Security Consultant
Security consultants assess the risks to an organisation's people, property and information, then work out what to do about them.
- Median salary*
- $85,800
4.5%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 2,700
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +7%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status*
- Not in shortage
national
Security consultants usually work for a consultancy, a large employer's in-house security team, or a government agency, assessing risks and recommending how to reduce them. The role sits above guarding and monitoring: instead of staffing a post, a consultant designs the procedures, technology and controls that others follow. Much of the week is spent on site surveys, reports and meetings with clients who have to justify what they spend on security.
How much do security consultants earn?
The median full-time salary for a security consultant is $85,800 per annum, before tax, up $18,200 since 2018.
What you earn depends heavily on the sector and the arrangement: government and large corporate clients generally pay more than retail, events or hospitality, and contract work bills by the day rather than the year. The licence level you hold and recognised certifications, such as ASIS International's Certified Protection Professional, both affect your rates. Consultants who run their own practice set their own fees, which means good years and quiet ones.
What does a security consultant do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Assessing risks and vulnerabilities across sites, systems and staff
- Writing security risk assessments that clients can act on
- Designing security procedures and emergency plans
- Auditing sites against security policy, standards and licence conditions
- Advising on physical security measures such as access control, CCTV and lighting
What skills do security consultants need?
Employers look for risk and internal controls, security operations, regulatory compliance, backed by Genetec Security Center fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Risk and internal controls
- Security operations
- Regulatory compliance
Software and tools
- Genetec Security Center
- Milestone XProtect
- Lenel OnGuard
- Gallagher Access Control
- Microsoft Office
General skills
- Written communication
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
- Stakeholder management
- Safety and compliance awareness
Is the job growing?
About 2,700 people work as security consultants in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 7% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a security consultant?
Here's the path most security consultants take, step by step.
- 1Complete a Certificate IV in Security and Risk Management
This is the qualification most employers expect and the usual starting point for the risk assessment and compliance side of the work. It is offered by registered training organisations and can be done full time in about six months or part time while you work.
- 2Get the licence your state requires
Private security licensing is handled by the states and territories, and the level and name of the licence differ between them. Most require a security consultant licence, a police check and sometimes a working with children check before you can advise clients.
- 3Build operational experience
A few years in guarding, monitoring, loss prevention, screening or venue security teaches you how sites actually run and what goes wrong. This is the experience employers ask about when they hire a consultant.
- 4Add a diploma or degree if you want to specialise
A Diploma of Security and Risk Management, or a degree in security studies, criminology or business, opens up consulting in government, critical infrastructure and large corporate accounts.
- 5Consider professional certification
ASIS International's Certified Protection Professional is widely recognised and requires several years of security experience. It signals the analytical and management side of consulting rather than frontline work.
Ready to apply as a security consultant?
Whether you're working toward becoming a security consultant or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a security consultant move to?
Moving into Work Health and Safety Officer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $33,000 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work Health and Safety Officer Security consultants already assess risks and controls, so they can move into workplace safety roles with a short course in work health and safety. | +$33,000 | 59% | short course |
| Security Manager Security consultants bring risk assessment and protection design experience, and can step up to manage teams and security programs with a short course. | +$27,600 | 52% | short course |
| Border Force Officer Security consultants can apply their risk and protection knowledge to border protection, moving into border force work with a short course. | +$11,000 | 59% | short course |
| ISO Auditor Auditing and compliance experience helps security consultants become ISO auditors, checking management systems after a short course in auditing standards. | −$12,000 | 59% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a security consultant?
The typical security consultant is 41 years old; 64% are men, 77% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 41
- Median age
- 36%
- Female share
- 77%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a security consultant?
The job has a steady rhythm of surveys, reports and client meetings, broken by incidents and deadlines that arrive without warning. Consultants spend a lot of time persuading managers to fund measures that may never be tested by a real event, which takes patience and clear writing. It suits people who like understanding how a whole site fits together, rather than standing at one door.
What people like
- Your advice changes how a site runs. A recommendation you make about lighting, access control or staff procedure can be put in place within weeks, and you can see the difference it makes to how the place operates.
- Every client is a different problem. A hospital, a stadium, a warehouse and a government office each carry different risks and constraints, so the analysis rarely repeats.
- You deal with the people who decide. Consultants usually work with managers, facility teams and executives rather than only frontline staff, which gives your recommendations a chance of being funded.
- The skills travel. Risk assessment and security design are needed in health, retail, events, education and government, so you can move between industries without starting over.
What people find hard
- You carry the risk without the authority. You can recommend a change and watch a client decline it on cost, and the consequences still land on the site.
- Approvals slow the fix. Between the report, the budget cycle and the procurement process, a fix you identified in March may not be installed until the next financial year.
- The work is hard to measure when nothing happens. Success looks like an ordinary day, which makes it harder to argue for security spending than for almost any other part of a business.
- Incidents arrive on their own schedule. A breach or an after-hours call can push your planned surveys and reports into evenings and weekends, even though most of the work is scheduled.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ security consultants?
Public Administration and Safety employs the largest share of security consultants, followed by Arts and Recreation Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Public Administration and Safety
- 2Arts and Recreation Services
- 3Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 4Accommodation and Food Services
- 5Health Care and Social Assistance
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Certificate III/IV | 34% | |
|---|---|---|
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 26% | |
| Bachelor degree | 20% | |
| Year 12 or below | 20% |
Will AI replace security consultants?
The role sits in the middle: the analysis, documentation and report writing are increasingly assisted by software, while site visits, client relationships and judgement about what a site actually needs remain human work. Video analytics in platforms such as Genetec Security Center and Milestone XProtect can flag events automatically, but someone still has to weigh those events against the site's risk profile and decide what to recommend.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Risk assessments and reportsDrafting tools can produce a first version of a risk report quickly, but the rating and the recommendations still depend on what you saw on site and what the client can afford.30%moderate
- Security system design and specificationCamera coverage modelling and manufacturer design tools suggest layouts and equipment lists, which shortens the drafting, though the consultant checks the result against the threat model and the budget.25%moderate
- Site surveys and client meetingsWalking a site, testing doors, watching how staff move through the building and talking to managers is physical, on-the-spot work that software cannot do.25%low
- Compliance and licence documentationCollating licence conditions, standards and audit evidence is mostly a records exercise, and automated tools now assemble much of the paperwork.20%high
Common questions about becoming a security consultant
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do security consultants earn?
Median full-time pay is $85,800 per year before tax. The spread around that figure is wide, because it depends on your sector, the licence and certifications you hold, and whether you work in-house or contract through a consultancy.
How do you become a security consultant?
Most people start with a Certificate IV in Security and Risk Management, then work a few years in guarding, monitoring, loss prevention or screening before moving into advisory work. You also need the security consultant licence required in your state or territory, which is issued separately in each jurisdiction.
Are security consultants in demand?
Security consultants are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 7% over the decade to 2035. Demand varies by sector, so it is worth looking at who is hiring in your area rather than relying on the national figure alone.
Will AI replace security consultants?
Parts of the job are already automated, particularly video analytics in platforms such as Genetec Security Center and Milestone XProtect, and the first draft of compliance documentation. Site surveys, interviews with staff and the judgement about what a client can realistically implement remain human work, which is why the exposure is moderate rather than high.
What can a security consultant move into?
Security management is a common next step, where you take responsibility for a team and a security program, and it pays $27,600 more. Work health and safety is another move that uses the same risk and controls knowledge, paying $33,000 more. Others build their own consulting practice, which is often where earnings grow.
What is the difference between a security consultant and a security guard?
A guard carries out the procedures on site, while a consultant decides what those procedures should be and how the site should be protected. The two roles share the industry and the licensing system, but consulting leans on analysis, writing and client meetings rather than presence at a post.
Related roles
- Security Manager
- Work Health and Safety Officer
- ISO Auditor
- Border Force Officer
- Loss Prevention Officer
- Security Screening Officer
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