What does a facility security officer do?

Facility security officers supervise daily security activities, enforce control, and ensure company security policies are strictly followed. They are responsible for creating a secure working environment for employees, vendors, and company visitors. They manage and monitor daily activities concerning entry and exit, video security, and other devices related to security. They also manage employee access to restricted and protected areas, review closed-circuit recordings, coordinate with management on certain security protocols and legal requirements.
Facility security officer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real facility security officer resumes:
- Manage the application for the FCL, maintain e-FCL and track clearance progress; provide CEO reports for require clearance actions.
- Act as FSO and primary facility POC while FSO are away, conduct security briefings and initiating certain security actions.
- Inspect classified accounts for compliance with the security regulations and policies regarding protection of classify information and COMSEC material.
- Receive AED and CPR certification.
- Schedule and conduct orientation, first aid, CPR and alcohol training classes.
- Act as central dispatcher and carefully monitor the premises through the campus CCTV system.
- Escort athletes and other VIP personnel to & from designate areas around the venue.
- Used various high-tech security devices such as CCTV, video records, and magnetic detectors.
- Review and ensure validity of DD254's for current contract and currently advising on future contract DD254.
- Patrol commercial premises to prevent and detect signs of intrusion and ensure security of doors, windows, and gates.
- Assist with the implementation of the SIMS database to include data migration, determining relevant fields, and list management.
- Conduct weekly audits on all classify information systems; conduct document inventory on a quarterly basis; document reports using SIMS.
- Process sub-contractor DD254 s. Interaction with all military disciplines, customers, vendors and suppliers to ensure compliance with security requirements.
- Perform security patrol of designate areas.
- Review security paperwork for completeness and correctness through e-QIP.
Facility security officer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 7% of Facility Security Officers are proficient in Security Program, JPAS, and Patrol. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Good judgment, and Observation skills.
We break down the percentage of Facility Security Officers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Security Program, 7%
Led day-to-day oversight of security program while providing guidance to staff involving all aspects of safety and security measures and developments.
- JPAS, 5%
Tracked security clearance investigations and performed administrative support functions to include Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) administration.
- Patrol, 5%
Performed security patrol of designated areas.
- DOD, 5%
Executed security protection processes regarding designated Contract Security Classification Specifications (DD 254) within the guidelines of DoD regulations.
- NISP, 5%
Hosted government inspectors for security audits and perform other security-related functions per NISP requirements.
- Security Procedures, 4%
Develop and implement security procedures consistent with NISPOM and best industry practices; enhance the ongoing security awareness and education programs.
"security program," "jpas," and "patrol" are among the most common skills that facility security officers use at work. You can find even more facility security officer responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a facility security officer to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what facility security officers do because "security guards and surveillance officers must communicate effectively with others, even in stressful situations." Additionally, a facility security officer resume shows how facility security officers use communication skills: "performed multiple day-to-day program and industrial security functions to include information security, information systems security and communication security. "
Observation skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of facility security officers is observation skills. This skill is critical to many everyday facility security officer duties, as "security guards and surveillance officers must be alert and aware of their surroundings, and be able to quickly recognize anything out of the ordinary." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "conducted routine surveillance by remote (cctv), and observation posts to gather human intelligence in urban and tactical environments. "
The three companies that hire the most facility security officers are:
- Allied Universal
328 facility security officers jobs
- Securitas AB46 facility security officers jobs
- Raytheon Technologies9 facility security officers jobs
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Facility security officer vs. 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. They also coordinate with law enforcement agencies in conducting appropriate investigations for any violating cases. An officer must be highly-knowledgeable of the law policies, as well as possessing excellent leadership skills to manage the members under the officer's patrol.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, facility security officer responsibilities require skills like "security program," "jpas," "nisp," and "security procedures." Meanwhile a typical officer has skills in areas such as "customer service," "public safety," "emergency situations," and "powerpoint." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
The education levels that officers earn slightly differ from facility security officers. In particular, officers are 1.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a facility security officer. Additionally, they're 1.4% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Facility security officer vs. Security specialist
A security specialist is responsible for maintaining the security of an organization's database, ensuring that it's free from cyber threats and unusual activities. Security specialists' duties include upgrading hardware and software applications, configuring networks to improve optimization, addressing any unauthorized access on the database, troubleshooting system discrepancies, conducting security audits on the system, and improving automated processes. A security specialist must have a strong command of programming languages and system codes, as well as broad experience with technical expertise.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that facility security officer responsibilities requires skills like "nisp," "fso," "e-qip," and "hr." But a security specialist might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "ladders," "customer service," "security clearance," and "public safety."
In general, security specialists achieve similar levels of education than facility security officers. They're 2.2% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Facility security officer vs. Enforcement officer
The enforcement officer is someone who promotes and enforces policies, instructions, and obligations of tenants. An enforcement officer aims to resolve two parties' issues that may arise from orders given by the admin or management. Among the enforcement officers' tasks is to assist in evictions, render payments, and inform them of new ordinances and instructions for tenants to abide by. An enforcement officer may also be tasked to ensure that a judgment or resolution is enforced and observed.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a facility security officer is likely to be skilled in "security program," "jpas," "dod," and "nisp," while a typical enforcement officer is skilled in "customer service," "parking enforcement," "traffic control," and "data entry."
Enforcement officers earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $45,770. Comparatively, facility security officers have the highest earning potential in the technology industry, with an average salary of $44,701.Most enforcement officers achieve a similar degree level compared to facility security officers. For example, they're 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Facility security officer vs. Security, shift supervisor
A security shift supervisor is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the building premises and company assets. Security shift supervisors observe and report suspicious people and activities within the building, monitor surveillance, and write incident reports. They also delegate tasks and schedule shifts to the security staff, assist guests with their inquiries and concerns, and direct them to the correct department. A security shift supervisor must have excellent leadership and observational skills.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between facility security officers and security, shift supervisors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a facility security officer might have more use for skills like "security program," "jpas," "dod," and "nisp." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of security, shift supervisors require skills like "customer service," "performance evaluations," "security services," and "security logs. "
Security, shift supervisors enjoy the best pay in the professional industry, with an average salary of $36,667. For comparison, facility security officers earn the highest salary in the technology industry.security, shift supervisors reach lower levels of education compared to facility security officers, in general. The difference is that they're 6.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of facility security officer
Updated January 8, 2025











