Head of Security / Quartermaster Security Organization

Project overview

RET is looking for an experienced Head of Security / Quartermaster Security Organization who will be responsible for strengthening, professionalizing, and structurally organizing the physical security organization. The assignment will be carried out within the Safety department, under the responsibility of the Manager Safety. RET wants to demonstrably manage the most important physical security risks directly while simultaneously working towards a suitable, professional, and structurally fundable security organization.

The task focuses on realizing clear control over control room security, site security, alarm response, and any mobile surveillance. Furthermore, the permit position under the Private Security Organizations and Detective Agencies Act (Wpbr) must be re-established and, if necessary, restored. As Head of Security, you will also act as quartermaster during the assignment. You combine strategic organizational development with operational management and bring direction, structure, and execution power.

You will ensure visible risk reduction, a well-functioning operational security organization, and a substantiated proposal for future organization, capacity, sourcing, and financing.

About the team

The security organization is part of RET's Safety department and falls under the Manager Safety. Within the department, among others, BOA officers work who focus on control, supervision, and enforcement in public transport. The security organization primarily focuses on control room security, site security, alarm response, and possibly mobile surveillance. In this role, you will work intensively with, among others:

Result of the assignment

The assignment must lead to a demonstrable improvement in physical security and a professionally organized, future-proof security organization. The following results must be achieved:

Activities

Quartermastering and operational management

Wpbr, permits, and compliance

Organizational development and capacity planning

Control room and security processes

Supplier management and incident management

Strategic advice and embedding

The profile

RET is looking for an experienced and authoritative security professional who can combine strategy, organizational development, and operational management. You have demonstrable experience in building, reorganizing, or professionalizing a physical security organization within a complex, socially relevant, and preferably 24/7 operational environment. You can switch between management, operational staff, technical specialists, suppliers, and public safety partners.

You are capable of translating risk analyses into clear priorities and directly executable security measures, while simultaneously working on a sustainable organizational model. You possess thorough knowledge of the Wpbr and understand the practical requirements regarding permit issuance, screening, identification, training, and professional competence of security personnel. You are decisive, approachable, and politically sensitive. You can bring calm, clarity, and direction even in situations with conflicting interests and urgent security issues.

Job requirements

The following ten requirements are hard requirements and must be concretely and demonstrably evident from the CV and, where requested, from reference assignments:

Wishes

Competencies

Additional information

Selection interviews will take place on:

A Certificate of Conduct (VOG) may be part of the selection procedure.

Incidental deployment outside regular working hours may be necessary for serious security incidents, exercises, or crisis situations.

The rates agreed upon at award are fixed and binding for two years from the start date of the agreement. Indexation or interim rate increases are excluded during this period, except for changes due to mandatory government measures or collective labor agreement obligations.

About RET

RET provides public transport in Rotterdam and the surrounding area and continuously works towards a safe, reliable, and future-proof transport environment. Within this assignment

• Manager Safety and the control room.
• BOA organization.
• Site and space management.
• Technical Automation.
• Stations & Buildings.
• Asset management.
• IT/CISO and Privacy.
• HR and Procurement.
• External security suppliers and public safety partners.
• A validated baseline measurement and prioritized risk profile for the security organization.
• A demonstrable approach to the most urgent physical security risks.
• An established temporary management and escalation model for security incidents.
• A complete Wpbr file and a submitted or demonstrably prepared permit application, in line with the chosen organizational model.
• A target organizational model with roles, responsibilities, mandates, staffing, and interfaces with the BOA organization.
• A substantiated staffing, scheduling, and capacity plan for the control room, site security, and surveillance.
• A sourcing and supplier advice with a structural cost estimate.
• A control room handbook with uniform operational processes, procedures, and instructions.
• A training, screening, identification, and professional competence plan.
• A KPI dashboard and periodic management reports.
• A management decision-making document for the structural organization and financing.
• A handover and embedding plan for the standing organization.
• Positioning and temporarily operationally managing the security function under the Manager Safety.
• Building cohesive control over control room security, site security, alarm response, and mobile surveillance.
• Executing and having validated a baseline measurement of organization, locations, risks, capacity, processes, technology, contracts, and compliance.
• Translating threat and risk analyses into directly executable security measures, deployment orders, post instructions, and escalation agreements.
• Setting up a central risk register, measures register, decision log, and management reporting.
• Reconstructing the existing and former Wpbr permit position.
• Determining the required permit category for the future security organization.
• Organizing and guiding the application or re-acquisition of necessary Wpbr permits.
• Ensuring the required authorization for managers and employees.
• Organizing and monitoring screening, identification, training, professional competence, uniforming, and personnel files.
• Coordinating with Legal Affairs, HR, Procurement, Justis, and police on relevant permit and compliance issues.
• Developing a structural organizational model for the security organization.
• Elaborating governance, functions, staffing, schedules, span of control, mandates, and segregation of duties.
• Determining the required capacity for the control room, site security, and surveillance.
• Advising on the optimal structure of the security organization.
• Preparing a sourcing advice for in-house execution, outsourcing, or a hybrid organizational model.
• Substantiating structural costs, investments, and necessary resources.
• Professionalizing control room processes for intake, verification, prioritization, dispatch, registration, escalation, continuity, and fallback.
• Developing and establishing uniform procedures, post instructions, surveillance routes, and alarm and escalation matrices.
• Improving the coherence between people, processes, and security technology.
• Assessing security facilities such as camera surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, intercom, communication systems, and alarm transmission.
• Organizing training, exercises, evaluations, quality controls, and continuous improvement.
• Contractually and operationally managing external security service providers.
• Establishing and monitoring appropriate KPIs and SLAs.
• Coordinating serious security incidents until the competent crisis or emergency organization takes over control.
• Advising on security risks, control measures, and operational improvements.
• Maintaining contacts with internal stakeholders, suppliers, and public safety partners.
• Advising the Manager Safety and the management team on priorities, residual risks, investments, capacity, and structural resources.
• Preparing management decision-making on future organization and financing.
• Documenting processes, responsibilities, and control measures.
• Preparing a handover and embedding plan for the structural organization.
• A completed HBO or WO education in Integral Safety, Security Management, Business Administration, Public Administration, or a demonstrably equivalent field.
• At least 8 years of demonstrable work experience in physical security, corporate security, or security operations, with at least 3 years in a managerial or ultimately responsible role.
• Demonstrable experience in setting up, reorganizing, or professionalizing a security organization with control room, site security, or surveillance activities.
• Demonstrable knowledge and practical experience with the Wpbr, including permit issuance, authorization, and screening of managers and employees, identification, and training requirements.
• Demonstrable experience with risk analyses, security plans, incident management, and translating risks into operational measures.
• Demonstrable experience in managing external security service providers, contracts, KPIs, and SLAs.
• Availability for an average of 32 hours per week for approximately 40 weeks and deployability at RET locations in Rotterdam and surrounding areas.
• Excellent command of the Dutch language, both spoken and written.
• Willingness and ability to undergo the integrity and security screening required by RET before starting.
• At least two relevant references from comparable assignments.
• Experience within public transport, rail, airport, port, industry, critical infrastructure, or a comparable 24/7 operational environment.
• Experience with camera surveillance, access control, intrusion detection, PSIM, or integrated security platforms.
• Experience with organizational design, staffing planning, scheduling models, and make-or-buy issues.
• Experience collaborating with police, safety regions, municipalities, Justis, and other public safety partners.
• Relevant additional training or certifications, such as Security Management, CPP, PSP, crisis management, risk management, or equivalent.
• Leadership and natural authority: you provide direction to the security organization and know how to involve employees and stakeholders.
• Political and organizational sensitivity: you understand political relationships, different interests, and organizational decision-making processes.
• Analytical and risk-driven: you can assess and prioritize security risks and translate them into effective measures.
• Decisive and stress-resistant: you remain effective under pressure and take responsibility for urgent security issues.
• Planned and results-oriented: you work in a structured manner and focus on concrete results and timely delivery.
• Organizationally strong: you know how to set priorities and effectively organize people, processes, and resources.
• Persuasive and connecting: you bring different stakeholders together and create support for changes.
• Communicative: you communicate clearly and professionally, both orally and in writing.
• Integrity and reliability: you act carefully and pay attention to confidentiality and security.
• Pragmatic: you combine directly executable improvements with attention to structural embedding.
• Thursday, October 29, 2026, at 09:00, 14:00, and 16:00.
• Monday, November 2, 2026, at 11:00 and 13:00.

Project details

• Start: 2026-11-08T23:00:00
• Location: Rotterdam Zuid-Holland, NL
• Languages: Dutch