How to hire a network security analyst

How to hire a network security analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step network security analyst hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a network security analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new network security analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a network security analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a network security analyst, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a network security analyst to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a network security analyst that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of network security analysts and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Network Security Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Network Security Analyst	Information security analysts plan and carry out security measures to protect an organization’s computer networks and systems. Their responsibilities are continually expanding as the number of cyberattacks increases.	$29-51
   Information Assurance Engineer	Information assurance engineers are responsible for protecting an organization's data. They act as a team of security specialists that use their skill in securely operating and keeping data to protect the organization's most essential asset... Show more	$32-56
   Information Systems Security Officer	An information systems security officer's role is to perform preventive measures to protect a company's data and systems from hackers or cyber-attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around assessing the existing security measures to identify any vulnerabilities or inconsistencies, recommending and implementing changes to improve security systems, and developing new strategies and programs for data protection... Show more	$32-57

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Network Security
   • Windows
   • Incident Response
   • Switches
   • Linux
   • Tcp Ip
   • Wireshark
   • Intrusion Detection Systems
   • Network Traffic
   • SOC
   • SIEM
   • Firewall Rules
   • Security Policies
   • TCP/IP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage endpoint encryption, antivirus/anti-malware host IPS, process documentation, incident management.
   • Design and manage information systems security policy, implementation, and management for a globally distribute MPLS infrastructure.
   • Install and provide upkeep for Linux scanning, storage and group-relate web and network management servers.
   • Create shell scripts to generate list of all files directories ownership companywide on all UNIX and Linux systems.
   • Assist with NIST 800-171 compliance initiative.
   • Utilize ArcSight SIEM to create rules, filters and channels.

   More network security analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the network security analyst job description is a good way to get more applicants. A network security analyst salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a network security analyst in Wisconsin may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level network security analyst. Additionally, a network security analyst with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average network security analyst salary

   $81,623yearly

   $39.24 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level network security analyst salary

   $61,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 14, 2025

   Average network security analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$104,154	$50
   2	District of Columbia	$97,623	$47
   3	Illinois	$91,539	$44
   4	New Jersey	$89,774	$43
   5	Virginia	$89,677	$43
   6	New York	$88,698	$43
   7	North Carolina	$85,316	$41
   8	Rhode Island	$83,257	$40
   9	Delaware	$81,929	$39
   10	Indiana	$80,464	$39
   11	Texas	$78,838	$38
   12	Oregon	$78,654	$38
   13	New Mexico	$77,314	$37
   14	New Hampshire	$77,062	$37
   15	Georgia	$76,897	$37
   16	Missouri	$76,350	$37
   17	Florida	$75,120	$36
   18	Ohio	$70,539	$34
   19	Colorado	$69,734	$34
   20	South Carolina	$69,719	$34

   Average network security analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Bunge	$120,890	$58.12
   2	Blackstone Group	$111,035	$53.38
   3	MUFG EMEA	$109,831	$52.80
   4	PTC Therapeutics	$108,949	$52.38	1
   5	Icma-rc	$104,735	$50.35
   6	Dell	$100,486	$48.31	2
   7	Viking	$97,481	$46.87	1
   8	Dollar Tree	$97,405	$46.83
   9	iland Cloud	$97,027	$46.65
   10	McKesson	$90,673	$43.59	3
   11	Randstad North America, Inc.	$90,354	$43.44	7
   12	Catapult Consultants	$88,919	$42.75
   13	Globe Life	$88,234	$42.42
   14	NSC Global	$86,505	$41.59
   15	Q.E.D. Systems	$85,787	$41.24	6
   16	Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut	$85,708	$41.21	2
   17	Tektree Systems	$84,645	$40.69
   18	Applied Medical Resources	$84,394	$40.57	2
   19	Washington Health System	$84,225	$40.49	1
   20	Alight Solutions	$84,151	$40.46

4. Writing a network security analyst job description

   A job description for a network security analyst role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a network security analyst job description:

   Network security analyst job description example

   About the Position
   
   We are looking for a Network Security Analyst who will help us maintain the team's highest level of service and keep our network security levels ahead of our business demands, while pushing for more standardization through automation.
   
   Jane Street's numerous distributed systems are built on an agile, reliable, multi-vendor network infrastructure that supports all traffic profiles from trading to internet connectivity. Enabling those systems to operate in a secure and auditable manner is a key mission of the Network Security team.
   
   Strong communication and interpersonal skills will be needed to collaborate with colleagues across the firm globally. You will find and resolve issues, plan and execute deployments, and improve systems where possible. Additional responsibilities of this role will include:
   

   • Working on a cross-team project to deploy firewalls in a DMZ environment
   • Interacting with stakeholders to establish and push firewall policies
   • Setting up a logging pipeline for new security appliances
   • Contributing to support tasks and actively taking steps to improve the team's ability to monitor our systems effectively, through scripting and/or conveying requirements to our dedicated developers

   
   Getting the details right and keeping good records will be critical in this role. Striving to improve the team through documentation and contributing to our monitoring and automation systems will be a must.
   
   About You
   

   • Hands-on experience with firewall configuration and troubleshooting
   • Strong understanding of network security principles and technologies
   • Experienced operating a DMZ network
   • Experienced working with routing protocols (BGP, OSPF)
   • Motivated to automate workflows to increase efficiency
   • High capacity to learn; we are more interested in how you think than what you already know
   • Strong ability to context switch and organize your workload
   • Clear communication skills and a high degree of customer service
   • A flexible and reliable team player who enjoys working in a collaborative environment
   • Proficiency in a programming language is preferred
   • Fluency in English is required

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right network security analyst for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with network security analysts they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit network security analysts who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your network security analyst job on Zippia to find and attract quality network security analyst candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting network security analysts requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview network security analyst candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new network security analyst

   Once you have selected a candidate for the network security analyst position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a network security analyst?