How to hire an asset protection lead

How to hire an asset protection lead, step by step

Here's a step-by-step asset protection lead hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an asset protection lead job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new asset protection lead
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an asset protection lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the asset protection lead you need to hire. Certain asset protection lead roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an asset protection lead to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an asset protection lead that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of asset protection lead salaries for various roles:

   Type of Asset Protection Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Asset Protection Lead		$21-63
   Community Services Officer	Community service offers or CSO support in crime response, investigation, and prevention where police powers are not necessary. The community service officers assist the police officers in terms of upholding order and law in the community... Show more	$12-25
   Officer	An officer is responsible for managing the daily operations of the assigned area, ensuring its peace and security by monitoring and reporting unusual and suspicious activities. Officers are the ones enforcing strict safety protocols and procedures to maintain the order within the premises... Show more	$12-49

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Loss Prevention
   • Internal Investigations
   • Crisis Situations
   • External Theft
   • Compliance Issues
   • Criminal Justice
   • Develop Team
   • Local Law Enforcement
   • Crisis Events
   • Safety Procedures
   • CCTV
   • Performance Reviews
   • Law Enforcement Officials
   • OSHA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage regulatory compliance initiatives (ESIM, OSHA, weights & measures, fire code).
   • Maintain full accountability for managing all aspects of day-to-day safety and security activities in accordance with organizational goals and objectives.
   • Train store leaders and team members on environmental management compliance standards under OSHA guidelines.
   • Utilize CCTV to discover internal/external cash/merchandise theft.
   • Monitor CCTV for any suspicious activity and shoplifters.
   • Maintain full accountability for managing all aspects of day-to-day safety and security activities in accordance with organizational goals and objectives.

   More asset protection lead duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your asset protection lead job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An asset protection lead can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, asset protection leads' average salary in hawaii is 50% less than in new york.
   • Seniority. Entry-level asset protection leads 67% less than senior-level asset protection leads.
   • Certifications. An asset protection lead with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an asset protection lead's salary.

   Average asset protection lead salary

   $77,219yearly

   $37.12 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level asset protection lead salary

   $44,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average asset protection lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	New York	$109,137	$52
   2	California	$106,819	$51
   3	New Jersey	$95,767	$46
   4	Texas	$92,247	$44
   5	Michigan	$92,030	$44
   6	Pennsylvania	$83,626	$40
   7	Illinois	$81,584	$39
   8	Massachusetts	$80,633	$39
   9	District of Columbia	$78,034	$38
   10	Arkansas	$77,955	$37
   11	Tennessee	$77,804	$37
   12	Oregon	$76,152	$37
   13	Nevada	$74,479	$36
   14	Wisconsin	$72,614	$35
   15	North Carolina	$72,154	$35
   16	Washington	$71,918	$35
   17	Ohio	$69,880	$34
   18	Florida	$68,100	$33
   19	Georgia	$66,955	$32
   20	South Dakota	$65,366	$31

   Average asset protection lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Koch Industries	$134,788	$64.80	2
   2	Biogen	$131,913	$63.42	2
   3	AbbVie	$124,575	$59.89	2
   4	Fujitsu	$111,076	$53.40
   5	CVS Health	$101,707	$48.90	2
   6	Kimberly-Clark	$98,998	$47.60	1
   7	Sierra Nevada	$97,059	$46.66	3
   8	Aon	$95,939	$46.12
   9	Park Hudson	$93,784	$45.09
   10	Mathematica	$92,338	$44.39
   11	TD Bank	$92,037	$44.25
   12	Georgia-Pacific	$89,849	$43.20
   13	*n/a*	$89,595	$43.07	8
   14	National Capitol Contracting, Llc	$89,594	$43.07
   15	Sodexo Management, Inc.	$88,367	$42.48	3
   16	Georgia-Pacific Panel Products	$88,023	$42.32
   17	WestRock	$87,209	$41.93	1
   18	Neenah	$85,099	$40.91
   19	Teradyne	$82,045	$39.44
   20	National Basketball Association	$76,650	$36.85

4. Writing an asset protection lead job description

   A good asset protection lead job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of an asset protection lead job description:

   Asset protection lead job description example

   As a family company, we serve people and communities. When you work at Meijer, you're provided with career and community opportunities centered around leadership, personal growth and development. Consider joining our family - take care of your career and your community!
   Meijer Rewards
   Weekly pay Scheduling flexibility Paid parental leave Paid education assistance Care.com/back-up care assistance Team member discount Development programs for advancement and career growth
   
   Please review the job profile below and apply today!
   
   Collaborates with the Market Asset Protection Manager and Store Leadership to support a culture of shrink prevention through operational excellence, theft controls and people development, along with a culture of safety with 200% accountability. Oversees and ensures the effectiveness of Asset Protection shrink prevention initiatives, company directives and safety efforts to maintain an open environment of integrity and excellence.
   .
   What You'll be Doing:
   Manages leadership of the Asset Protection team including hiring, performance reviews, providing timely feedback, scheduling within budget standards and overall performance as it aligns to company programs and initiatives.Manages and participates in investigations of internal/external losses and criminal acts and ensures store wide execution of deterrence methods, including merchandise protection, by teaching, training and providing consistent follow up to store leadership.Serves as a permanent member of the store's Safety Committee team and promotes the 200% safety accountability expectation.Conducts safety auditing to identify any unsafe conditions and behavior, then determine and implement strategies to remedy any concerns.Ensures physical security of assigned unit, e.g. AP technology, fire protection system and associated alarms are operational, key control is properly maintained, doors are locked when designated by policy and staff is appropriately trained.Develops and implements strategies related to store's shrink plans and ensures that Asset Protection goals are accomplished.Maintains professional company standards within the Asset Protection office as it serves for a point of contact with outside/third party authorities.Reviews financial reports and area specific processes to determine root cause analysis of issues identified and partners with store leadership to assist with resolutions.Conducts pre and post inventory assessments and analysis.Attend, participate and present at store meetings, new team member orientation and department specific meetings with Asset Protection related topics.This job profile is not meant to be all inclusive of the responsibilities of this position; may perform other duties as assigned or required.
   
   What You Bring With You (Qualifications):
   High School Diploma required.Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience preferred.1 - 2 years of retail experience.1 - 2 years of investigative experience preferred.1 - 2 years of supervisory experience preferred.Ability to think strategically and make discretionary recommendations and decisions.Ability to proficiently delegate tasks to ensure completion at multiple units.Ability to prioritize time to achieve the greatest positive impact to the organization.Utilizes effective leadership skills to remotely lead asset protection teams even while not on the premises.Proficient in Microsoft Office (i.e. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint).Ability to analyze financial reporting tools including Shrink, P/L statements, Risk Assessments and Exception reports.Strong investigative skills/techniques.Skilled in interviewing and interrogations tactics (Wicklander preferred).Understanding of the criminal and civil justice system (e.g. local, state, federal, and regulatory, etc.).Understanding of Organized Retail Crime.Understanding of retail operations (e.g. cash office, receiving, pharmacy operations) and product protection strategies.
   .
   .

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find asset protection leads for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your asset protection lead job on Zippia to find and recruit asset protection lead candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit asset protection leads, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new asset protection lead

   Once you have selected a candidate for the asset protection lead position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new asset protection lead. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an asset protection lead?