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The differences between operational security specialists and security officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an operational security specialist has an average salary of $42,159, which is higher than the $31,101 average annual salary of a security officer.
The top three skills for an operational security specialist include customer service, security operations and patrol. The most important skills for a security officer are customer service, ladders, and patrol.
| Operational Security Specialist | Security Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $42,159 | $31,101 |
| Hourly rate | $20.27 | $14.95 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 87,810 | 125,879 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An operational security specialist performs administrative and clerical duties. You will be responsible for creating, implementing, and managing a security awareness program to address security issues. Other duties include providing support on security clearance and management, ensuring that test participants and visitors have security clearance integrity, and providing recommendations on critical security policy decisions. In addition, an operational security specialist is responsible for analyzing vulnerabilities and threats to the system and operational environments and ensuring compliance with regulatory standards and security procedures.
A security officer is responsible for maintaining the peace and safety of everyone by regularly patrolling and monitoring surveillance equipment within the assigned premises. Security officers' duties also include reporting suspicious behaviors, restricting trespassers and unauthorized personnel from entering the establishment, providing incident reports for policy violations, and adhering to the standard protocols and legal requirements set by the management. Security offers must also have excellent decision-making and critical-thinking skills and extensive knowledge of emergency drills in case any unfortunate circumstances arise.
Operational security specialists and security officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Operational Security Specialist | Security Officer | |
| Average salary | $42,159 | $31,101 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $65,000 | Between $24,000 And $39,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Washington |
| Best paying company | U.S. Bank | Battelle |
| Best paying industry | - | Utilities |
There are a few differences between an operational security specialist and a security officer in terms of educational background:
| Operational Security Specialist | Security Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | High School Diploma, 36% |
| Most common major | Business | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between operational security specialists' and security officers' demographics:
| Operational Security Specialist | Security Officer | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3% | Male, 71.6% Female, 28.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.3% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% | Black or African American, 12.7% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 54.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |