy and service standards.
• Proactively and positively promote the LLA Way initiatives and projects with all employees and the wider airport community.

Knowledge, skills, and experience:

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in a regulated aviation security environment.
• Proven senior leadership experience managing large operational teams.
• Strong track record of driving performance, leading change and building engaged teams.
• Excellent understanding of aviation security regulations and operational practices.
• Strong analytical and decision-making capability.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Commercial awareness and budget management experience.

The Head of Security will have proven experience in security management, leading teams in a customer-facing environment and experience of using data to understand and interpret trends. They will need to be extremely versatile and confident in their ability to be the focus of all critical operational activities within the Airport.

Competencies required for the role:

• Communication: Structures and conveys ideas and information effectively. Communicates to ensure they are understood by others, that they understand others, and to influence others.
• Customer Focus: Understands what the customer needs and then works to exceed their expectations and meeting their individual needs.
• Leadership: Has a clear vision of where they want to bring people to work effectively with them to deliver this vision and gives clear feedback and development opportunities to optimise performance.
• Business and Financial Awareness: Understands the business and makes sound commercial judgments.
• Achieving results: Knows what needs to be achieved by when. Anticipates obstacles. Motivates self and others to overcome barriers and achieve results.
• Personal responsibility and credibility: Take personal responsibility for making things happen and achieving results. Displays commitment, accountability and conscientiousness. Acts with integrity.
• Strategic perspective: Addresses issues with a broad view to achieve the organisation’s goals. Thinks beyond the immediate and prepares for the future.
• Planning and organising: Identifies a goal and puts in place a sequence of steps to ensure priorities are delivered on time, make effective use of resources.
• Team focus: Develops effective working relationships inside and outside traditional team boundaries to achieve organisational goals. Breaks down barriers between groups and involves others in discussions and decisions.

This job description is intended to give an appreciation of the role and the range of duties and responsibilities to be undertaken. It does not attempt to detail every activity. Specific tasks and objectives will be agreed on an ongoing basis. The post holder will be required at all times to perform any other reasonable tasks, as requested by the Line Manager in order to meet the operational needs of the business.

LLA is committed to fostering, promoting and preserving a culture of diversity, equality and inclusion, as we carry out our mission. We will always be respectful and seek to learn from those different from ourselves. We strive to be an equal opportunities employer and we are determined to ensure that no applicant or employee has a negative experience for being who they are. We welcome all applications!