Senior cyber security analyst vs personnel security specialist

The differences between senior cyber security analysts and personnel security specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior cyber security analyst and a personnel security specialist. Additionally, a senior cyber security analyst has an average salary of $91,144, which is higher than the $78,967 average annual salary of a personnel security specialist.

The top three skills for a senior cyber security analyst include cyber security, incident response and NIST. The most important skills for a personnel security specialist are SCI, JPAS, and E-QIP.

Senior cyber security analyst vs personnel security specialist overview

	Senior Cyber Security Analyst	Personnel Security Specialist
Yearly salary	$91,144	$78,967
Hourly rate	$43.82	$37.96
Growth rate	32%	32%
Number of jobs	64,649	52,507
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	6	6

What does a senior cyber security analyst do?

A senior cybersecurity analyst provides assistance in designing and implementing IT security systems in organizations or companies. Senior cybersecurity analysts protect the computer networks of organizations from any cyber-attack. They respond and analyze different cyber incidents as necessary. They offer actionable investigative leads to investigators to prevent terrorist or criminal acts in the future. Also, they establish and update procedures and documentation for various duties in ISO and ITIL formats.

What does a personnel security specialist do?

A personnel security specialist is responsible for conducting background checks and collecting requirements for security clearance. Personnel security specialists write background check reports, coordinate with other institutions for further investigations, and determining the eligibility of candidates for clearance. They must have excellent communication and researching skills to identify and gather data suitable for employment purposes. A personnel security specialist verifies and processes information according to security procedures and protocols, providing accurate information and managing data disputes.

Senior cyber security analyst vs personnel security specialist salary

Senior cyber security analysts and personnel security specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Senior Cyber Security Analyst	Personnel Security Specialist
Average salary	$91,144	$78,967
Salary range	Between $69,000 And $119,000	Between $49,000 And $124,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	Palo Alto, CA
Highest paying state	California	Connecticut
Best paying company	Nike	Palantir
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Technology

Differences between senior cyber security analyst and personnel security specialist education

There are a few differences between a senior cyber security analyst and a personnel security specialist in terms of educational background:

	Senior Cyber Security Analyst	Personnel Security Specialist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 61%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Computer Information Systems	Criminal Justice
Most common college	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	California State University - Bakersfield

Senior cyber security analyst vs personnel security specialist demographics

Here are the differences between senior cyber security analysts' and personnel security specialists' demographics:

	Senior Cyber Security Analyst	Personnel Security Specialist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 81.2% Female, 18.8%	Male, 39.7% Female, 60.3%
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%

Differences between senior cyber security analyst and personnel security specialist duties and responsibilities

Senior cyber security analyst example 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.

Personnel security specialist example responsibilities.

Implement group policies to manage domain / PC / user security.
Manage servers to include Cisco ACS (access control server), and external DNS server.
Manage multiple security programs and systems in accordance with NISPOM, DCID, M1 and JAFAN guidance.
Support all the applications deploy through the F5 LTM along with the configuration and the managing role.
Develop and manage covert CCTV program to support corporate investigations.
Develop expert working knowledge of personnel security administration activities using JPAS and E-QIP.

Senior cyber security analyst vs personnel security specialist skills

Common senior cyber security analyst skills

Cyber Security, 18%
Incident Response, 7%
NIST, 6%
Windows, 6%
RMF, 5%
DOD, 4%

Common personnel security specialist skills

SCI, 7%
JPAS, 7%
E-QIP, 5%
DOD, 5%
Personnel Security, 5%
Government Agencies, 4%

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Senior Cyber Security Analyst vs Personnel Security Specialist

Updated January 8, 2025

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