Portland’s outgoing police chief has accepted a position as the head of global security for the payment-processing technology company Wex and will start later this year, the company said Tuesday.

Chief Frank Clark, who announced last month that he is leaving the police department Nov. 1 for a job in the private sector, will serve as director of global security, said Rob Gould, a spokesman for Portland-based Wex.

“He will be starting later this year,” Gould said in a response to the Press Herald. “As Mr. Clark is not currently a Wex employee there is no additional information that I can provide at this time.”

Clark said that while he has “mixed emotions” about leaving the department, he is excited about the challenges and opportunities at Wex.

“After 33 years in public service, and knowing the caliber of staff in the city and in the PPD, I’m certainly leaving with mixed emotions,” Clark said in an email Tuesday night. “That said, my interactions with WEX staff has also been nothing short of exemplary. The fact that they created this position indicates their commitment to the security and safety of their employees, and I look forward to taking on this new challenge in the weeks and months to come.”

Clark was named Portland’s police chief in July 2019 after Gov. Janet Mills named former chief Michael Sauschuck to be director of the Maine Department of Public Safety. In September, Clark said he would be stepping down to take a job as a “global corporate security director” but did not name the company he would be working for.

His exit is among a string of recent top-level departures from the city, including the city manager, who is leaving for a similar job in Clearwater, Florida. It also comes as Portland’s Charter Commission is considering significant changes to the structure of local government and on the heels of nationwide calls for police accountability.

In a resignation letter sent to the city manager last month, Clark said it was an honor and privilege to serve Portland and work alongside some of the best police personnel in Maine. “I appreciate your support of the department since my appointment and throughout what I believe has been the most challenging period for law enforcement and our communities in my nearly 33 years of public service,” he said.

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