Facilities manager to security manager
A facilities manager already meets 41% of what the security manager role asks for. The move turns on 15 required skills not yet in the profile.
65.7/ 100
1 How much of what a security manager is expected to do is already part of a facilities manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the security manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A security manager role treats 13 of its required skills as things a facilities manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- corporate social responsibility
- ensure equipment availability
- ensure equipment maintenance
- establish daily priorities
- follow company standards
- handle surveillance equipment
What stands in the way is 15 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 15 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A security manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a facilities manager background worth leading with.
- already held liaise with security authorities communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held supervise daily information operations management skills
- already held establish daily priorities management skills
- already held manage logistics management skills
- already held handle surveillance equipment assisting and caring
- already held ensure equipment maintenance management skills
All 15 carried skills, including the 13 the security manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 29 missing skills fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn establish site security routines required
- still to learn lead disaster recovery exercises required
- still to learn manage disaster recovery plans required
- still to learn manage the security team required
- still to learn oversee planning of security systems required
- optional, not held define security policies optional
- optional, not held manage outsourced security optional
- still to learn investigate security issues required
- still to learn write security reports required
- still to learn maintain incident reporting records required
- still to learn manage security equipment required
- optional, not held inspect government policy compliance optional
- optional, not held perform internal investigations optional
- optional, not held undertake employee screening optional
- still to learn internal risk management policy required
- still to learn organisational resilience required
- still to learn legal use-of-force required
- optional, not held consultation methods optional
- still to learn security regulations required
- still to learn security threats required
- optional, not held cyber security optional
- still to learn security engineering required
- optional, not held maintain facility security systems optional
- optional, not held protect important clients optional
3 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a security manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 establish site security routines practise this
- 02 internal risk management policy study this
- 03 investigate security issues practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 15 skills that carry over
- already held corporate social responsibility knowledge
- already held ensure equipment availability skill
- already held ensure equipment maintenance skill
- already held establish daily priorities skill
- already held follow company standards skill
- already held handle surveillance equipment skill
- already held liaise with managers skill
- already held manage budgets skill
- already held manage logistics skill
- already held manage staff skill
- already held manage supplies skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
- already held supervise daily information operations skill
- already held liaise with security authorities skill
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
The 3 learning areas not shown above
- optional, not held advise on strengthening security optional
- optional, not held liaise with government officials optional
- optional, not held ethical hacking principles optional
- optional, not held information confidentiality optional
- optional, not held implement ICT security policies optional
14 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on strengthening security optional
- optional, not held consultation methods optional
- optional, not held cyber security optional
- optional, not held define security policies optional
- optional, not held ethical hacking principles optional
- optional, not held implement ICT security policies optional
- optional, not held information confidentiality optional
- optional, not held maintain facility security systems optional
- optional, not held inspect government policy compliance optional
- optional, not held liaise with government officials optional
- optional, not held manage outsourced security optional
- optional, not held perform internal investigations optional
- optional, not held protect important clients optional
- optional, not held undertake employee screening optional
41 held skills the security manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role accounting knowledge
- not needed by the target role building automation knowledge
- not needed by the target role carry out energy management of facilities skill
- not needed by the target role cleaning industry health and safety measures knowledge
- not needed by the target role contract law knowledge
- not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
- not needed by the target role design building retrofitting solutions skill
- not needed by the target role electrical power safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role employment law knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy market knowledge
- not needed by the target role energy performance of buildings knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure compliance with noise standards skill
- not needed by the target role ensure inspections of facilities skill
- not needed by the target role environmental management standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role evaluate employees skill
- not needed by the target role facilities management in the organisation knowledge
- not needed by the target role fire safety regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role green building practices knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle customer complaints skill
- not needed by the target role inspect building systems skill
- not needed by the target role inspect contracts for related grounds maintenance work skill
- not needed by the target role maintain customer service skill
- not needed by the target role maintain relationship with customers skill
- not needed by the target role manage emergency evacuation plans skill
- not needed by the target role manage facilities services skill
- not needed by the target role manage maintenance operations skill
- not needed by the target role manage major incidents skill
- not needed by the target role manage space utilisation skill
- not needed by the target role oversee the facilities services budget skill
- not needed by the target role perform procurement processes skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role plan buildings maintenance work skill
- not needed by the target role plan facilities management policies skill
- not needed by the target role plan schedule skill
- not needed by the target role promote facilities management services skill
- not needed by the target role read standard blueprints skill
- not needed by the target role recruit employees skill
- not needed by the target role respond to burglar alarm systems skill
- not needed by the target role supervise work skill
1 further entry not listed here
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn internal risk management policy required
- still to learn organisational resilience required
- still to learn security regulations required
- still to learn legal use-of-force required
- still to learn security engineering required
- still to learn security threats required
- optional, not held consultation methods optional
- optional, not held cyber security optional
- optional, not held ethical hacking principles optional
- optional, not held information confidentiality optional
Common questions about this move
Can a facilities manager become a security manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A facilities manager already covers 41% of what a security manager is expected to do: 15 skills carry over, 13 of which the security manager role treats as required.
What skills does a facilities manager need to become a security manager?
15 required skills are missing, plus 14 optional ones. They fall into 9 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by management skills. The single most important is establish site security routines.
How hard is the move from facilities manager to security manager?
Its learning distance is 65.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.