Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between defense analysts and senior security engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a defense analyst and a senior security engineer. Additionally, a senior security engineer has an average salary of $122,480, which is higher than the $86,453 average annual salary of a defense analyst.
The top three skills for a defense analyst include incident response, DOD and windows. The most important skills for a senior security engineer are cloud security, java, and linux.
| Defense Analyst | Senior Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $86,453 | $122,480 |
| Hourly rate | $41.56 | $58.88 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 24,879 | 69,850 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A defense analyst specializes in developing programs and policies about national security and safety. They usually work for the military, government agencies, private firms, and even the Department of Defense. Their responsibilities focus on conducting extensive research, analyzing military procedures and operations, assessing threats, identifying potential risks, and studying the current laws and policies, recommending solutions to optimize processes, solve issues, or prevent problems. Moreover, through their research, a defense analyst develops conclusions that will help offices in making decisions.
A senior security engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the organization's systems and network database to prevent unauthorized access and avoid data breaches. Senior security engineers inspect the efficiency of networks, perform system configuration, and increase the optimal performance of complex systems. They also implement policies and procedures for compliance with the proper utilization of information directories. They also conduct regular maintenance of networks, create update reports, and resolve glitches and security threats.
Defense analysts and senior security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Defense Analyst | Senior Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $86,453 | $122,480 |
| Salary range | Between $65,000 And $114,000 | Between $90,000 And $164,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Roku |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a defense analyst and a senior security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Defense Analyst | Senior Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between defense analysts' and senior security engineers' demographics:
| Defense Analyst | Senior Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.2% Female, 23.8% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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 Percentage | 9% | 9% |