Security guard job description template
A night on a site: gates checked on a patrol route, an incident written up while it is fresh, and a handover that tells the day shift what happened. Written for static guarding with patrols.
| Section | What it says |
|---|---|
| Position | Security officer |
| Reports to | Site supervisor, and the operations centre overnight |
| Employment type | Casual, rostered to client sites as the contract requires |
| Where the work happens | Client sites, including a gatehouse, car parks and the perimeter |
| Hours and roster | Twelve hour night shifts, 6:00pm to 6:00am, on a rotating roster. Shifts are allocated a fortnight ahead, and a change to a site is confirmed before the shift starts. |
| What the job involves | Sign on with the operations centre at the start of the shift and sign off at the end. Control access at the gate: check passes, log vehicles in and out, and direct contractors. Patrol the site to the route and the times the client sets, scanning the checkpoints. Respond to alarms and report what you find. Write incidents in the log while they are fresh, with times, names and what was done. Hand over to the day shift in person, with the log and anything outstanding. |
| A typical shift | On site 17:45 for the handover. Sign on 18:00, gate control through the contractor exit until 19:00. First patrol 20:00, checkpoints scanned. Alarm on the rear door at 23:40, checked, nothing found, logged. Patrols at 00:30, 02:30 and 04:30. Gate reopens at 05:30 for the early shift. Handover at 06:00 with the log and the alarm note. |
| Skills and experience | Holds a current security licence. Stays alert through a night shift, writes a log somebody else can follow, and keeps a level head when challenged. |
| Tickets and certificates | A security licence issued by the state or territory the work is in, held before any shift is worked, along with a first aid certificate where the site requires one. Licences do not automatically carry between states. |
| Physical demands | Night work, long periods standing and walking, being outdoors in all weather, and working alone. |
| Pay and award | Paid at the rate in your letter of engagement. Security work is usually covered by the Security Services Industry Award, and the award’s coverage clause decides whether it applies to this business. The classification decides the rate, and night, weekend and public holiday work is paid as the award sets out. |
| How the job is reviewed | A check in after the first four shifts on the log and the handover, then every six months with the supervisor. |
| Review date of this description | Reviewed each March, or when a site’s patrol requirements change. |
What is in the file
- Template, blank, with each section down the side and room for the answer.
- Example, the same sheet filled in for Meridian Protective Services.
- How to use, with the steps and the mistakes below.
How to fill it in
- Name the sites, the patrol route and the sign on process, because those are the shift.
- Record the licence number and its expiry, and check it before a shift rather than after one.
- Set the shift length and the roster cycle to what the contract actually requires.
- Agree what goes in the log and what is escalated immediately.
Common mistakes
- Rostering a guard onto a site in another state without checking the licence covers it
- A description with no handover in it, so the day shift starts blind
- Twelve hour nights rostered back to back without checking the break the award requires
When a spreadsheet stops being enough
Roster Flow holds each person’s licence expiry against their record, so a guard whose licence runs out mid month is flagged before the roster is published.
Questions
What is on the security guard job description template?
13 sections down the side, running from position to review date of this description. The example beside them is filled in for Meridian Protective Services: static guarding and patrols, with the licence, the log and the handover.
Does the security guard job description template work anything out for you?
No. It is a document with 13 sections to answer in your own words, not a calculator. Nothing on it is a formula.
Can I use the security guard job description template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Open security-guard-job-description.xlsx from Google Drive, or use File, then Import, then Upload with security-guard-job-description.csv. The document and its example come across either way.
Is the wording in the security guard job description template ready to use as it is?
The security guard job description template is a starting point for Meridian Protective Services or any business like it, to adapt rather than sign. The wording was checked against the official sources on 22 September 2026, it is not legal advice, and it has not been through a workplace relations professional.