Paul started his career at the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1982. He was appointed officer in 1985 and he served in several military missions in former Yugoslavia and the Middle East and led numerous search and rescue operations.

From 1995 to 2012 Paul held several positions within the Dutch government such as Head of Engineering within the Ministry of Traffic and Water Management, Director-Chief Inspector Marine and Fisheries at the Netherland Shipping Inspectorate and Director Rail and Road Transport at the Inspectorate for Transport and Environment.

From 2012-2017 Paul served as Director Resilience at the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Safety (NCTV) in the Ministry of Security and Justice.

Early 2018 he was appointed Director Safety Regions and Crisis Management at DG Police and Safety Regions. In this position he is responsible for the policy on Safety Regions including crisis management with special focus on the integration and development of alarm and dispatch centers, crisis communication (e.g. C2000) and alerting systems.