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Chief security officer vs information security engineer

The differences between chief security officers and information security engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a chief security officer, becoming an information security engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a chief security officer has an average salary of $144,017, which is higher than the $97,288 average annual salary of an information security engineer.

The top three skills for a chief security officer include oversight, risk management and security program. The most important skills for an information security engineer are infrastructure, incident response, and security tools.

Chief security officer vs information security engineer overview

Chief Security OfficerInformation Security Engineer
Yearly salary$144,017$97,288
Hourly rate$69.24$46.77
Growth rate16%32%
Number of jobs107,163120,257
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4742
Years of experience86

What does a chief security officer do?

Chief security officers are a part of a company's executives assigned to secure all company assets, personnel, and premises. The importance of this position increases with the continuous innovation of technology. These officers need to have advanced computer skills and critical thinking skills and be meticulous about details. Having chief security officers in a company can help add value to the company and gain a competitive advantage over competitors. They also manage a network of managers, staff, and security directors and coordinate with law enforcement or other security agencies.

What does an information security engineer do?

An information security engineer specializes in designing and developing systems to protect company and customer data from hackers or any cyber attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around coordinating with different departments to identify their needs, assess existing programs to identify any areas needing improvement, monitor network and system for any problems, and implement preventive measures for protection. Should there be any breaches, it is essential to resolve them right away and conduct an investigation to prevent it from happening again. Furthermore, it is necessary to assist employees in utilizing security systems to ensure smooth workflow.

Chief security officer vs information security engineer salary

Chief security officers and information security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Chief Security OfficerInformation Security Engineer
Average salary$144,017$97,288
Salary rangeBetween $101,000 And $204,000Between $73,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMcKinsey & Company IncThe Citadel
Best paying industryInsuranceTechnology

Differences between chief security officer and information security engineer education

There are a few differences between a chief security officer and an information security engineer in terms of educational background:

Chief Security OfficerInformation Security Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 55%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorCriminal JusticeComputer Science
Most common collegeCalifornia State University - BakersfieldMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Chief security officer vs information security engineer demographics

Here are the differences between chief security officers' and information security engineers' demographics:

Chief Security OfficerInformation Security Engineer
Average age4742
Gender ratioMale, 91.0% Female, 9.0%Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 12.6% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 6.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 9.6% White, 65.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%9%

Differences between chief security officer and information security engineer duties and responsibilities

Chief security officer example responsibilities.

  • Manage SOX information security assessments.
  • Manage institution-wide information security governance processes including the creation and deployment of the initial security policy using the ISO framework.
  • Coordinate effective information exchange that begin with administrative controls using local encryption; direct migration to secure telecommunications links.
  • Enable secure transactions and electronic point-to-point communications, in private and secure digital encryption, leveraging digital signatures, without plugins.
  • Provide [] COBIT, and FISMA security program assessments.
  • Conduct destruction of COMSEC classify and unclassify material and maintain material inventories.

Information security engineer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the certification and accreditation efforts by implementing NIST 800-53 security controls in order to obtain FISMA compliance.
  • Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
  • Ensure that security policies are properly implement using NIST guidelines and perform auditing of logs.
  • Conduct Java algorithm design reviews and resolve any design issues.
  • Automate manual queries and integration using WhiteHat API's with PERL and Java.
  • Update ACAS plugins weekly or when updates become available on the DISA provide website.
    • Show more

Chief security officer vs information security engineer skills

Common chief security officer skills
  • Oversight, 6%
  • Risk Management, 5%
  • Security Program, 5%
  • Security Policies, 5%
  • CSO, 5%
  • Incident Response, 4%
Common information security engineer skills
  • Infrastructure, 7%
  • Incident Response, 6%
  • Security Tools, 5%
  • Network Security, 4%
  • SIEM, 4%
  • NIST, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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