Post job

Senior information security consultant vs information security manager

The differences between senior information security consultants and information security managers 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 information security consultant and an information security manager. Additionally, an information security manager has an average salary of $126,447, which is higher than the $106,150 average annual salary of a senior information security consultant.

The top three skills for a senior information security consultant include risk assessments, risk management and cloud security. The most important skills for an information security manager are risk management, NIST, and infrastructure.

Senior information security consultant vs information security manager overview

Senior Information Security ConsultantInformation Security Manager
Yearly salary$106,150$126,447
Hourly rate$51.03$60.79
Growth rate32%32%
Number of jobs115,978115,414
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age4242
Years of experience66

What does a senior information security consultant do?

A senior information security consultant manages and executes consultancy tasks in information compliance and security areas like privacy regulation, cybersecurity, cloud security, and software quality. They manage and conduct assessments depending on specific frameworks and lead teams during client projects. These professionals support organizations in implementing information security management systems as per the ISO standards. Also, senior information security consultants, coach medium consultants, and junior consultants on service offering and knowledge development. Also, they promote services and knowledge offerings.

What does an information security manager do?

An information security manager is primarily in charge of overseeing the security systems established to protect a company's data from hackers or cyber-attacks. Their responsibilities revolve around monitoring networks for any security breaches, designing and developing new security systems, and improving existing ones when necessary. They may also perform research and analysis to determine company needs, provide instructional materials, and produce progress reports. Furthermore, as an information security manager, it is essential to provide technical support to employees, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.

Senior information security consultant vs information security manager salary

Senior information security consultants and information security managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Information Security ConsultantInformation Security Manager
Average salary$106,150$126,447
Salary rangeBetween $79,000 And $141,000Between $91,000 And $175,000
Highest paying CitySeattle, WASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonCalifornia
Best paying companyRingCentraleBay
Best paying industryTelecommunicationMedia

Differences between senior information security consultant and information security manager education

There are a few differences between a senior information security consultant and an information security manager in terms of educational background:

Senior Information Security ConsultantInformation Security Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 67%Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common majorComputer ScienceBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Senior information security consultant vs information security manager demographics

Here are the differences between senior information security consultants' and information security managers' demographics:

Senior Information Security ConsultantInformation Security Manager
Average age4242
Gender ratioMale, 83.1% Female, 16.9%Male, 85.8% Female, 14.2%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage9%9%

Differences between senior information security consultant and information security manager duties and responsibilities

Senior information security consultant example responsibilities.

  • Audit and recommend controls to mitigate risks and achieve compliance with SOX and GLBA regulations.
  • Manage the conversion to a hybrid NAS/disk/tape CommVault base backup environment resulting in decreasing backup windows and improving recovery objectives.
  • Utilize standard frameworks & guidelines such as ISO27001, OUM, NIST, ASD, PSR and NZISM.
  • Develop Cisco firewall policy and maintenance plans.
  • Organize NIST 800-53A lifecycle security activities: information categorization, audit, inventory and configuration management support.
  • Assume primary operational responsibility for Symantec DLP implementation
  • Show more

Information security manager example responsibilities.

  • Develop goals and strategies to achieve company goals while improving upon current ITIL processes and procedures.
  • Provide direct leadership with managing corporate HIPAA Privacy/Security compliance initiatives.
  • Manage the administration of various encryption, authentication and public/private key management technologies and certificate/digital authority.
  • Manage the conversion to a hybrid NAS/disk/tape CommVault base backup environment resulting in decreasing backup windows and improving recovery objectives.
  • Conduct risk assessments and collaborate with leadership to provide recommendations regarding critical infrastructure and network security operations enhancements.
  • Coordinate penetration testing, address vulnerabilities, and analyze NIST 800-82 and ISO 27001 standards/gap analysis for SCADA and business networks.
  • Show more

Senior information security consultant vs information security manager skills

Common senior information security consultant skills
  • Risk Assessments, 10%
  • Risk Management, 9%
  • Cloud Security, 7%
  • NIST, 6%
  • Security Assessments, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
Common information security manager skills
  • Risk Management, 7%
  • NIST, 7%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Governance, 5%
  • Incident Response, 5%
  • Risk Assessments, 5%

Browse computer and mathematical jobs