How To Become A Corporate Security Manager: What It Is and Career Path

What is a corporate security manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

The average corporate security manager salary is $98,582. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an criminal justice major. It usually takes 2-4 years of experience to become a corporate security manager. Corporate security managers with a Security 5 Certification certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 32% and produce 35,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreCorporate Security ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.6

Avg. Salary $98,582

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 32%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.66%

Asian 6.96%

Black or African American 7.76%

Hispanic or Latino 13.03%

Unknown 4.71%

White 66.87%

Gender

female 11.11%

male 88.89%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.9

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.4

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a corporate security manager

Explore corporate security manager education requirements

Most common corporate security manager degrees

Bachelor's

63.3 %

Associate

14.9 %

Master's

14.5 %

Start to develop specific corporate security manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Security Procedures	7.82%
Physical Security	6.19%
Security Systems	5.78%
Security Operations	5.52%
CCTV	5.41%

Complete relevant corporate security manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New corporate security managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a corporate security manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real corporate security manager resumes.

Research corporate security manager duties and responsibilities

Manage UL alarm employee access codes and enter and delete employee UL codes as necessary.
Develop perimeter security strategy and provide oversight for manage security services.
Manage high-visibility and mission-critical infrastructure security upgrade projects.
Monitor CCTV security surveillance system.

Prepare your corporate security manager resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your corporate security manager resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a corporate security manager resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable corporate security manager resume templates

Build a professional corporate security manager resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your corporate security manager resume.

Apply for corporate security manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a corporate security manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first corporate security manager job

Peter Tonga

Corporate Security Manager, Gaz du Cameroun

Retired Captain of the National Gendarmerie, 35 years’ working experience in different capacities as an Investigator, Security Manager, Private detective with a very long and strategic experience in Cooperate Security. I have undergone courses in America and Israel on Protection of VIP’s, Security management and Monitor Anti-terrorism. Worked as a closed Protection Officer in the Presidential Security Yaoundé. Worked as Security Manager with GLENCORE Exploration Company Limited (British Petroleum Company) Douala. Country Security Manager Consultant with USAID GHSC-PSM Maroua in the Far North of Cameroon.
I retired from the Gendarmerie and switch to private security. I started Corporate security with Glencore Exploration Limited Oil and Gas British Company based in Douala. I worked there for 02 years as the Security Manager. My scope of work was based on protection of assets, people, visitors and contractors. The perception of security as being an unnecessary cost is slowly changing and businesses increasingly realise that corporate security does not only protect company assets, people and visitors, but actually adds value to key business processes. Unfortunately the actual trust and understanding are still missing in many companies. I latered had another challenge with USAID GHSC-PSM based in the Far North Maroua Cameroon where I served for 07 months before joining Gaz du Cameroun in Douala. During these years of experience, I concentrated on identifying, monitoring and detering internal and external threats to assets, staff, and manage physical crises when they occurs. I now look forward to retire and continue as an independed private corporate security consultant.

How do corporate security managers rate their job?

-/5

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Corporate security manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2021

Pros

Providing training on professionalism, cultural diversity, emergency management protocols, fire and emergency evacuation, directing a team of professional security officers and and supervisors. Working as one team.

Cons

Untrained individuals with no background in security Interfering with security operations. that put life and property at risk. Folk who fail to take security and safety serious.