Vice President, Operational Centers of Excellence
Jacobs

Joe M. Olivarez Jr.

Joe M. Olivarez Jr. –
Most Influential People in Security 2021

Joe M. Olivarez Jr. has been an influential leader to Jacobs, a $14 billion multinational engineering company powered by more than 55,000 employees worldwide who deliver innovative, technical, professional and program-management solutions for public and private clients.

As Vice President of Operational Centers of Excellence (OpCOE), Olivarez has built and led the company's integrated global security strategy. He is responsible for assessing, influencing and assisting Jacobs in mitigating security and facilitating resilience in a dynamic international business environment. The security and resilience model includes establishing and maintaining effective working relationships with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to operate an intelligence-driven and risk-based program. Due to his leadership, in 2019, he was requested to lead the company's Global Quality team and the entire Operational Center of Excellence in 2020.

Olivarez says, "The Operational Centers of Excellence (OpCOE) are an embodiment of Jacobs' commitment to excellence and a critical accelerator in Jacobs' journey to be a company like no other." In this role, Olivarez is responsible for the operational execution of the strategies, budget and talent across Health Safety and Environmental, Security & Resilience, Quality and Sustainability. This is done through the stewardship of three of Jacobs' "hero brands" — PlanBeyond (Sustainability), BeyondZero (HSE and Security & Resilience), and BeyondExcellence (Quality). The team provides thought leadership, governance and assurance, research and ideation, knowledge sharing and pioneering practices to allow the company to deliver impactful solutions and services to people, clients and communities.

Though there are many accomplishments Olivarez is proud of, building a security and resilience program at Jacobs has indeed been a highlight in his illustrious career. He explains, "To be given an opportunity to build a program from the ground up at a company who cares and wants to create a more connected and sustainable world and to be able to do so with a team comprised of the most talented security and resilience personnel has been incredibly rewarding."

Before joining Jacobs, Olivarez spent 11 years with Baker Hughes. He held several leadership roles, such as Manager of Investigations, Director of Security Global Operations, and Vice President of Enterprise Security and Crisis Management, Western Hemisphere. There, he was the lead investigator for matters assigned to the security office globally and participated in investigations related to allegations of violations of the business code of conduct and criminal activities, including theft, fraud, workplace violence, conflicts of interest, drugs, kickbacks and loss of intellectual property.

His leadership at Baker Hughes led to the recovery/awards of over $30 million back to the corporation. In addition, he was instrumental in the transformation of the security program to mature from a department to a function.

In support of the Chief Security Officer, his depth of knowledge and approach to security led to the maturity of the Baker Hughes outlook to enterprise security risk management, business planning, strategy development, resilience, country security programs, mergers and acquisitions processes, governance, training, recruitment, intelligence acquisition and analysis, travel risks oversight, physical security and fiscal management.

Prior to Baker Hughes, Olivarez was the Vice President of an international investigative and security management consulting company. There, he provided security guidance and investigative services to a variety of corporations in the oil & gas, technology, entertainment, transportation, real estate and financial management businesses. In addition, Olivarez spent 10 years in the government and defense security business with General Dynamics as a Security Analyst and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as a Special Agent.

His advice to future security and intelligence professionals is to "open the aperture of how you think about your career. Do not focus on titles or positions within an organization. Think about the journey and the experience you want to gain."

Olivarez received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with an emphasis in legal research from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Houston executive management program. He has completed leadership programs at the Thunderbird School of Global Management and Yale Executive School of Management. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Domestic Security Executive Academy.   

Olivarez frequently volunteers his time and expertise to various organizations within the industry, such as the International Security Management Association (ISMA), U.S. State Department Overseas Advisory Security Council (OSAC) — Council Member and FBI Domestic Security Alliance Council (DSAC). He is a current Board Member at ASIS International and Past Chair of the ASIS Chief Security Officer (CSO) Center. Olivarez was selected as the International SOS Ambassador Duty of Care Award Winner in 2018.  In 2020, Olivarez was recognized by IFSEC as IFSEC Top Global Influencers Security & Fire, Commercial — Head of Security category. In 2020, Jacobs was selected as Quality Organization of the Year (Large Corporation Category) by the Chartered Quality Institute.

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The Most Influential People in Security 2021