Programme manager to security manager
A programme manager already meets 37% of what the security manager role asks for. The move turns on 16 required skills not yet in the profile.
68.9/ 100
1 How much of what a security manager is expected to do is already part of a programme 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 12 of its required skills as things a programme 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
- liaise with managers
What stands in the way is 16 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 13 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 programme manager background worth leading with.
- already held supervise daily information operations management skills
- already held establish daily priorities management skills
- already held manage logistics management skills
- already held ensure equipment maintenance management skills
- already held strive for company growth management skills
- already held plan health and safety procedures management skills
All 13 carried skills, including the 12 the security manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 31 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 handle surveillance equipment required
- optional, not held maintain facility security systems optional
- optional, not held protect important clients optional
- still to learn security engineering required
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 13 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 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 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 liaise with security authorities optional
- optional, not held ethical hacking principles optional
- optional, not held information confidentiality optional
- optional, not held implement ICT security policies optional
15 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 liaise with security authorities 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
32 held skills the security manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on efficiency improvements skill
- not needed by the target role align efforts towards business development skill
- not needed by the target role analyse external factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role analyse financial performance of a company skill
- not needed by the target role analyse internal factors of companies skill
- not needed by the target role assess financial viability skill
- not needed by the target role budget for financial needs skill
- not needed by the target role control financial resources skill
- not needed by the target role develop revenue generation strategies skill
- not needed by the target role estimate profitability skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate project plans skill
- not needed by the target role identify legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role impart business plans to collaborators skill
- not needed by the target role implement corporate governance skill
- not needed by the target role integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations skill
- not needed by the target role interpret financial statements skill
- not needed by the target role make investment decisions skill
- not needed by the target role make strategic business decisions skill
- not needed by the target role manage profitability skill
- not needed by the target role manage project information skill
- not needed by the target role manage project metrics skill
- not needed by the target role manage several projects skill
- not needed by the target role perform resource planning skill
- not needed by the target role perform risk analysis skill
- not needed by the target role plan schedule skill
- not needed by the target role program management knowledge
- not needed by the target role project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role project management methodology (PM²) knowledge
- not needed by the target role provide cost benefit analysis reports skill
- not needed by the target role shape organisational teams based on competencies skill
- not needed by the target role support managers skill
- not needed by the target role utilise economies of scale in projects skill
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 programme manager become a security manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A programme manager already covers 37% of what a security manager is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 12 of which the security manager role treats as required.
What skills does a programme manager need to become a security manager?
16 required skills are missing, plus 15 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 programme manager to security manager?
Its learning distance is 68.9 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.