Lead Physical Security Operations at Whatnot: Corporate Security Manager/Senior Manager
At Whatnot, we're not just building a platform; we're creating an entirely new industry: live commerce at a scale never before seen in the West. As the largest live shopping platform in North America and Europe, we empower sellers to build real businesses across hundreds of categories – from trading cards and fashion to electronics and live plants. This rapid, unprecedented growth means scaling security operations in a dynamic, "no playbook" environment.
We operate as a remote co-located team, inspired by our values and anchored in hubs across the US, UK, Ireland, Poland, Germany, and Australia. We move fast, stay close to our users, and focus on high-impact work.
Whatnot is recognized as one of the fastest-growing marketplaces and was recently named the #1 Best Startup Employer in America by Forbes. Dive deeper into our journey on our news and engineering blogs. Join us in shaping the future of commerce, enabling passions to flourish, and bringing communities together.
The Opportunity: Build & Lead Corporate Security Operations
Are you a seasoned security leader ready to build, innovate, and execute comprehensive physical security strategies from the ground up? Whatnot's Corporate Security team is seeking an experienced operations leader to own the physical safety and security of our people across all global offices, dynamic live events, and diverse field engagements.
This isn't just a management role; it's a dual mandate to architect robust security frameworks and playbooks that scale with a hyper-growth company, while also serving as the hands-on expert when the stakes are highest. You'll be equally comfortable defining the standard on Monday and executing a critical response plan on Friday.
You will forge strong partnerships daily with our Workplace, People, Marketing, and Category teams, and strategically manage a global network of third-party vendors. Reporting into Corporate Security, this role sits at the critical intersection of operational rigor and strategic program growth.
Key Responsibilities: Global Office Security Operations: Define, implement, and enforce leading security standards across all Whatnot global office locations. Event Security Leadership: Architect and deploy scalable security playbooks for events ranging from intimate seller meetups to large-scale, high-visibility live activations. Field Security Innovation: Proactively assess and mitigate risks for diverse seller engagements, category activations, and community-based initiatives in various environments. Travel Security Architect: Assist in the initial design and ongoing oversight of Whatnot’s global travel security framework, supporting both domestic and international travel. Location & Travel Who You Are 10+ years of corporate security operations expertise, with extensive depth in multi-office environment security and solid experience in the events/field security pillar. Bonus points if you have: Experience in high-growth tech companies, marketplaces, or live-event businesses. What We Offer: Benefits & Perks Generous Holiday and Time Off Policy Home office setup allowance Care benefits: Monthly allowance for wellness Retirement: 401k offering for Traditional and Roth accounts in the US (employer match up to 4% of base salary) and Pension plans internationally. All Whatnauts are expected to develop a deep understanding of our product. We're passionate about building the best user experience, and all employees are expected to use Whatnot as both a buyer and a seller as part of their job (our dogfooding budget makes this fun and easy!). Parental Leave: 16 weeks of paid parental leave + one month gradual return to work *company leave allowances run concurrently with country leave requirements which take precedence. Our Commitment
Strategically manage third-party guard vendors, establishing clear performance expectations and ensuring accountability, not just oversight.
Collaborate closely with the Workplace team to develop and refine comprehensive emergency response programs.
Serve as the primary incident commander, developing and executing crisis plans for any security event at our sites.
Conduct thorough advance site assessments (in-person or virtual) and implement appropriate, tailored security measures.
Act as the on-the-ground security lead for critical activations, dynamically managing vendors and ensuring real-time security.
Develop essential training programs and incident response protocols for Category and Community team members operating in non-traditional settings such as retail floors, warehouses, or private residences.
Provide critical support and coordination for travel-related incidents and crises as needed.
This role will be based in Los Angeles, CA or New York, NY. The successful candidate must live within commuting distance of one of these two locations. Expected in-office cadence: 2–3 days per week, with flexibility to be on-site more frequently during major events, activations, or security initiatives.
This role includes regular domestic and international travel (~25-40%) to support events, office operations, and field engagements.
We're looking for a highly experienced and proactive physical security professional who thrives in fast-paced, ambiguous environments, possesses a bias for action, and is genuinely curious about how to protect our people and our mission.
As our Corporate Security Operations Manager / Senior Manager, you should have 10+ years of physical security experience, specifically:
A proven track record of managing and holding external vendors accountable to the highest standards, fostering seamless cross-functional partnerships.
An innate understanding of what "good" security looks like and the drive to build and iterate on it within a rapidly scaling organization.
Comfortable operating without an existing playbook; you proactively identify security gaps, define robust solutions, and drive their execution.
Exceptional communication skills, translating complex security concepts into clear, actionable insights for non-security stakeholders.
Willingness to work from our Los Angeles or New York office 2-3 days a week and embrace regular domestic and international travel (at least 25% of your time).
International office or event security experience.
Hands-on experience with global travel security programs.
Beyond a competitive salary, we invest in our team's well-being and growth. Our comprehensive benefits package includes:
Health Insurance options including Medical, Dental, Vision
Work From Home Support:
Monthly allowance for cell phone and internet
Annual allowance towards Childcare
Lifetime benefit for family planning, such as adoption or fertility expenses
Monthly allowance to "dogfood" the app:
Whatnot is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We value diversity, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, parental status, disability status, or any other status protected by local law. We believe that our work is better and our company culture is improved when we encourage, support, and respect the different skills and experiences represented within our workforce.