Director of Security Salary

Created by Henry Steele

By Henry Steele - January 8, 2018
Reading Time: 7 minutes
Reading Time: 7 minutes

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.

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

National Salary

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

Salary Distribution

Salary by State

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.

ArizonaIllinoisNebraskaTennessee
CaliforniaKansasNew JerseyTexas
ColoradoMassachusettsNew YorkUtah
DCMarylandOhioVirginia
FloridaMichiganOklahomaWashington
GeorgiaMississippiPennsylvania
Arizona$89,020Rank: 14th
The average salary ranks 14th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like VincentBenjamin.

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$16,000

$223,000

Salary Distribution
California$122,209Rank: 3rd
The average salary ranks 3rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like G4S, UNIQU3 SOLUTIONS, Monterey Peninsula College, and Bright Star Security, Inc..

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$26,000

$288,000

Salary Distribution
Colorado$89,917Rank: 13th
The average salary ranks 13th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Community College of Aurora and City and County of Denver.

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$17,000

$221,000

Salary Distribution
DC$115,923Rank: 5th
The average salary ranks 5th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Clinical Management Consultants.

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$27,000

$266,000

Salary Distribution
Florida$59,008Rank: 21st
The average salary ranks 21st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like G4S, Valor Security Services, Securitas Security Services USA, Inc, and AlliedBarton Security Services.

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$14,000

$149,000

Salary Distribution
Georgia$95,499Rank: 10th
The average salary ranks 10th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like G4S, Securitas Security Services- Atlanta, GA, Robert Half Technology, and iStaff.

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$20,000

$227,000

Salary Distribution
Illinois$126,290Rank: 2nd
The average salary ranks 2nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Securitas Security Services USA, Inc, Professional Security Consultants (PSC), Titan Security Group, and Securitas.

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$45,000

$246,000

Salary Distribution
Kansas$97,933Rank: 9th
The average salary ranks 9th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders.

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$25,000

$217,000

Salary Distribution
Massachusetts$129,323Rank: 1st
The average salary ranks 1st among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Guardsmark and CyberCoders.

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$27,000

$307,000

Salary Distribution
Maryland$90,963Rank: 11th
The average salary ranks 11th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Frederick Community College and Apex Systems.

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$16,000

$227,000

Salary Distribution
Michigan$90,177Rank: 12th
The average salary ranks 12th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Transportation Security Administration.

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$14,000

$234,000

Salary Distribution
Mississippi$39,513Rank: 23rd
The average salary ranks 23rd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like G4S.

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$10.40

$32.65

Salary Distribution
Nebraska$76,739Rank: 17th
The average salary ranks 17th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Professional Security Consultants (PSC).

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$19,000

$172,000

Salary Distribution
New Jersey$119,540Rank: 4th
The average salary ranks 4th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Montclair State University, Workbridge Associates, and TechInMotion.

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$27,000

$276,000

Salary Distribution
New York$103,628Rank: 7th
The average salary ranks 7th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like G4S, Clinical Management Consultants, Claremont, and Coberon Chronos Group.

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$19,000

$256,000

Salary Distribution
Ohio$68,475Rank: 19th
The average salary ranks 19th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CLEVELAND BOTANICAL GARDEN.

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$14,000

$182,000

Salary Distribution
Oklahoma$57,348Rank: 22nd
The average salary ranks 22nd among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like G4S.

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$15,000

$125,000

Salary Distribution
Pennsylvania$110,890Rank: 6th
The average salary ranks 6th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like AlliedBarton Security Services, Workbridge Associates, The Job Jobber, and Transportation Security Administration.

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$30,000

$242,000

Salary Distribution
Tennessee$63,861Rank: 20th
The average salary ranks 20th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Robert Half Technology and G4S.

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$14,000

$151,000

Salary Distribution
Texas$80,703Rank: 16th
The average salary ranks 16th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like G4S, U.S. Security Associates, Inc., and Robert Half Technology.

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$14,000

$217,000

Salary Distribution
Utah$69,316Rank: 18th
The average salary ranks 18th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Professional Security Consultants (PSC).

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$14,000

$183,000

Salary Distribution
Virginia$100,919Rank: 8th
The average salary ranks 8th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like Country Club India.

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$18,000

$251,000

Salary Distribution
Washington$88,084Rank: 15th
The average salary ranks 15th among states in the country. There were also job openings from employers like CyberCoders.

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$17,000

$216,000

Salary Distribution

Top 20 National Employers

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 NameLocationAverage Salary

Learn More

Related Careers

Career NameAverage Salary

Henry Steele
Managing Editor
Henry is Managing Editor of BusinessStudent.com. He is a seasoned business professional who regularly consults with local business's throughout Southern California. Henry pursued his undergrad in Business and Economics at the University of San Diego and gained valuable life changing experience through a unique internship upon graduation.

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