The following article discusses the career path of Director of Security. Learn about how to become one, education requirements, job duties, traits and qualities, national salary outlook as well as top national employers of Director of Securities.
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Job Duties
Directors of security are mainly responsible for making sure that the assets of the organization are secured, and that all staff and customers are safe at all times. This means they must develop, implement, monitor, and review different policies and procedures the security department has to meet. They also have to ensure that all local, state, and federal rules and regulations are adhered to. Indeed, compliance is a key area of their overall job. Furthermore, they work with other members of staff to ensure that there is a blanket understanding of what it means to be safe, developing training programs and presentations to this effect.
Generally, directors of security will work in an office. However, they also have to travel between different sites and departments to ensure that security is properly maintained everywhere. If a safety breach has occurred, the director of safety will investigate this. Because of this, most of these professionals work very long hours, and they also have to be on call. They work hand in hand with the chief operations officer to make sure company goals and objects are being met. All security staff within the organization also has to report to the director of security.
Other job duties of a Director of Security are:
- To plan, coordinate, direct, and organize all safety and security efforts for employees so they can perform as expected.
- To develop, implement, monitor, and review security functions.
- To put security protocols and procedures in place and update them regularly.
- To manage and train all other security staff
Where We Work
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 2.3 million general and operations managers in 2016, of which the director of security forms part. The largest employers of these professionals were:
- Retail trade: 12%
- Professional, scientific, and technical services: 11%
- Manufacturing: 10%
- Wholesale trade: 8%
- Construction: 7%
How to Become
Typically, a director of security will be expected to hold a bachelor’s degree, as well as at least tend years of professional experience in security.
Education Requirements
Security directors are generally expected to have a bachelor’s degree so that they can take on the managerial responsibilities relating to this type of position. Majors in business administration or business management are therefore common. Often times, a director of security has a background in the military or in law enforcement, moving on to office-based positions after several years.
Traits & Qualities
The most effective directors of security have the following traits to some degree or other:
- Keen eye for detail
- Excellent organizational skills
- Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
- Physical stamina
- A logical mind
- Problem solving capabilities
- Decision making capabilities
Minimum Education
Bachelor’s Degree
The national average salary estimate for Director of Security was $99,822. This number is estimated from over 272,924 employees, users past and present job advertisements from Indeed.com. This equates to an hourly salary of $51.99 and monthly of $8,319.
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$19,000
$245,000
The following section lists Director of Security salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings through Indeed.com. For example, Massachusetts had the largest quoted salary of $129,323 while Mississippi had the smallest quoted salary of $39,513.
| Arizona | Illinois | Nebraska | Tennessee |
| California | Kansas | New Jersey | Texas |
| Colorado | Massachusetts | New York | Utah |
| DC | Maryland | Ohio | Virginia |
| Florida | Michigan | Oklahoma | Washington |
| Georgia | Mississippi | Pennsylvania |
According to Indeed.com, the following states had employers looking to hire a Director of Security. The quoted salary figure represents the average salary from all job postings by this employer.
| Employer Name | Location | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Coberon Chronos Group | New York | $257,712 |
| CyberCoders | Massachusetts | $245,145 |
| Hamlyn Williams | New York | $203,552 |
| Robert Half Technology | Georgia | $193,045 |
| VincentBenjamin | Arizona | $176,609 |
| Apex Systems | Maryland | $169,342 |
| Workbridge Associates | New Jersey | $165,508 |
| The Job Jobber | California | $163,420 |
| Solution Partners Inc. | Illinois | $162,573 |
| Kforce | California | $153,903 |
| Pinnacle Placements | New York | $153,551 |
| TechInMotion | New Jersey | $152,959 |
| City & County Of San Francisco | California | $152,094 |
| Request Technology | Illinois | $149,695 |
| Department of Homeland Security | Florida | $144,423 |
| Transportation Security Administration | California | $142,964 |
Learn More
| Career Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Tax Manager | $107,133 |
| Risk Manager | $103,743 |
| Technical Project Manager | $100,971 |
| Director of Finance | $99,996 |
| Finance Director | $99,963 |
| Operations Officer | $96,045 |
| Director of Nursing | $95,821 |
| Disaster Recovery Manager | $94,956 |
| Network Manager | $94,442 |
| Treasury Manager | $94,000 |
