Physical Security Lead, Manufacturing Operations

About the role

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry-leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU-based hyperscale cloud inference services.

This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real-time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation.

Cerebras works with the leading model labs, global enterprises, and cutting-edge AI-native startups. OpenAI recently announced a multi-year partnership with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference.

Cerebras is seeking an experienced Physical Security Lead, Manufacturing Operations to establish and govern physical security across all current and future contract manufacturing locations. Although Remote, the incumbent must be based in the San Francisco Bay, CA area. This is a hands-on individual-contributor role that reports to the Director, Global Physical Security and provides functional leadership without direct reports.

This role will help set and maintain minimum standards, assess risk, drive corrective actions, and oversee controls for sensitive-area entry, intellectual property protection, cleanroom-compatible operations, contract security services, security technology, and cargo and logistics security practices. The role is required to provide regular site visits and incident-based response.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Global Physical Security partner for current and future contract manufacturing locations; develop and govern minimum standards, site requirements, exceptions, and risk acceptance.
• Conduct initial, recurring, and event-driven site assessments; prioritize findings, establish corrective actions, and verify closure.
• Design and govern sensitive-area entry controls, including clean-in/clean-out (CICO), personal property and data bearing device (DBD) restrictions, visitor and contractor access, escorting, and exceptions, while aligning with cleanroom, ESD, life-safety, and production requirements.
• Protect intellectual property, proprietary processes, prototypes, components, test equipment, finished products, and controlled materials through security zoning, access governance, visitor controls, and photography restrictions.
• Act as the client security representative for partner-managed guard services; where Cerebras contracts directly, manage scope, post orders, training, service levels, performance metrics, and corrective actions.
• Collaborate on Cerebras-managed access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, visitor management, and alarm-monitoring systems, including design reviews, commissioning, and operational validation.
• In partnership with internal stakeholders, define physical security requirements for new manufacturing partners, production lines, facility expansions, contracts, and statements of work.
• Govern cargo and logistics security requirements, including chain of custody, secure staging, shipping and receiving, high-risk shipments, carrier handoffs, and third-party performance.
• Respond to manufacturing-related security incidents, preserve relevant evidence, coordinate fact-finding, identify root causes, and track corrective actions.
• Maintain regular site presence, security metrics, risk reporting, procedures, training, and concise updates for security and business leadership.

Skills and Qualifications

Minimum

• Five or more years of progressively responsible physical security experience directly supporting manufacturing, industrial, semiconductor, electronics, computing hardware, or a comparable operational environment.
• Demonstrated experience implementing security controls in active manufacturing operations while balancing production, safety, quality, cleanroom or ESD requirements, and continuity.
• Experience supporting contract manufacturers, suppliers, or partner-operated facilities through standards, assessments, governance, and stakeholder influence.
• Experience protecting intellectual property, proprietary processes, prototypes, high-value components, products, or sensitive technical information, including CICO or comparable sensitive-area entry controls.
• Working knowledge of access control, video surveillance, intrusion detection, visitor management, alarm monitoring, and contract security service oversight.
• Familiarity with cargo security, chain-of-custody controls, secure shipping and receiving, logistics-provider governance, and manufacturing incident response.
• Strong risk-assessment, project-management, written-communication, analytical, and stakeholder-influence skills.

Preferred

• Physical security experience in semiconductor, advanced electronics, computing hardware, or another intellectual-property-intensive manufacturing sector, including cleanrooms, new-product introduction, or production ramps.
• Experience with Genetec or a comparable enterprise physical security platform.
• Familiarity with relevant security and supply-chain frameworks, such as CTPAT, TAPA, ISO 28000, ISO/IEC 27001 and 27002, NIST SP 800-53 and SP 800-171, as applicable.
• Bachelor's degree in relevant discipline or an equivalent combination of education and directly related experience.
• ASIS CPP, PSP, or PCI certification.

Location and Travel

It requires regular site presence at current and future contract manufacturing locations in and around Sunnyvale, CA, approximately 30-40% travel, and occasional evening, weekend, or short-notice support for significant incidents or operational requirements.