Job Description:
Head of Site Security
Location: Prestwick, Ayrshire
Hours: 37 hours per week (half‑day Friday)
Type: Full‑time
Level: 6
Travel Required: Occasional
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.
- Plan and deliver emergency and contingency exercises, capture lessons learned and ensure improvement actions are embedded.
- Coordinate with official external agencies to align contingency, protection, prevention and intervention plans and strengthen site readiness.
- Represent the site in functional security networks, management workshops, customer or corporate reviews and relevant external forums.
Requirements for the role
You will have:
- Significant security leadership experience within a complex commercial, industrial, aerospace, defence or similarly regulated environment.
- Relevant security management qualification (Level 5 or equivalent) and demonstrable experience in security strategy, risk management, governance and assurance.
- Experience of data protection, personnel security, pre-employment screening, contractor vetting and the management of security-sensitive matters.
- Proven capability in incident management, investigations, emergency planning, business resilience, audit and continuous improvement programmes.
- Strong commercial and financial acumen, including budget management, supplier governance, contract oversight and service delivery improvement.
- Excellent judgement, integrity and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders, challenge constructively and make risk-based decisions.
- Effective leadership and people management skills, with the ability to operate across complex stakeholder environments and deliver cross-functional outcomes.
What we will offer you
- 37‑hour working week (half‑day Friday)
- Defined contribution pension (4% employee / 8% employer)
- 33 days annual leave (rising with service)
- Annual bonus linked to company performance
- Life assurance (4× basic salary)
- Virtual GP service, Employee
- Assistance Programme and wellbeing support
- Professional development and training opportunities
- Free on‑site parking
What happens next
If you’re ready to play a key role in supporting our people and operations at Prestwick, apply today.
Right to Work in the UK
All applicants must have the legal right to work in the UK at the time of application. Prestwick Aerosystems is unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory Right to Work checks, carried out in accordance with UK Government requirements.
You will also be required to complete employment references, Disclosure Scotland and a pre‑employment medical.
Prestwick Aerosystems is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace.
This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company’s success, reputation and sustainable growth.
Company:
Prestwick Aerosystems Limited
Employment Type:
Permanent
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Experience Level:
Professional
Job Family:
Your application data will be processed by Prestwick Aerosystems and other companies under the control of Airbus for all necessary hiring, vetting, and security checks. This processing is required to assess your suitability for employment. For full details on how and why Airbus uses your data, please see our Privacy Notice.
Prestwick Aerosystems is committed to achieving workforce diversity and creating an inclusive working environment. We welcome all applications irrespective of social and cultural background, age, gender, disability, sexual orientation or religious belief.
As a part of Airbus, Prestwick Aerosystems is committed to equal opportunities for all. As such, we will never ask for any type of monetary exchange in the frame of a recruitment process. Any impersonation of Prestwick Aerosystems or Airbus to do so should be reported to emsom@airbus.com.
At Prestwick Aerosystems, we support you to work, connect and collaborate more easily and flexibly. Wherever possible, we foster flexible working arrangements to stimulate innovative thinking.
