A low-voltage helper carries and pulls cable, sets up ladders and rolling scaffolds, and hands up devices while a lead technician mounts and wires alarms, cameras, card readers and network jacks. They keep the van's tools ready, clean up each site and log the tasks they did on every job.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, security systems companies · BLS, May 2025
Support our experienced technicians in the installation and maintenance of security and low voltage systems to ensure seamless service delivery. Assist in cable pulling, equipment setups, and basic task execution while learning industry trade skills. Contribute to the overall efficiency and success of the operations team through hands-on assistance and proactive learning.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Assist skilled technicians with on-site installations and troubleshooting of security and low voltage systems.
Execute cable pulling and basic wiring tasks under the guidance of senior staff.
Maintain tools and equipment to ensure high operational readiness.
Follow safety protocols and company guidelines during all installations and service calls.
Record and document work performed, ensuring transparency and accountability.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Prepare the work area and assist in setting up required tools and equipment each morning.
Help with on-site installations, including cable pulling and basic wiring tasks for security systems.
Interact with customers professionally, providing clear communication regarding service procedures.
Perform routine maintenance checks on equipment and report any issues to supervisors.
Participate in training sessions to build skills and knowledge in low voltage systems.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Task Accuracy Rate: 95% accuracy in cable installations and system setups.
Completion Time: Complete assigned tasks within standard service timeframes with a 90% on-time completion rate.
Safety Compliance: Zero safety violations and adherence to safety standards on every project.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: Achieve a customer satisfaction score of >4.8 stars on completed service calls.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; technical training in electronics or related field is a plus.
Basic understanding of security systems and low voltage technology is preferred.
Strong willingness to learn and develop technical skills within the trade.
Excellent communication and teamwork skills.
Ability to follow instructions accurately and prioritize safety in all tasks.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous hands-on experience in a similar apprentice or helper role within the security or low voltage industry.
Familiarity with basic electrical systems and wiring techniques.
Exposure to home service work environments with an emphasis on customer interaction.
Experience working under the guidance of certified technicians or tradesmen.
7. Physical Requirements
Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs.
Capable of working in varied environments, including confined spaces and outdoor settings.
Ability to stand, bend, and work on ladders or scaffolding as needed.
Regular physical exertion may be required during installations and maintenance tasks.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM, with occasional extended hours based on project needs.
May require travel to various customer locations within the designated service area.
On-call duties may be required during peak installation periods or service emergencies.
Work is performed in both controlled indoor environments and outdoor job sites.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Hourly rate ranging from $15 - $20 per hour, based on experience and performance.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Health, Dental, and Vision insurance.
401k plan with company matching contributions.
Additional fringe benefits such as paid time off and professional development opportunities.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a collaborative and growth-oriented culture that values continuous learning and professional development.
Our team is dedicated to excellence in customer service and innovation in the home services industry, ensuring every employee feels valued and empowered.
We believe in building strong relationships with our staff and providing clear career advancement opportunities.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What a helper does on security and low-voltage jobs
A helper here works above office ceilings, inside finished walls and beside systems the customer still relies on. Four things shape the job.
Oregon licenses apprentice electrical work
Oregon's electrical law covers the Class 2 and Class 3 wiring that alarms, cameras and card readers run on, and it counts burglar alarm and security systems as protective signaling. It also bars working on an electrical installation as an electrical apprentice without an apprentice license. Before a helper pulls wire there, ask the state's Department of Consumer and Business Services what an unlicensed helper may do. Enroll helpers early: the Class A license, which includes protective signaling, takes three years as an apprentice or the board's equivalent. Source: Oregon Revised Statutes chapter 479: electrical safety law, including ORS 479.620, 479.905 and 479.915.
Powder-actuated tools need a trained hand
On commercial jobs, cable often hangs from J-hooks fixed to a concrete deck, and some crews set them with a powder-actuated tool. Under OSHA's rule, a worker may run one only after training on that exact tool. The tool stays empty until just before firing, and nobody walks away from it while it holds a charge. Until a helper is trained on your model, they hand up hooks and keep the charges put away. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926.302, power-operated hand tools (powder-actuated tools).
Rolling scaffolds have riding rules
Crews often wire hallway ceilings from a rolling scaffold. OSHA requires locked wheels whenever the crew works from it without moving it. A worker may ride it only under set limits. The floor can't tilt more than 3 degrees or have pits, holes or clutter, and nobody may stand past the wheels. Before anyone works on a scaffold, a person qualified to spot that scaffold type's hazards has to train them. A helper often pushes the scaffold, so teach these rules on day one. Source: eCFR: 29 CFR 1926 Subpart L, scaffolds (1926.452 mobile scaffolds, 1926.454 training).
Finished walls get fished, not opened
Most home jobs are retrofits. A helper learns to drop a line through a top plate, guide it down a stud bay and bring it out at one neat hole by the panel or keypad. Teach them to check behind a wall for pipes and wires before drilling, lay a drop cloth under every hole and vacuum as they go. Homeowners judge the whole install by what they find on the floor.
How much low-voltage helpers make
The closest BLS group for low-voltage helpers is Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers. Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers who work for security systems companies earned a median of $18.68 an hour ($38,860 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $39,630 median for Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers in all industries. About 1,150 of the 95,580 Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers in that survey work for security systems companies.
Helpers are paid by the hour. A raise tied to each skill sign-off gives a helper a clear reason to learn. BLS has no helper code for alarm and cabling work alone, so the pay figures come from the wider helper group for installers and repairers at security firms. The template's range brackets that group's median.
Security systems companies
$38,860$38,860 median Middle half $33,560–$44,160 10th–90th $27,810–$49,210
All industries
$39,630$39,630 median Middle half $34,910–$46,890 10th–90th $29,310–$55,890
$20k$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Security systems companies
$27,810
$33,560
$38,860
$44,160
$49,210
All industries
$29,310
$34,910
$39,630
$46,890
$55,890
BLS doesn’t publish pay for low-voltage contractors on their own. These figures cover security systems services, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Shows up at the shop on time each morning
Follows a lead's directions closely and asks before guessing
Willing to work from ladders and scaffolds, in attics and in crawl spaces
Polite and tidy in customers' homes and offices
Careful with small parts, labels and written notes
Teach these on the job
Pulling, bundling and labeling cable runs
Terminating jacks and punching down patch panels
Mounting door contacts, motion sensors and cameras
Fishing wire through finished walls
Reading a floor plan and its device symbols
Running a powder-actuated tool after training on your model
Helpers work with the cable caddy, pull string, glow rods, ladders, drills with long bits and hole saws, and the shop vac. Testers and the programming laptop usually stay with the lead. List the hand tools you expect a helper to own, and the ones you supply.
Low-voltage helper interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Working safely in attics
You're pulling cable through a hot attic and can't see the joists well under the insulation. Your lead is waiting in the room below. What do you do?
A strong answer: Uses a light, steps only on joists, moves slowly, watches for nails and wiring, drinks water and tells the lead if it isn't safe.
Behavioral · Keeping quality on repetitive work
Tell me about a time at work, school, or volunteering when you did hard, repetitive work for a long stretch. How did you keep the quality up?
A strong answer: Gives a real example and a method, such as checking every tenth item or taking short resets, and the result.
Read the template's targets as samples. After a few months of logged jobs, replace them with goals drawn from what your own helpers do.
Task Accuracy Rate
Have the lead check each task the helper owned on a job, such as a labeled cable run or a mounted sensor, and mark it pass or redo in the job notes. Count only work the helper did alone.
Completion Time
Compare the time the helper logs on each assigned task with the time your job records allow for that kind of task. Review a month at a time and leave out delays caused by other trades.
Safety Compliance
Log every safety miss the lead or supervisor sees, from an unlocked scaffold caster to drilling without eye protection, along with any injury report. Go over the log with the helper each month.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Use the score from the survey sent after every visit, on jobs where the helper was on site. Read the comments for remarks about manners and cleanup, the parts a helper controls.
Career path
Apprentice / helperCarries, pulls and labels cable under a lead's eye.
Many shops ask helpers to own basic hand tools, like a fish tape, crimpers and a punch-down tool, and supply the testers and drills. Federal wage rules count a required tool the helper buys against their pay: if its cost drops that week's earnings below minimum wage or the overtime due, you're in violation. State rules vary, so check yours too. Hand each new helper a written list of what they must own and what you provide.
How much does a low-voltage helper make?
Helpers--Installation, maintenance, and repair workers who work for security systems companies earned a median of $18.68 an hour ($38,860 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $33,560 and $44,160 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Should a helper work with the same lead every day?
For the first few weeks, yes. One lead learns what the helper can do, hands them the right tasks and signs off each new skill. After that, rotate them across camera, door access and cabling crews so they see each system before you pick their track. Keep the sign-off list in their file so each new lead knows where they stand.
Where does a new helper learn more, on home jobs or commercial jobs?
Home jobs teach manners and clean retrofit work, since a family lives there and every hole shows. Commercial jobs teach volume: long cable pulls, labeled bundles, scaffolds and working around other trades. A mix in the first year makes a better tech. If most of your work is one kind, name it in the posting so people picture the real job.
What do the 50-pound, confined space and scaffold lines mean for a helper?
In practice, a helper carries boxes of cable, panel batteries and ladders from the van, and lifts devices and tools up to the lead. They crawl through attics and under houses to run wire, mount outdoor cameras in any season, and work from ladders and rolling scaffolds at ceiling height. Your posting should list each of those tasks. When someone wants one done another way, hear them out.
