Security officer
Keep buildings, valuables and people safe, prevent theft and damage and deal with emergencies.
Also known as: watchman, security staff, security professional, security guard, door staff, bouncer
About the job
What it's like
You would keep buildings, valuables and people safe, prevent theft and damage and deal with emergencies.
You might be working for any kind of organisation. Your tasks would depend on where you work.
You could:
Patrol, secure and check premises, sometimes helped by closed circuit television (CCTV)
Guard cash or other valuables in a security vehicle that is travelling between locations
Guard an airport and search planes, passengers and luggage
Supervise on the door for a large organisation
Sign in visitors and give directions
Work with guard dogs
You may have to keep records and write short reports, which could be used by the police or courts.
Hours
You could work up to 48 hours a week, including evenings and weekends. Shift work is very common.
Environment
You may work inside a building or vehicle, or outside supervising the door or providing crowd control during an event.
Travel
Some jobs involve driving. For work involving cash or valuables in transit, you will spend much of your time in a security van.
Explore more information about this job
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Related industries
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Transport
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Top specialised skills
These are the top specialised skills that have been found in job vacancies across Scotland. From March 2024 to March 2025.
- patrolling
- closed-circuit television systems (cctv)
- access controls
- guarding
- alarm devices
- loss prevention
- physical security operations
- security accounts manager
- law enforcement
- radio operations
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- problem solving
- observation
- verbal communication
- attention to detail
- concentrating
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Skills for Work: Uniformed and Emergency Services
You do not need formal qualifications to enter this job but experience in police, armed services or other security roles will be very helpful.
Qualifications that show expertise in security services such Security Industry Authority (SIA) qualifications or Scottish Vocational Qualification in Electronic Security Systems (SVQ Level 3).
You will need to be physically fit and may need to have a medical examination.
You will need to be approved for membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) Scheme run by Disclosure Scotland and may have to pass other security checks.
You may require Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence or specialist SIA qualifications for some roles.
You may also require a full, clean driving licence or higher category licence to drive the larger, heavier vehicles for transporting cash or prisoners (category C1 licence).
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Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Security officer'
