Head of PET's Protective Detail

Can you lead and operate in a complex and changing environment? Can you lead leaders and specialists at a high tempo, while navigating strategic resources and organizational frameworks? Then you might be exactly the leader we need.

PET’s Protective Security Unit is seeking a profile with solid leadership experience for the role as head of the Protective Security Unit. We are looking for a leader who can create a balance between operational execution and strategic organization in an organization where readiness is a fundamental condition, and where you can contribute with creative solutions in a complex security landscape.

In this position you will report to the head of the Protective Security Unit, and you will have overall responsibility for one of the three central units within the Protective Security Unit, which together safeguard the security around the political, royal, and diplomatic level.

It is expected that you can take a clear role in an operational environment and get specialists with high expertise to rise to the task, while maintaining the strategic overview of resources, competence development, and political matters.

The Protective Security Unit is a 24/7 organization, where security tasks do not follow a fixed timetable but follow the threat picture. As a leader, you must therefore expect a daily life characterized by operational readiness. This includes an expectation that you can be available and can act quickly when the situation requires it. For example, physical presence on tasks and active participation in operations.

Your primary areas of responsibility

• Operational leadership of leaders:

o You have direct management responsibility for the unit's middle managers. You ensure they have the mandate and tools to lead their teams in unpredictable and complex situations

• Balancing operations and resources:

o You master the balance between daily operational activity and the necessary long-term investments in education, development, and resource management and can contribute positively and foreseeably into the security solutions that will be necessary in the future.

• Strategic direction and development:

o You ensure that the unit’s security concepts and methodology are continuously developed and future-proofed and that it is a unit that stays at the forefront.

• Quality assurance of execution:

o You are the guarantee that 360-degree security analyses are translated into precise and professionally grounded protection in the field

• Organizational navigation:

o You navigate the crossroads between operational needs, legal and not least political frameworks.

Your profile: A leader with operational heft and theoretical foundation

We are looking for a leader who can win respect through professional depth and human resilience.

We expect that you possess

• Solid experience with leading leaders in operational environments:

o You have documented experience with responsibility for leadership levels in organizations characterized by high complexity, volatile conditions, and professional pressure in complex environments

• The ability to “lead”:

o You have a clear and convincing presence and a personality able to bear responsibility. You can make quick, correct decisions under pressure and communicate them clearly

• Solid theoretical leadership background:

o You lead with insight and can apply leadership theory to develop both people and the organization

• Mastery of resource balancing:

o You can see both the individual operational task and the big organizational picture

• High psychological resilience and human insight:

o You can act decisively in critical situations, but also possess the necessary human insight to ensure high psychological safety – even under pressure

• Adaptable and analytical:

o You thrive in an environment where situations often change, and you can translate complex threat assessments into practical action

You may have a background in the police, the armed forces, the health sector, or other similar authorities. However, your background is not the most important thing. It is your experiences, mindset and personal competences.

We offer

You will become part of a specialized unit where professionalism and discretion are at the core of everything we do. We offer a challenging leadership position with great responsibility and the opportunity to set the direction for a critical societal institution.

In the Police Danish Security Service (PET) we stand on a common leadership foundation, where our leadership values; Holism, Development, Integrity, Trust, and Action provide direction for the impact we as leaders must create. The leadership values help anchor us in a strong leadership community, where your contribution will be meaningful. You can read more about our leadership values here.

In addition, we place high emphasis on certain personal competences at PET. These are competences that we believe are essential for all PET employees regardless of professional background. We do this because it is important to us that we find the right match. You can read about the competences here www.PET.dk/job.

Employment terms

Employment start February 1, 2027. We expect to begin interviews in week 48. You can read more about PET’s entire recruitment process at www.PET.dk/job.

Employment with PET must be treated with discretion, which you as an applicant should be aware of. This means that you can generally tell close and confidential relations whom you trust that you have applied for a position in PET, but not what the job entails.

It is a condition of employment in PET that you can obtain security clearance, and you must be able to maintain the security clearance throughout your employment. As a security-cleared employee, you are expected to be particularly mindful of your duty of confidentiality regarding classified information.

If you have an academic background, you will be employed under collective agreements in accordance with the agreements between the Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations (AC). If you have a different educational background, you will be employed under the standard state civil service collective agreement for clerical staff between the Ministry of Finance and HK/STAT as well as the OAO-S joint agreement.

Your workplace will be at Klausdalsbrovej 1 in Søborg, right next to Buddinge station, where both S-train and bus stop right at the door. At PET we work on internal systems and with confidential tasks, and therefore we also come to work every day to solve our tasks.

Further information

You can learn much more about PET as an employer at www.PET.dk/job, where you can read more about all the professional areas that work in PET and their daily lives. You can also listen to our podcast series “The Service and the Threats.”

You are also always very welcome to contact HR on weekdays at [email protected] or by phone +45 24 62 18 45 between 08:00-11:00 if you have questions about the position, PET as an employer, or similar.

When you apply for a position at PET, you consent to us obtaining your CPR number through the CPR register for identification during the recruitment process. We obtain your CPR number so we can securely send relevant and necessary documents to you via Digital Post.

It is important to us that PET reflects the diversity we work for. Therefore we encourage all interested, regardless of gender, age, religion, sexuality and ethnic background, to apply for the position.

Step into a closed world that opens new doors, where we develop, train and build on what we can. Whether we develop new systems, analyze data or fine-tune the stance for shooting training, we are always on our toes. It creates good opportunities for you to move with us, grow with the tasks and open new doors in your working life.

Start application

Application deadline

11.11.2026

Application deadline

11.11.2026

Employer

The Danish Security Service (PET)

Job location (long)

Søborg

Part-time / full-time

Full-time