Chanel Security and Operations Director

About Chanel

Chanel is one of the world’s most revered luxury houses, founded by Gabrielle Chanel and distinguished by an enduring vision of elegance, freedom, and modernity. As an employer, the House brings together métiers ranging from haute couture, fashion and leather goods to fragrance, beauty, watches, and fine jewelry, offering employees the opportunity to contribute to a legacy defined by exceptional craftsmanship and creative audacity. Chanel values excellence, discretion, collaboration, and long-term development, fostering an environment where talent is nurtured and heritage is continually reinterpreted for contemporary clients. Its teams are united by a commitment to quality, innovation, and the timeless spirit of the brand.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead operational security and safety excellence across Fashion Activities by translating strategic direction into action plans, ensuring Maison standards are applied, and delivering consistent service across sites and activities.
• Lead HSE policy and performance across Fashion Activities, ensuring regulatory compliance, occupational risk prevention, and consistent application of Maison standards; coordinate continuous-improvement action plans, audits, and performance indicators with business teams and partners.
• Establish and lead operational governance for security and safety, including governance forums, indicators, and escalation mechanisms; align internal and external expertise; develop business partnerships by anticipating needs and providing a demanding, facilitative, solution-oriented security approach; represent the Maison and maintain relationships with relevant official bodies.
• Manage and develop a team of around ten employees, supporting managers as they take on greater responsibility.
• Oversee external service providers and the perimeter’s budget, ensuring service quality, operational performance, contractual compliance, and cost control.
• Support real-estate projects, site transformations, and organizational changes by representing security and safety requirements, anticipating operational impacts, securing transition phases, and integrating measures into new environments.
• Lead security expertise, tools, technologies, and systems; coordinate business needs, technical solutions, and prevention standards to improve the performance, reliability, and consistency of measures across Fashion Activities; coordinate projects and foster cross-functional collaboration.
• Prepare for and lead responses to sensitive, urgent, and crisis situations; organize an incident-response capability, including in a 24/7 operating environment; maintain crisis-management and business-continuity arrangements in line with the Security Director’s governance and direction; develop, update, and test procedures and response and continuity plans through regular exercises; coordinate internal stakeholders, operational teams, providers, and, where needed, authorities or external partners to ensure a rapid, controlled, proportionate response; apply lessons learned, identify vulnerabilities, and lead actions to strengthen site, business, and team resilience.

Qualifications

• More than 20 years of experience in security, safety, operations, risk management, or complex-operations leadership; ideally in demanding, multi-site, exposed, service-oriented, international environments.
• Confirmed experience, ideally exceeding 20 years, in security, safety, operations, risk management, or complex environments.
• Strong expertise in security and safety measures for multi-site, sensitive, and demanding environments.
• Proven experience across several site types, including headquarters, offices, industrial sites, retail, heritage sites, or public venues, in France and internationally.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multidisciplinary teams, including managers, and oversee external providers across broad scopes.
• Proficiency in budget management, performance monitoring, contractual commitments, and continuous improvement.
• Experience engaging with executive management, governance bodies, institutional stakeholders, or public authorities is an advantage.
• Experience in premium or luxury environments, international retail, sensitive events, or highly visible activities is an advantage.
• Ability to support transformation projects, organizational changes, or the security planning of new sites is an advantage.
• Good understanding of HSE, business continuity, crisis management, and operational resilience is an advantage.
• Operational leadership, sound judgment in decision-making, and ability to engage teams within a demanding framework.
• Clear communication, an advisory approach, and influence with senior, business, and expert stakeholders.
• Ability to structure an activity, set priorities, establish clear governance, and manage execution.
• Proficiency in incident management, crisis management, continuity plans, and escalation mechanisms.
• Service mindset, discretion, confidentiality, and ability to preserve the experience expected by the Maison.
• Fluent French and English; Italian is an advantage.
• Good command of spoken and written French and English.

Skills

Experience

More than 20 years; ideally exceeding 20 years, in security, safety, operations, risk management, or complex-operations leadership.

Benefits

Opportunities for career development, growth, and varied career paths.

Culture

Chanel fosters a culture of timeless creativity, exacting craftsmanship, and quiet excellence, where employees are encouraged to uphold the house’s heritage while contributing to its continued innovation. The workplace environment is refined, collaborative, and deeply committed to quality, offering professionals the opportunity to grow within a globally respected maison that values discretion, artistry, and long-term vision.

About Cerulean

Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.