Physical Security Manager - HS2 Stations
Charlton Recruitment
Physical Security Manager – HS2 Stations
Salary: £50,000 – £60,000 + 12% Pension + Healthcare + 25 Days Holiday
Potential: Up to £66,000 subject to approval for the right candidate
Location: London, Euston (pref), or Birmingham – Hybrid, typically 3 days office
Progression: Clear pathway to Senior Security Manager (£80,000 – £86,000 + pkg)
The Opportunity
Join HS2, one of the UK's largest and most complex infrastructure programmes, as a Physical Security Manager responsible for assuring the physical security of four major HS2 stations.
This is a client-side security assurance role working across some of the programme's most significant assets:
- Curzon Street Station – approximately £700m – Detailed Design & Construction
- Interchange Station – approximately £400m – Scheme Design
- Old Oak Common – approximately £1.7bn – Construction
- Euston Station – multi-billion-pound development – Concept Design
You'll work alongside HS2's station delivery teams and Tier 1 contractors, ensuring physical security requirements are properly considered through design and construction and that the completed assets provide the required level of protection.
The role covers areas including CCTV, access control, intruder detection, alarms, hostile vehicle mitigation, blast resistance and other physical security measures.
Importantly, this is not a technical Security SME role. You don't need to be the specialist in every security discipline. HS2 has dedicated Security SMEs available where specialist advice is required. What you do need is the ability to understand security requirements, review and challenge designs, coordinate specialist input and assure that the right solutions are delivered.
The Role
Reporting to the Senior Security Manager, you'll work across the four stations, acting as a key interface between HS2, Tier 1 contractors, specialist security advisors and external security stakeholders.
You'll provide constructive challenge where designs or proposed solutions don't adequately address the security requirement, while maintaining a pragmatic approach to programme, cost and constructability.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide physical security assurance across the HS2 Stations portfolio, reviewing requirements, designs and delivery against agreed standards.
- Review security systems and design proposals, identifying gaps, risks and opportunities for improvement.
- Support the application of HMG security policy, NPSA principles and relevant UK security standards.
- Coordinate Security SME input and ensure specialist advice is appropriately incorporated into project decisions.
- Liaise with CTSAs, Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs), British Transport Police and other security stakeholders.
- Present security design recommendations and justifications to HS2 Security Steering and Design Panels.
- Provide security input to project risk and hazard management, ensuring threats are identified, assessed and appropriately mitigated.
- Challenge Tier 1 contractors where security requirements are not being adequately addressed, balancing security, programme, constructability and commercial considerations.
- Support security-related change, Early Warnings and potential commercial impacts.
- Maintain effective relationships with DfT, CPNI, BTP, contractors, consultants and internal HS2 stakeholders.
About You
We're looking for a physical security professional who understands how security requirements are applied within Critical National Infrastructure (CNI), regulated or high-security environments.
You don't need to be a specialist in CCTV, access control, blast protection or every other physical security discipline. We're looking for someone who can assure, coordinate, challenge and manage security requirements across a complex programme.
Relevant backgrounds could include:
Rail and transport
Aviation, maritime or defence
Nuclear, energy, power or water
Other CNI or highly regulated environments
You'll ideally have:
- Experience in physical security assurance, security consultancy, security management or a related project environment.
- Experience reviewing or assuring security designs within CNI, national infrastructure or other regulated environments.
- Good understanding of relevant UK security standards, HMG security policy and/or NPSA principles.
- Strong stakeholder management skills and confidence challenging Tier 1 contractors and delivery teams.
- Ability to coordinate Security SMEs, consultants, contractors and government/security stakeholders.
- A pragmatic approach to balancing security requirements with programme, cost and construction considerations.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
We're open to candidates from client, consultancy or contractor backgrounds, including Physical Security Advisors, Security Consultants or Assistant Security Project Managers ready to step into a broader management and assurance role.
Candidates with 2–3 years' relevant experience may be considered where they can demonstrate the right CNI/security assurance exposure.
Why Join HS2?
- Work across four of the UK's most significant new railway stations.
- Influence the physical security of nationally significant transport infrastructure.
- Work alongside Tier 1 contractors, government departments, security specialists and policing stakeholders.
- Gain experience across major infrastructure, design assurance and construction delivery.
- Develop towards Senior Security Manager and beyond.
- Benefit from HS2's long-term programme through to the late 2030s.
- Receive a 12% employer pension contribution, private healthcare and 25 days' holiday.
If you're a physical security professional looking to move beyond a purely technical or specialist role and take greater responsibility for security assurance, stakeholder management and delivery across a major infrastructure programme, this could be an excellent next step.
Application opens at the source listing. Free for jobseekers.