Executive Protection Lead

Job Description

THE ROLE:

Protective Services safeguards people, operations, and business-critical activities through intelligence-led security capabilities that protect employees, executives, and corporate operations globally.

The function delivers a range of integrated protective services, including:

• Executive Protection
• Protective Intelligence and Risk Assessment
• Travel Risk Management (TRM)

Through these capabilities, Protective Services enhances employee and executive safety, reduces travel and operational risk, strengthens organisational resilience, and protects sensitive business activities, information, and strategic operations. The function enables business leaders to operate confidently in complex environments through the proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of risk.

The Protective Services Lead is responsible for the coordination, delivery, and continuous improvement of Sportradar's Protective Services function. The role works across security, intelligence, risk, and operational functions to ensure effective protection measures are implemented globally, while supporting executive protection requirements and critical business activities.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Executive Protection

• Maintain executive risk profiles and ensure protection measures remain proportionate, effective, and discreet.
• Coordinate executive security support, including travel, accommodation, transportation, event security, and contingency planning.
• Manage security-related incidents affecting executives and coordinate post-incident reviews and lessons learned activities.
• Deliver executive security awareness programmes covering topics such as personal security, secure communications, social media exposure, and residential security.
• Develop travel security briefings, executive guidance, and threat assessments.
• Source, vet, manage, and evaluate third-party protective services providers and specialist vendors.
• Establish operational standards, KPIs, and quality measures to ensure consistent service delivery.
• Ensure vendors comply with licensing, insurance, privacy, and contractual requirements.

Close Protection (up to 90 Days per Year)

• Provide close protection support for designated principals, during travel, events, and other activities.
• Conduct advance planning, route selection, venue assessments, and contingency planning.
• Maintain situational awareness and assess emerging threats and vulnerabilities.
• Coordinate with venues, transport providers, security teams, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Respond effectively to security, safety, and medical incidents.
• Produce post-deployment reports and recommendations to support continuous improvement.

Protective Services Coordination

• Coordinate and oversee the delivery of Protective Services activities, including Travel Risk Management, Executive Protection, TSCM deployments, Protective Intelligence, and risk assessments.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve policies, procedures, standards, and operational playbooks.
• Produce regular reports, updates, and risk briefings for senior stakeholders.
• Monitor legal, regulatory, and industry developments affecting Protective Services activities.
• Act as the primary coordination point between Integrity Services, Physical Security, Information Security, Engineering, Legal, Risk, People, and Corporate Communications.
• Translate intelligence and risk information into practical recommendations and mitigation measures.
• Coordinate cross-functional preparedness reviews, exercises, and security planning activities.

REQUIRED BACKGROUND & EXPERIENCE:

• Close Protection / Executive Security: Demonstrated experience providing close protection, executive security or travel security services, senior corporate executives, VIPs or other high-profile principals.
• Professional Background: Previous experience in military, law enforcement, specialist security or established private executive protection environments is highly desirable, supported by relevant professional training and qualifications.
• International Travel Security: Extensive experience supporting principals during domestic and international travel, including advance planning, security assessments, secure transportation, itinerary coordination and management of local security providers.
• Protective Driving: Proven experience in security driving, including defensive driving techniques, route planning and the provision of discreet, secure transportation.
• Threat & Risk Management: Strong understanding of protective intelligence, threat assessment, situational awareness, emergency response and incident management, with the ability to anticipate and mitigate risks proactively.
• Operational Flexibility: Demonstrated ability to operate independently, make sound decisions under pressure and adapt to rapidly changing schedules, environments and security requirements.
• Discretion & Professionalism: Exceptional interpersonal skills, sound judgement and absolute discretion. Ability to maintain a low-profile security presence without unnecessarily disrupting the principal's activities.
• International Experience: Experience operating across multiple international jurisdictions, with an understanding of differing security environments, cultural sensitivities and local operating considerations.
• Availability: Willingness and ability to undertake frequent international travel, work irregular hours and remain flexible to changing operational requirements, including travel at short notice.
• Languages: Fluency in German and English, both written and verbal

Additional Information

At Sportradar, we celebrate our diverse group of hardworking employees. Sportradar is committed to ensuring equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment opportunities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. We encourage you to apply even if you only meet most of the requirements (but not 100% of the listed criteria) – we believe skills evolve over time. If you’re willing to learn and grow with us, we invite you to join our team!