10 Biggest Private Security Companies that Are Hiring

If private security is the job of your dreams, then check our latest feature about the biggest private security companies that are hiring.

Private Security companies make the news more often than not, these days, but what is less known is their needs for employees.

If you imagine that working for a private security firm is going under fire every other day and being flown to exotic locations, well, you may be in for a massive disappointment if you have no previous experience in the field.

But fear not, because private security firms handle much more than just military operations; they’re involved in providing security for various facilities and vessels (particularly to ward off piracy). They protect private residences and project sites but also escort convoys, help to transport commodities, provide security training to foreign military and personnel, fight cybercrime, handle background checks for future employees of various firms, provide help for humanitarian assistance, and the list keeps growing because of security needs and cuts in governments’ spendings all over the world.

There exists plenty of private security firms who set up shop in a booming market but trying to get a job in the best firms which are well-established means that you will be better trained. Though you may not be better protected. As a private army contractor, if you’re sent to a war zone and get under fire, you won’t have the Army to back you up. And contrary to soldiers and veterans, when you will go home, don’t expect to be hailed as a hero. You will, most probably, considered a mere mercenary. But, you don’t have to go to exotic locations to work for private security companies: they also handle local operations that will keep you as busy as any other jobs.

Even though some of the best private security company doesn’t come from the USA (G4S is English, GardaWorld is Canadian amongst others), the US fare well in this business. By the way, to the Canadians reading this piece, GardaWorld ranks number 6 our top 10 so feel free to check them out. Although you may have heard of AEGIS World when they were bought by GardaWorld in 2015 – and not to be confused with AEGIS, the defense system used by the US Marine – they still pale compared to G4S. G4S is said to be “the world’s third-largest private-sector employer” and, according to its own website, employs “more than 585,000 employees on six continents”. By comparison, the first largest employer in the world is Wal-Mart with 2.2 million employees in 2014.

If you are interested you can also check our article on The 9 Largest Private Armies In The World.

To establish which companies are hiring, we looked at the LinkedIn profiles of companies often dubbed as the biggest and the best in the world. We then compared the number of employees the various companies say they have on their LinkedIn profiles and on the financial sections of their websites. Finally, we made sure that each of the listed companies has job offering on their career’s websites. So, without further ado, we bring you the biggest private security companies that are hiring!

10. ADT

Who doesn’t have an ADT alarm security system or have never heard of them? In these parts of the world, you may be far from the majority as ADT’s security systems are everywhere.

They were founded in 1874 and since then, have established themselves as trustful and quality security systems. Same as Allied Universal, their reach does not go beyond North America (that includes the US and Canada), but they still deserve to be on our list. They have a workforce of almost 17,000 employees, according to their LinkedIn account and their career website has numerous opportunities.

9. CACI International

“Ever vigilant” is the motto of the number 9 in our list of biggest private security companies that are hiring, and it is quite fitting.

Their primary services are described on their website as providing “information solutions and services in support of national security missions and government transformation for Intelligence, Defense, and Federal Civilian customers.”

Some of CACI’s missions, in clear language, are working with the US government on secret missions. Not James Bond style, though, rather the messy and can-get-you-killed stuff which isn’t very glamorous. They also work on cyber-security, which is one the most forward threat at the moment. They have, according to their website, 20,000 employees in 120 locations worldwide and you can apply on their dedicated career’s website.

8. Booz Allen Hamilton

You may not have heard about them before. That’s because they are a discreet company and, contrary to other companies, they are more on the technological side of things.

According to their websites, they “invent new ways to work smart and manage change, engineer rapid prototypes and advanced cyber solutions and break new ground in data and analytics.” But it doesn’t mean they stay inside clean offices in the US. They do work with the US government, businesses and NGOs around the world. According to their career’s website, they employ 22,000 people worldwide. And now, let’s see what’s next in our list of biggest private security companies that are hiring.

7. KBR

KBR, in its own words, “is a global provider of differentiated professional services and technologies.” Their LinkedIn profile indicates that they are a Construction company, but they are so much more than that.

They have 34,000 employees with offices in more than 40 countries. They work in more than 80 countries in total. On their career’s website, they offer positions in the US and abroad for anyone who could be interested.

6. Brink’s

The Brink’s can boast it is one of the oldest private security company in existence. It was founded in 1859 in the USA but has since then grown enough to, “serve customers in more than 100 countries”, according to their own website.

They also say that they currently “employ 59,900 persons” and have operations in 41 countries. The services they offer include: “armored car transportation, money processing, long-distance transport of valuables, vaulting and other value-added solutions.” Brink’s offers worldwide opportunities and, to apply, make sure you contact the office you wish to work for rather than their headquarters.

5. GardaWorld

We are continuing our list of biggest private security companies that are hiring with GardaWorld, a Canadian company, that boasts on its website to be “one of the world’s largest privately owned security services company.”

They offer services in a range of security services, among them, “cash services, protective services and aviation services.” If you’re a Canadian, you probably have seen their employees in airports as screening officers and in a variety of positions in the rest of the world. True, their workforce towers at an impressive 62,000 spread across the world. For a company founded in 1995 only, this is more than impressive. Their career website offers jobs in the USA, in Canada and Internationally.

4. Prosegur

Prosegur ranks 4th in our list of biggest private security companies that are hiring. It employs more than 160,000 people scattered across 21 countries, which puts them in the 4th place of this list of biggest private security companies that are hiring. Their headquarters are in Madrid, Spain.

According to their LinkedIn profile, they’re considered “a reference in the private security industry worldwide.” In order to apply for a job at Prosegur, you will have to click on your country of interest and apply on their own websites.

3. Allied Universal

Up next in our list of biggest private security companies that are hiring is Allied Universal that is the merged entity, since 2016, between Allied Barton and Universal Services. So, do not be surprised if, on their website, they offer a very wide range of services, from security systems to cleaning facilities.

Their motto, ‘There for you”, reflects their philosophy. They have a workforce towering in the 150,000+ and although they don’t seem to operate (per their website) outside of the USA, they deserve a seat on this list. Their career website will provide you with a large range of opportunities in corporate fields, security jobs, and internal security jobs among others.

2. Securitas

We are continuing our list of biggest private security companies that are hiring with Securitas group that is, as ADT, quite well known. Contrary to ADT though, Securitas is working well across over 60 countries in North America, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa.

They have, according to their LinkedIn website, 330,000 employees all over these 60 countries. They were founded in 1934, in Stockholm. Securitas offers a “broad range of services of specialized guarding, technology solutions and consulting and investigations.” Their career website allows you to choose which country you would like to work in before showing you employment opportunities.

1. G4S

And last but not least, the behemoth of security companies, the biggest currently in operation, G4S.

As said in the introduction, G4S is the third largest private sector employer” and employed 610,000 people at the end of 2015. They are working in more than 100 countries and, on their website, describe their job as doing “outsourced business processes and facilities in sectors where security and safety risks are considered a strategic threat.” Their career website offers a wide range of jobs across almost all continents. In 2010, G4S was one of the founding members and signed the Global Code of Conduct For Private Security Providers. This code implies that the training provided to their staff is to the highest standard to ensure that their staff knows how to handle all situations.

Those are the biggest private security companies that are hiring and provide a good environment for personal growth and career advancement.