Security Manager at Nooks in El Segundo, CA

ABOUT NOOKS
Nooks is pioneering Classified-Infrastructure-as-a-Service (CIaaS) — designing, building, and operating Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) and other secured, classified environments for the defense and national security community. We work with the agencies, contractors, and mission-driven organizations that keep the nation safe, delivering the physical infrastructure that makes classified work possible. We’re growing fast, operating across multiple markets, and building a company that takes both the mission and the business seriously.
About the Role
As Security Manager, you own security at your site – full stop. You’ll lead all security operations, oversee the site security team, and act as the primary liaison between Nooks and its government, defense, and industry partners. This is a senior role for someone with deep expertise in industrial and physical security, classified space accreditation and operations, and risk mitigation, and who thrives operating at the intersection of compliance, operations, and client relationships. You’ll be appointed as the site’s Facility Security Officer (FSO), functioning as the senior security representative at the site, directly reporting to the Senior Manager of Industrial Security.
At Nooks, we move fast. While you’ll have clear ownership over your core responsibilities, startup life means priorities can shift. We’re looking for a proactive problem-solver who is comfortable with ambiguity and ready to lean in wherever the team needs them most to drive us forward. You’re never satisfied with the status quo – you’re constantly looking for new ways, methods, and ideas to keep security operations moving at pace, remove friction for clients, and deliver the best security experience at the site.
Key Responsibilities
Security Program Leadership & Compliance
Lead all aspects of site and program security, ensuring full compliance with NISPOM, SCI, and SAP security regulations, standards, and policies.
Oversee site security operations to guarantee consistently high physical security readiness, reporting findings and recommendations directly to the Senior Manager of Industrial Security.
Own security incident response, from initial resolution and notification to the Senior Industrial Security Manager, through root-cause analysis and process correction.
Accreditation, Risk, & Documentation
Oversee the ongoing maintenance of SCIFs and other classified spaces at your site.
Conduct and manage security risk assessments, audits, and vulnerability analyses, translating findings into concrete corrective action plans.
Lead the coordination and successful execution of annual and no-notice assessments, inspections, facility certifications, and accreditation activities.
Contract & Requirements Management
Prepare, review, and manage DD254s, including direct coordination with industry and government partners on flow-down subcontractor requirements.
Derive infrastructure and program security requirements from DD254s, MOUs, CUAs, and prime and subcontractor agreements, and Membership Agreements, translating contract language into day-to-day operational practice.
Evaluate internal security processes on an ongoing basis and deliver direct, actionable feedback to managers, directors, and executives.
Team Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement
Supervise, mentor, and ensure the operational readiness of the site security team – genuinely investing in their success, and providing meaningful, constructive feedback along the way.
Act as the primary onsite liaison for escalated security matters with internal stakeholders, partners, clients, and U.S. Government entities.
Provide strategic recommendations on security program direction, methods, and decisions to site and company leadership.
Support the Growth, Product, and Contracts teams with technical sales and business development input – advising, accompanying, and delivering feedback on Nooks security products and services – and partner cross-functionally with IT & Cyber, Product, and Ops.
Constantly look for ways to accelerate site security operations – proposing new methods, tools, and process improvements that cut friction, speed up delivery, and elevate the security experience for every client and partner onsite.
What Success Looks Like in This Role
After 12 months, your site has passed every annual or short-notice assessment with zero critical findings and your accreditation documentation is audit-ready at all times. Your site security team is stable, well-mentored, and operating with a clear chain of escalation, and at least one team member has grown into greater ownership under your management. Government, defense, and industry partners treat you as the trusted point of contact for escalated security matters, and Growth, Product, and Contracts regularly pull you into deals for technical credibility. Leadership relies on your risk assessments and strategic recommendations to shape decisions about the security program, not just to react to problems after they surface.
Cross-Functional Expectations
You report to the Senior Manager of Industrial Security and are expected to drive decisions on site-level security posture, not simply execute on direction from others. You’ll work closely and regularly with IT & Cyber, Product, Ops, and Growth, and you’ll serve as the senior security point of contact for Nooks clients, industry partners, and U.S. Government entities. Internally, you’re expected to mentor and develop your site security team directly; externally, you’re expected to represent Nooks with the credibility of someone who owns the accreditation and compliance posture of the site.
The Skillset
Required
At least 9 years of experience in industrial and physical security, with significant time in cleared defense contracting, SCIF, and/or SAP environments.
Prior experience serving as an FSO or in a role carrying equivalent authority.
Deep working knowledge of NISPOM, SCI, and SAP requirements.
Demonstrated people-management experience, including supervising, mentoring, and developing a well-rounded security team.
Strong executive presence and communication skills, with comfort serving as the primary liaison to senior government and industry stakeholders.
A track record of driving process improvements and pace in a compliance-heavy environment – someone who treats speed and security readiness as complementary, not competing, goals.
Preferred
Experience supporting business development or technical sales conversations in a cleared or defense-adjacent environment.
Eligibility & Clearance
Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States. In-scope TS/SCI security clearance eligibility is required. All candidates must be eligible for and committed to maintaining a U.S. government security clearance as a condition of employment.
Salary Range for all departments
Salary Range
$150,000—$175,000 USD