How to hire a senior cyber security analyst

How to hire a senior cyber security analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step senior cyber 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 senior cyber security analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new senior cyber security analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a senior cyber security analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the senior cyber security analyst you need to hire. Certain senior cyber security analyst roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A senior cyber security analyst's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior cyber security analysts from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

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

   Type of Senior Cyber Security Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Cyber 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.	$33-57
   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
   Analyst	Analysts are employees or individual contributors with a vast experience in a particular field that help the organization address challenges. They help the organization improve processes, policies, and other operations protocol by studying the current processes in place and determining the effectiveness of those processes... Show more	$25-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cyber Security
   • Incident Response
   • NIST
   • Windows
   • RMF
   • DOD
   • SIEM
   • Linux
   • POA
   • Splunk
   • Security Events
   • Network Security
   • Risk Assessments
   • ACAS

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Research and authore white paper advocating a framework for managing risk to the most critical DoD systems.
   • Implement a manage endpoint encryption solution utilizing TrendMicro MobileArmor to secure university workstations against sensitive data loss.
   • Lead ArcSight SIEM, MacAfee HBSS, mail gateway and firewall administrator.
   • Use Splunk and FireEye CMS, among other tools for security response to triage security issues.
   • Interrogate and monitor agency network traffic using QRadar SIEM.
   • Import data sources into Splunk and write custom RegEx to parse key fields.

   More senior cyber security analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior cyber security analyst job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A senior cyber security analyst salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, senior cyber security analysts' average salary in new hampshire is 38% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior cyber security analysts earn 42% less than senior-level senior cyber security analysts.
   • Certifications. A senior cyber security analyst with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a senior cyber security analyst's salary.

   Average senior cyber security analyst salary

   $91,144yearly

   $43.82 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior cyber security analyst salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 31, 2026

   Average senior cyber security analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$124,748	$60
   2	Washington	$109,159	$52
   3	Maryland	$99,901	$48
   4	Arizona	$99,733	$48
   5	Virginia	$99,543	$48
   6	Oregon	$95,962	$46
   7	North Carolina	$94,089	$45
   8	Illinois	$89,847	$43
   9	Pennsylvania	$89,793	$43
   10	New York	$89,688	$43
   11	New Mexico	$88,834	$43
   12	Texas	$88,742	$43
   13	Ohio	$87,770	$42
   14	Georgia	$87,317	$42
   15	South Carolina	$84,737	$41
   16	District of Columbia	$83,963	$40
   17	Colorado	$83,160	$40
   18	Nebraska	$81,580	$39
   19	Florida	$81,214	$39
   20	Indiana	$81,153	$39

   Average senior cyber security analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Nike	$110,823	$53.28
   2	Ciena	$106,212	$51.06
   3	AT&T	$105,423	$50.68	12
   4	Silicon Valley Bank	$104,662	$50.32
   5	Randstad North America, Inc.	$104,159	$50.08	2
   6	NRG Energy	$100,869	$48.49	9
   7	Motion Recruitment	$100,410	$48.27	15
   8	UW Medicine	$99,658	$47.91
   9	Numerator	$98,858	$47.53
   10	Green Mountain Coffee Roasters	$98,527	$47.37
   11	Vanguard Services	$97,704	$46.97	12
   12	Ernst & Young	$97,547	$46.90	295
   13	Portland General Electric	$97,191	$46.73	3
   14	Alaka`ina Foundation Family Of Companies	$96,994	$46.63	1
   15	VF	$96,654	$46.47
   16	Hire Velocity	$96,510	$46.40
   17	Hyatt Hotels	$96,396	$46.34	41
   18	CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield	$96,159	$46.23
   19	Salient CRGT	$95,729	$46.02
   20	Ukpeagvik IOoOupiat Corporation	$95,583	$45.95	2

4. Writing a senior cyber security analyst job description

   A senior cyber security analyst job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a senior cyber security analyst job description:

   Senior cyber security analyst job description example

   • Bachelor's degree and a minimum of 8 years related technical experience required. An additional 4 years of experience may be substituted in lieu of degree.
   • Working knowledge of security concepts, protocols, processes, architectures and tools (vulnerabilities, threats and exploitation, authentication & access control technologies, threat intelligence data and sources, WHOIS and DNS referential data and sources, intrusion detection/prevention capabilities, network traffic analysis, SIM technology, incident handling, media/malware analysis, etc.).
   • Working knowledge of networking concepts, protocols and architectures (OSI-model, TCP/IP, major application protocols such as DNS/HTTP/SMTP, LAN/WANs, VPNs, routers/routing, addressing, etc.).
   • Detailed knowledge of intrusion detection engines, capabilities and signature formats in general, with a specific focus on Snort/Sourcefire variations and regular expressions (REGEX).
   • Knowledge of cyber policy & issues, the global cyber community, roles of major organizations how they interrelate and interact, and challenges in these structures.
   • Awareness of the common cyber products and services, an understanding of their limitations, and a comprehensive understanding of the disciplines of cybersecurity.
   • Ability to produce results in a fast-paced environment with the ability to meet iterative deadlines.
   • Active Top Secret Security clearance with SCI eligibility is required.
     • In addition, selected candidate must be able to obtain and maintain a favorably adjudicated DHS background investigation (EOD) for continued employment.

   Peraton Overview

   Peraton drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted and highly differentiated national security solutions and technologies that keep people safe and secure. Peraton serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies across the intelligence, space, cyber, defense, civilian, health, and state and local markets. Every day, our employees do the can't be done, solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers.

   An Equal Opportunity Employer including Disability/Veteran.

   For Colorado Residents Colorado Salary Minimum: $79,600
   Colorado Salary Maximum: $193,100
   
   The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position, and is just one component of Peraton's total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. In addition, Peraton provides a variety of benefits to employees.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find senior cyber security analysts for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your senior cyber security analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit senior cyber security analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit senior cyber security analysts, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a senior cyber security analyst applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • 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 senior cyber security analyst

   Once you've decided on a perfect senior cyber security analyst candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new senior cyber security analyst. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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