Security manager to programme manager
A security manager already meets 37% of what the programme manager role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
66.7/ 100
1 How much of what a programme manager is expected to do is already part of a security 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 programme manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A programme manager role treats 11 of its required skills as things a security 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 13 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 programme manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a security 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 11 the programme manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 5 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 evaluate project plans required
- still to learn manage project information required
- still to learn assess financial viability required
- still to learn identify legal requirements required
- still to learn manage project metrics required
- still to learn perform resource planning required
- still to learn perform risk analysis required
- still to learn provide cost benefit analysis reports required
- optional, not held analyse external factors of companies optional
- optional, not held analyse financial performance of a company optional
- optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
- optional, not held estimate profitability optional
- optional, not held interpret financial statements optional
- still to learn manage several projects required
- still to learn plan schedule required
- still to learn utilise economies of scale in projects required
- optional, not held develop revenue generation strategies optional
- optional, not held budget for financial needs optional
- optional, not held control financial resources optional
- optional, not held make investment decisions optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held manage profitability optional
- optional, not held shape organisational teams based on competencies optional
- still to learn program management required
- still to learn project management required
- optional, not held project management methodology (PM²) optional
- optional, not held implement corporate governance optional
- optional, not held advise on efficiency improvements optional
- optional, not held align efforts towards business development optional
- optional, not held impart business plans to collaborators optional
- optional, not held support managers optional
- optional, not held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a programme manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 program management study this
- 02 evaluate project plans practise this
- 03 manage project information 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 supervise daily information operations skill
- already held plan health and safety procedures skill
- already held strive for company growth skill
19 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held develop revenue generation strategies optional
- optional, not held implement corporate governance optional
- optional, not held advise on efficiency improvements optional
- optional, not held align efforts towards business development optional
- optional, not held analyse external factors of companies optional
- optional, not held analyse financial performance of a company optional
- optional, not held analyse internal factors of companies optional
- optional, not held budget for financial needs optional
- optional, not held control financial resources optional
- optional, not held estimate profitability optional
- optional, not held impart business plans to collaborators optional
- optional, not held integrate headquarter's guidelines into local operations optional
- optional, not held interpret financial statements optional
- optional, not held make investment decisions optional
- optional, not held make strategic business decisions optional
- optional, not held manage profitability optional
- optional, not held project management methodology (PM²) optional
- optional, not held shape organisational teams based on competencies optional
- optional, not held support managers optional
31 held skills the programme manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role advise on strengthening security skill
- not needed by the target role consultation methods knowledge
- not needed by the target role cyber security knowledge
- not needed by the target role define security policies skill
- not needed by the target role establish site security routines skill
- not needed by the target role ethical hacking principles knowledge
- not needed by the target role handle surveillance equipment skill
- not needed by the target role implement ICT security policies skill
- not needed by the target role information confidentiality knowledge
- not needed by the target role inspect government policy compliance skill
- not needed by the target role internal risk management policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role investigate security issues skill
- not needed by the target role lead disaster recovery exercises skill
- not needed by the target role legal use-of-force knowledge
- not needed by the target role liaise with government officials skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with security authorities skill
- not needed by the target role maintain facility security systems skill
- not needed by the target role maintain incident reporting records skill
- not needed by the target role manage disaster recovery plans skill
- not needed by the target role manage outsourced security skill
- not needed by the target role manage security equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage the security team skill
- not needed by the target role organisational resilience knowledge
- not needed by the target role oversee planning of security systems skill
- not needed by the target role perform internal investigations skill
- not needed by the target role protect important clients skill
- not needed by the target role security engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role security regulations knowledge
- not needed by the target role security threats knowledge
- not needed by the target role undertake employee screening skill
- not needed by the target role write security reports skill
3 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 program management required
- still to learn project management required
- optional, not held project management methodology (PM²) optional
Common questions about this move
Can a security manager become a programme manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A security manager already covers 37% of what a programme manager is expected to do: 13 skills carry over, 11 of which the programme manager role treats as required.
What skills does a security manager need to become a programme manager?
13 required skills are missing, plus 19 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is program management.
How hard is the move from security manager to programme manager?
Its learning distance is 66.7 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.