A security systems general manager runs a branch's profit and loss, from bidding commercial access control and camera jobs to keeping service and monitoring customers. They set goals for the sales, install and service teams, sign off on big bids, and fix what keeps jobs from closing on time.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, security systems companies · BLS, May 2025
The General Manager leads the Security & Low Voltage division, orchestrating cross-departmental collaboration to drive operational excellence and profitability. This role champions strategic growth, ensuring that projects are delivered efficiently while meeting quality and safety standards. The position is instrumental in aligning departmental goals with overall company objectives, thereby fostering innovation and superior customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Direct multiple departments to ensure seamless integration of security and low voltage services.
Track and analyze performance metrics to drive improvements and achieve profitability targets.
Ensure projects are executed efficiently, meeting safety, quality, and regulatory requirements.
Develop and implement strategies that align operational performance with financial goals.
Maintain compliance with industry standards and best practices related to security and low voltage systems.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Oversee daily operations of the security and low voltage departments to ensure peak performance.
Conduct regular performance reviews and departmental meetings to align targets and strategies.
Monitor project timelines, budgets, and resource allocation to maintain profitability.
Liaise with customers and vendors to discuss project statuses, new opportunities, and service improvements.
Review and adjust operational processes to optimize efficiency and ensure high-quality deliverables.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Revenue per hour: $150.
Project profitability: ≥20% net profit margin.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars.
On-time project completion rate: >90%.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
Minimum of 7 years of experience in managing operations within the home services or security industries.
Strong analytical and financial acumen with proven experience in tracking performance metrics.
Excellent leadership, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency in project management software and operational tools.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience as a General Manager or Operations Manager in the security and low voltage sector.
Demonstrated track record of managing multi-disciplinary teams to drive operational success.
Experience with advanced security protocols, systems integration, and low voltage installations.
Familiarity with industry-specific compliance standards and best practices.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to work in environments that may require occasional lifting up to 25 pounds.
Capacity to conduct on-site inspections that may involve climbing stairs and maneuvering in tight spaces.
Comfortable with working in variable weather conditions when visiting job sites.
Must be able to stand or walk for extended periods during site evaluations.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
Occasional evenings and weekends may be required during project deadlines or emergencies.
On-call duties for crisis management and urgent operational challenges.
Minimal travel required for regional project oversight and inter-departmental meetings.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $90,000 - $120,000 USD per year, commensurate with experience.
Performance-based bonus structure in addition to base salary.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
401(k) plan with company match.
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 culture of innovation, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
Our inclusive environment values each team member’s contributions and encourages professional and personal growth.
We believe in empowering our leaders to drive success and maintain the highest standards in service delivery and customer satisfaction.
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 makes the general manager job different at a security and low voltage company
Every general manager owns the results of a branch. Here, state licenses tied to people, permit rules for small jobs and scope gaps on commercial bids decide how much of that profit is real.
Oklahoma's company license rests on a manager
In Oklahoma, an alarm company's license is active only while it has at least one licensed manager. A manager can work under just one company license, unless they are the majority owner of each. If the qualifying manager leaves, the company has 30 days to replace them. Keep a second qualified manager in sight so one resignation doesn't stop the branch. Source: Oklahoma Department of Labor: Alarm, Locksmith and Fire Sprinkler company license.
Small Oregon jobs can run on a minor label
Oregon's minor label program covers set small jobs on Class 2 or 3 circuits of no more than 100 volt-amperes. The work can't pass through a fire-rated wall or floor. For a limited energy contractor, a label covers jobs like repairing or replacing up to 50 devices in an existing building. The state says work outside the label's scope breaks the program's rules. So the GM sets how jobs get sized and labeled. Source: Oregon Building Codes Division: Limited Energy Contractor (CLE) minor label scope.
Oklahoma licenses the people who sign proposals
Oklahoma's technician/salesperson license lets a person employed by a licensed company sell and sign a binding proposal on its behalf. The state says the license doesn't cover staff who only do marketing. Before a branch there hires sales reps, or lets estimators sign proposals, the GM checks which of them need the license. Source: Oklahoma Department of Labor: Alarm, Locksmith and Fire Sprinkler technician and salesperson license.
Commercial bids hide gaps between trades
On commercial jobs, low voltage work touches the electrician, the door hardware supplier and the general contractor. Before a bid goes out, check who brings power to each panel and who supplies electric strikes and maglocks. Check who installs conduit and back boxes, and what happens if ceilings close before cable is pulled. Each gap left open turns into unpaid labor later.
How much security systems general managers make
The closest BLS group for security systems general managers is general and operations managers. General and operations managers who work for security systems companies earned a median of $101,890 a year ($48.99 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $105,770 median for general and operations managers in all industries. About 7,730 of the 3,503,020 general and operations managers in that survey work for security systems companies.
Paid by salary, with a bonus that tracks branch profit and on-time project completion.
Security systems companies
$101,890$101,890 median Middle half $75,800–$139,990 10th–90th $56,200–$201,830
All industries
$105,770$105,770 median Middle half $72,320–$167,280 10th–90th $50,090–$253,390
$0k$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k
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
$56,200
$75,800
$101,890
$139,990
$201,830
All industries
$50,090
$72,320
$105,770
$167,280
$253,390
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
Has run a branch or business unit and answered for its profit
Reads commercial drawings and bid documents for low voltage scope
Coaches sales, project and service leaders toward clear targets
Works through problems with general contractors and property managers
Uses project and field service software to track jobs and margins
Teach these on the job
Your pricing for service calls, projects and monitoring
Who holds the qualifying license in each state you work in
Your distributors and the lines you install
The general contractors and property managers you bid with most
Your approval limits for bids and discounts
Expect field service software for service calls, a project tool for commercial jobs, and the estimating program your estimators use. Name each one in the ad so candidates who have run them can say so.
Security systems general manager 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 · Balancing projects and service
A large commercial project is behind, and the residential service backlog is growing. Both depend on the same technicians. What do you do?
A strong answer: Weighs contract penalties against cancellations from slow service, protects urgent service, adds subcontractors or overtime and tells both groups of customers the truth.
Behavioral · Developing managers
Tell me about someone you developed to run the service side, including monitored accounts and cancellations. What did you do?
A strong answer: Gave real responsibility, like owning service response and cancellation saves, coached through mistakes and set clear goals.
The template's figures are a sketch, not a goal. Rebuild the branch's targets from its past jobs and service mix, and confirm them with the COO monthly.
Revenue per hour
Divide revenue by paid field hours each month, with service and project work on separate lines. Leave monitoring income out so the figure shows what labor earns.
Project profitability
Compare each job's final profit with its bid after all labor, parts, change orders and warranty trips are booked. Review every job that lost money with its project manager.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Pull ratings from surveys and review sites by department, and read every comment below the top score. For large commercial or apartment accounts, a direct call often says more than a survey.
On-time project completion rate
Count projects handed over and signed off on or before the agreed date with the customer or general contractor, out of all projects due that month.
What licenses does a security company need to use Oregon's minor labels?
Oregon's Building Codes Division says the company needs a valid Construction Contractors Board license. It also needs the right electrical contractor license from the division. The person doing the work needs a matching individual electrical license. If you open an Oregon branch, line up all three before you quote work there.
How much does a security systems general manager make?
General and operations managers who work for security systems companies earned a median of $101,890 a year ($48.99 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $75,800 and $139,990 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
Should the general manager be the company's licensed manager in Oklahoma?
It can work if the GM qualifies. Oklahoma asks for at least four years (8,000 hours) of experience for a burglar and fire alarm manager, two years (4,000 hours) for access control or closed circuit TV, and a passed technician exam in each category first. If the GM holds the license, plan for who takes it over if the GM leaves, since the company's license depends on it.
What do the lifting, stairs and weather lines mean for a security GM?
They come from job site checks. A GM may inspect a site in progress, take the stairs to an upper-floor telecom room, squeeze into a tight closet, stand in the weather at a gate or lot camera, and carry a parts box that the template caps at 25 pounds. Put these duties in the posting, and weigh any accommodation request on its merits.
What should a security GM do when the general contractor's schedule slips?
Write down every delay as it happens, with dates and photos, and send it to the general contractor the same week. Ask for a revised schedule before moving crews, and price any extra trips or overtime as change orders. Don't let crews pull cable into a space that isn't ready, because rework after other trades damage it rarely gets paid.
