Security Managers

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and SecurityO*NET 11-3013.01United States

Direct an organization's security functions, including physical security and safety of employees and facilities.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning

Median annual earnings: $106,156
Projected change: +7.3%
Typical education: Bachelor's degree
Employment: 162.72K jobs

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

The work

What security managers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

Develop budgets for security operations.
Identify, investigate, or resolve security breaches.
Plan, direct, or coordinate security activities to safeguard company employees, guests, or others on company property.
Direct or participate in emergency management and contingency planning.
Respond to medical emergencies, bomb threats, fire alarms, or intrusion alarms, following emergency response procedures.
Analyze and evaluate security operations to identify risks or opportunities for improvement through auditing, review, or assessment.
Assess risks to mitigate potential consequences of incidents and develop a plan to respond to incidents.
Create or implement security standards, policies, and procedures.
Develop, implement, manage, or evaluate policies and methods to protect personnel against harassment, threats, or violence.
Develop, recommend, or manage security procedures for operations or processes, such as security call centers, access control, and reporting tools.
Supervise or provide leadership to subordinate security professionals, performing activities such as hiring, investigating applicants' backgrounds, training, assigning work, evaluating performance, or disciplining.
Plan security for special and high-risk events.
Conduct threat or vulnerability analyses to determine probable frequency, criticality, consequence, or severity of natural or man-made disasters or criminal activity on the organization's profitability or delivery of products or services.
Conduct physical examinations of property to ensure compliance with security policies and regulations.
Coordinate security operations or activities with public law enforcement, fire and other agencies.
Monitor security policies, programs or procedures to ensure compliance with internal security policies, or applicable government security requirements, policies, and directives.
Monitor and ensure a sound, ethical environment.
Communicate security status, updates, and actual or potential problems, using established protocols.
Write or review security-related documents, such as incident reports, proposals, and tactical or strategic initiatives.
Develop or manage investigation programs, including collection and preservation of video and notes of surveillance processes or investigative interviews.
Train subordinate security professionals or other organization members in security rules and procedures.
Prepare reports or make presentations on internal investigations, losses, or violations of regulations, policies and procedures.
Attend meetings, professional seminars, or conferences to keep abreast of changes in executive legislative directives or new technologies impacting security operations.
Purchase security-related supplies, equipment, or technology.
Develop, arrange for, perform, or assess executive protection activities to reduce security risks.
Develop, conduct, support, or assist in governmental reviews, internal corporate evaluations, or assessments of the overall effectiveness of facility and personnel security processes.
Review financial reports to ensure efficiency and quality of security operations.
Support efforts to reduce substance abuse or other illegal activities in the workplace.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile: $64,112
25th percentile: $81,592
50th percentile: $106,156
75th percentile: $138,532
90th percentile: $176,905

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $106,156 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+7.3%faster than average

2025162,718 jobs

2035 projected174,651 jobs

11,933 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Bachelor's degree: 70%
Master's or Professional degree: 15%
Associate degree: 10%
Certificate: 5%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

Physical Security
Security Management
Access Controls
Physical Security Operations
Law Enforcement
Auditing
Security Policies
Security Systems
Risk Analysis
Industrial Security
Security Requirements Analysis
Incident Response
Project Management
Emergency Response
SAP Applications
Risk Management
Operations Security
Corporate Security
National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM)
Crisis Management

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Judgment and Decision Making: Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Monitoring: Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Complex Problem Solving: Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Management of Personnel Resources: Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Active Learning: Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Management of Financial Resources: Determining how money will be spent to get the work done, and accounting for these expenditures.
Time Management: Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Learning Strategies: Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Service Orientation: Actively looking for ways to help people.
Systems Evaluation: Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Instructing: Teaching others how to do something.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

01Security Managers1,217 postings
02Security Specialists764 postings
03Security Account Managers741 postings
04Security Operations Managers421 postings
05Directors of Security412 postings
06Physical Security Managers404 postings
07Security Program Managers293 postings
08Account Managers255 postings
09Personnel Security Specialists252 postings
10Physical Security Specialists223 postings
11Industrial Security Specialists188 postings
12Industrial Security Analysts168 postings
13Security Shift Managers150 postings
14Regional Security Managers129 postings
15Program Security Representatives123 postings
16Corporate Security Managers101 postings
17Industrial Security Managers100 postings
18Security Site Managers96 postings
19Security Services Managers94 postings
20Global Security Managers89 postings

Top employers

01Allied Universal1,063 postings
02Amazon272 postings
03Andy Frain Services240 postings
04Serco206 postings
05Northrop Grumman193 postings
06GAF Materials Corporation191 postings
07Securitas174 postings
08Lockheed Martin157 postings
09Boeing124 postings
10GardaWorld119 postings
11Accenture109 postings
12General Dynamics101 postings
13United States Department of Defense98 postings
14RTX86 postings
15Leidos69 postings
16Sunstates Security64 postings
17Inter-Con Security Systems63 postings
18Amentum58 postings
19Datavant54 postings
20Microsoft53 postings

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