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What are the best Cyber Security job titles for you and your team? I reviewed 150 Cyber Security titles searched for by candidates (and employers!) to find the best titles for you to choose from. This is the latest chapter in Ongig’s series called Job Titles: The Definitive Guide.
In this article, you’ll find:
- Cyber Security vs. Cybersecurity — Should it be 2 words or one?
- Cyber Security Job Titles Hierarchy — The standard org chart for Cyber Security department positions with 70+ examples from each of the major 6 cyber security levels. I include examples of top employers and what they call their titles.
- The Top 30 Most Searched-For Cyber Security Titles — A column chart of the top 30 Cyber Security positions that candidates search for on Google.
- 10 Cyber Security Job Titles and Descriptions — A list of the top 10 Cyber Security job titles and descriptions that employers request
Cyber Security vs Cybersecurity?
While researching cyber security job titles, I ran into a small dilemma. Is it “cyber security” (2 words) or “cybersecurity” (one word)?
The common person knows that cyber security and cybersecurity are one in the same.
But it turns out that candidates use one version (when they Google for jobs) at a much higher clip.
A quick example (or three) before we jump right into the top Cyber Security Job Titles:
- “Cyber Security Analyst jobs” is searched 1,500 times per month by candidates versus “Cybersecurity Analyst jobs” at just 150 per month.
- “Entry Level Cyber Security jobs” gets a much higher 9,300 per month vs.“Entry Level Cybersecurity jobs” (900 searches per month)
- “Cyber Security Engineer jobs” is searched 300 times per month by candidates vs. “Cybersecurity Engineer jobs” ( just 10 searches per month).
Now that you know how candidates are searching for job titles in cyber security, let’s have a look at a typical org chart of cyber security job titles.
Cyber Security Job Titles Hierarchy
- (CISO) Chief Information Security Officer – Chief Security Officer, Head of Cyber Security, President Cybersecurity
- VP Cybersecurity – Cyber Security Executive, Security Executive
- Information Security Director – Cyber Security Lead, Director of Information Security, Cybersecurity Director
- Information Security Manager – Cyber Security Manager, SOC Manager, Cyber Security Product Manager, Security Operations Center Manager, GRC Manager
- Individual Contributors – Information Security Analyst, Cyber Security Analyst, Security Engineer, SOC Analyst, Penetration Tester, Cyber Security Technician, Data Security Analyst, Cryptographer, White Hat Hacker, AWS Cloud Architect
- Entry Level – Entry Level Cyber Security Engineer, Information Security Intern, Cyber Intern, Junior Cyber Security Associate, Pentester Intern, Cyber Security Apprentice
Here’s a longer list of titles by each row of the pyramid with little more texture on each:
Job Titles for Cyber Security Leaders
The top security leader (usually called the CISO (Chief Information Security Officer)) most commonly reports to the Chief Information Officer (e.g. that’s the case in 62% of financial institutions). In other companies the CISO might report to the Chief Technology Officer (Steampunk, inc. uses this) or (in compliance-driven co.s) the CFO or General Counsel.
Cyber security has become such a hot boardroom issue, that there’s now a movement for CISOs to report directly to the CEO (see Why the CISO should report direct to the CEO).
Below are are the top 6 titles I found candidates and employers using for Cyber Security leaders.
- (CISO) Chief Information Security Officer (WeWork & Splunk)
- Chief Security Officer (Slack)
- President Cybersecurity (AT&T)
- Head of Cyber Security (AAA)
- Head of Cybersecurity Policy (Facebook)
- Head of Digital Transformation Security (Google)
- Head of Cyber Defense (Amazon & Zoom)
VP of Cyber Security Titles
Here are the top 9 titles I found candidates and employers using for Cyber Security Vice President titles:
- VP Cybersecurity (AT&T)
- Cyber Security Executive (HackerOne)
- Security Executive (Accenture)
- VP Assured Identity and Cybersecurity Operations (IBM)
- VP Cybersecurity Strategy (Okta)
- Cyber Security Client Executive (Google)
- Vice President Security Assurance (Salesforce)
- SVP Enterprise Risk Officer (Banking Industry)
Director of Cyber Security Titles
Here are the most used Cyber Security director titles:
- Information Security Director (eBay)
- Cyber Security Lead (Brex)
- Director Information Security (Salesforce)
- Cyber Security Leader (Amazon)
- Cybersecurity Director (BeecherMadden)
- Cybersecurity Leader (Cummins)
- Security Program Lead (Facebook)
- Cybersecurity Product Lead (Facebook)
- Security Governance Director (Salesforce)
- Senior Director Security Operations (GoDaddy)
- Threat Investigations Lead (PayPal)
Cyber Security Manager Titles
There are numerous Cyber Security Manager alternative titles to use. Here are the top job titles I found candidates and employers using:
- Information Security Manager (Facebook)
- Cyber Security Manager (HPE)
- SOC Manager (DocuSign)
- Cyber Security Product Manager (Mastercard)
- Security Operations Center Manager (Cummins)
- GRC Manager (Salesforce)
- Security Awareness Manager (Salesforce)
- Governance Compliance & Risk Manager (IHG)
- Program Manager Cyber Security (Visa)
- Cybersecurity and Compliance Program Manager (RingCentral)
- Cybersecurity Supply Chain Manager (HPE)
- Senior Manager of IT Assurance (NTT)
Individual Contributor Cyber Security Titles
When you get to the individual contributor level of Cyber Security positions, there is more granularity. Here are the top 25 I found candidates and employers using:
- Information Security Analyst (Visa)
- Cyber Security Analyst (Samsung)
- Security Engineer (Asana & Amazon)
- SOC Analyst (Workday)
- Penetration Tester (Apple)
- Cyber Security Technician (U.S. Army)
- Data Security Analyst (DocuSign)
- Cryptographer (Facebook)
- Blockchain Developer (Facebook)
- Cyber Security Specialist (Cisco)
- AWS Cloud Architect (Capital One)
- Security Researcher (Google & GoDaddy)
- Application Security Engineer (CAAA Insurance)
- Cyber Security Consultant (Dell)
- Cyber Security Engineer (ServiceNow)
- Information System Security Officer (Zoom)
- Cyber Security Risk Analyst (Lyft)
- Counsel Privacy & Cybersecurity (Uber)
- Cybersecurity Strategist (VMware)
- Threat Response Analyst (CrowdStrike)
- Security Control Assessment Analyst (Steampunk)
- Cyber Security Watch Analyst (Noblis)
- Data Loss Protection Engineer (CAAA Insurance)
- Cyber Intelligence Operations Analyst (Accenture)
- Senior Threat & Vulnerability Analyst (Splunk)
Entry-Level Cyber Security Job Titles
Here are the top 10 entry-level Cyber Security titles I found candidates and employers using:
- Entry Level Cyber Security Engineer (Department of Defense)
- Information Security Intern (Stanford University)
- Cyber Intern (CITI)
- Junior Cyber Security Associate (Amazon)
- Cyber Security Program Intern (Facebook)
- Security Engineer Intern (Oracle)
- Cyber Security Apprentice (Flatiron School)
- Security Technologist Intern (Uber)
- Pentester Trainee (Booz Allen Hamilton)
- Cybersecurity Undergraduate Intern (Central Intelligence Agency)
Top Cyber Security Job Titles (Candidates)
Below is a list of the top 30 Cyber Security job titles based on Google queries we found on ahrefs.
Information Security Analyst is the top searched-for job by candidates and also the most requested cyber security job description by employers (see Top 10 list below).
Top 10 Cyber Security Job Titles and Descriptions (Employers)
Below are the top 10 Cyber Security Job Description titles employers request on Google, according to ahrefs.
I’ve included a brief description for each as well as the # of job title searches per month by employers.
Information Security Analyst
An Information Security Analyst responds to and monitors cyber threats that can affect an organization’s information network. An Information Security Specialist is tasked with:
- Performing vulnerability assessments
- Writing security policies and procedures
- Updating security software to avoid breaches
# of job title searches per month: 500
Cyber Security Analyst
A Cyber Security Analyst is responsible for planning a company’s cyber security protection plans and procedures. A Cyber Security Analyst keeps tabs on potential threats, installs software and encryption, and reports breaches or weak spots. A Cyber Security Analyst also researches new IT trends related to cyber security and informs employees about security risks.
# of job title searches per month: 300; Cybersecurity Analyst: 150
Security Engineer
A Security Engineer builds security systems and firewalls to protect organizations from cyber threats. A Security Engineer conducts security assessments, conduct tests, and create reports for senior management. A Security Engineer also evaluates new security options and makes recommendations.
# of job title searches per month: 350; Cyber Security Engineer: 200
Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
A Chief Information Security Officer, also known as a CISO or Chief Security Officer, leads the data security for an organization. A Chief Information Security Officer is responsible for:
- Staying aware of potential cyber risk
- Ensuring fraud and data loss prevention
- Managing employee access systems
- Managing security architecture
# of job title searches per month: 350; CISO: 350, Chief Security Officer: 90
Security Architect
A Security Architect is an experienced cyber security individual who maintains the security of an organization’s computer system. A Security Architect studies existing security hardware and software and makes recommendations for their improvement. A Security Architect also identifies weak spots in a cyber security system that may be hacked and creates procedures to manage threats.
# of job title searches per month: 200
Information Security Manager
An Information Security Manager leads a team of cyber security employees to protect against security threats in an organization. An Information Security Manager sets up procedures to monitor computer networks and directs employees to respond to potential threats. An Information Security Manager also trains employees on security risks and good data protection practices.
# of job title searches per month: 150
Information Security Officer
An Information Security Officer implements and manages security protection systems put in place by the CISO. An Information Security Officer ensures privacy for both employees and partners and motivates the cyber security team. An Information Security Officer is also responsible for managing internal security compliance.
# of job title searches per month: 150
Cyber Security Specialist
A Cyber Security Specialist helps an organization protect against cyber threats by monitoring and responding to security events. A Cyber Security Specialist works alongside other cyber security team members to analyze and investigate potential threats. A Cyber Security Specialist also analyzes the organization’s security procedures to look for areas of improvement.
# of job title searches per month: 100
SOC Analyst
A SOC Analyst (Security Operation Center Analyst) monitors networks for suspicious activity and potential cyber threats. A SOC Analyst wades through data, emails, and network logs looking for potential breaches and assists the cyber security team with creating defenses to stop future attacks.
# of job title searches per month: 90; Security Operations Center Analyst:10
Penetration Tester
A Penetration Tester, also known as a Pen Tester or ethical hacker, is responsible for:
- Testing established security systems
- Correcting system weaknesses
- Designing legal hacking tools
# of job title searches per month: 90; Pen Tester: 10
What are the types of cyber security?
A cyber security job description is fairly standard across industries, but may also have differences. According to an article from Mindcore, there are 5 types of cyber security:
- Critical infrastructure security
- Application security
- Network security
- Cloud security
- Internet of things (IoT) security
The first 4 are fairly easy to understand, but what is internet of things (iot)? Mindcore says:
IoT refers to a wide variety of critical and non-critical cyber physical systems, like appliances, sensors, televisions, wifi routers, printers, and security cameras.
As cyber threats evolve, so will the types of cyber security job titles and cyber security job descriptions.
Funny Cyber Security Job Titles
We found some laughable and creative job titles, including a few for cyber security in our recent blog about funny job titles. Would you want take of these funny cyber security job titles as your own?
- Director, Ethical Hacking (White Hat Hacker)…Predictive Systems, Inc.
- Paranoid-in-Chief (Chief Information Security Officer)
- Security Princess (White Hat Hacker)…Google position held by Parisa Tabriz
What is a White Hat Hacker? (see bullet #1) Wikipedia says:
The term “white hat” in Internet slang refers to an ethical computer hacker, or a computer security expert, who specializes in penetration testing and in other testing methodologies that ensures the security of an organization’s information systems.
Other Resources on Cyber Security Job Titles
In addition to the sources cited above, special thanks to these experts on Cyber Security titles:
- THQ’s article on Why the CISO should report direct to the CEO.
- Timothy Levin’s article on What Does an Information Security Analyst Do?
- Brianna Flavin’s article on Everything You Need to Know About Becoming a Cyber Security Analyst
- Cyber Degree’s article on How To Become a Security Engineer
- Josh Frulinger’s article on What is a CISO? Responsibilities and requirements for this vital leadership role
- Infosec’s career profile on a Security Architect
- Ian Linton’s article on The Job Description for an Information Security Manager
- Bruce Sussman’s article on Information Security Officer Role: ‘This Is What I Do’
- Cisco’s article on What Is a Cybersecurity Specialist?
- Josh Fruhlinger’s article on SOC analyst job description, salary, and certification
- Cyber Degree’s article on How To Become a Penetration Tester
- Mindcore’s article on 5 types of cyber security
- Wikipedia’s page on White hat (computer security)
Why I wrote this?
My team and I share this research on Cyber Security job titles to help you optimize your own titles. This supports our mission to transform job descriptions. Check out Ongig.com to see how our software transforms your job titles and job descriptions.
