How To Become An Information Assurance Officer: What It Is and Career Path

What is an information assurance officer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Professor David Sanford

The average information assurance officer salary is $105,312. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an information technology major. It usually takes 4-6 years of experience to become an information assurance officer. Information assurance officers with a Security 5 Certification certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 32% and produce 35,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an information assurance officer?

Professor David Sanford

Associate Professor an Department Chair (MIS, CS, CYB MGT, IS CYB), Northwood University

Workers like that they are challenged to solve problems and lead technological innovations.
They appreciate the diversity of projects
They enjoy the need for continuous improvement and education
Many see the global impact of their work.
They also desire and appreciate the need for versatile skills
A competitive salary is also an item that employees like

Workers dislike that the work can be stressful
Dealing with tight deadlines and/ or cybersecurity concerns.
This is a positive and a negative: The need to constantly stay up to date with technology can be a bit overwhelming for some.
There may be times of isolation, and
The unexpected system failures can be frustrating as they often require extra hours or the need to be on-call.
The multiple responsibilities and managing repetitive tasks are also issues workers point out in this field.

In short, the workplace offers exciting opportunities but comes with its fair share of pressures and challenges. Different people have different experiences based on their roles and personal preferences.

ScoreInformation Assurance OfficerUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $105,312

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.5

Growth rate 32%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.43%

Asian 9.64%

Black or African American 9.15%

Hispanic or Latino 8.99%

Unknown 6.09%

White 65.70%

Gender

female 19.73%

male 80.27%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

6.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.4

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.9

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an information assurance officer

Explore information assurance officer education requirements

Most common information assurance officer degrees

Bachelor's

53.0 %

Associate

27.9 %

Master's

14.1 %

Start to develop specific information assurance officer skills

Skills	Percentages
IAM	8.71%
DOD	7.73%
RMF	6.76%
Security Policies	5.97%
Security Procedures	5.81%

Complete relevant information assurance officer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New information assurance officers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an information assurance officer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real information assurance officer resumes.

Gain additional information assurance officer certifications

Information assurance officer certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific information assurance officer certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for information assurance officers include Security 5 Certification and IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL).

More About Certifications

Research information assurance officer duties and responsibilities

Work directly with IAM to resolve network issues, manage audit records and ensure audit software conforms to specify guidelines.
Lead implementation for new DAR solution for global disk encryption, developing management policy to prevent document and data leakage.
Receive IAVA's and STIG vulnerabilities from VMS.
Ensure that the network security infrastructure are configured according to DISA STIGS.

Prepare your information assurance officer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your information assurance officer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an information assurance officer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable information assurance officer resume templates

Build a professional information assurance officer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your information assurance officer resume.