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.
Senior information security consultant responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior information security consultant resumes:
- 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
- Create PKI documentations relate to certificate installation, troubleshooting and resolutions.
Senior information security consultant skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Senior Information Security Consultants are proficient in Risk Assessments, Risk Management, and Cloud Security. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Detail oriented, and Ingenuity.
We break down the percentage of Senior Information Security Consultants that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Risk Assessments, 10%
Preformed independent security audits identifying potential risks through thorough risk assessments for FDIC regulatory compliance.
- Risk Management, 9%
Lead the professional services team in achieving customer requirements with implementing information security, risk management and compliance management programs.
- Cloud Security, 7%
Researched cloud security best practices for implementation of Disaster Recovery solutions.
- NIST, 6%
Developed Disaster Recovery and Contingency plans in accordance with NIST SP 800-34 as mandated by OMB A-130 section III and FISMA.
- Security Assessments, 5%
Originated and carried out a business process improvement task to facilitate automation of software security requests and vendor security assessments.
- Project Management, 5%
Performed Project Management, Coordination and Technical Services related to Voice/Data implementations for major local companies.
Common skills that a senior information security consultant uses to do their job include "risk assessments," "risk management," and "cloud security." You can find details on the most important senior information security consultant responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a senior information security consultant to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what senior information security consultants do because "information security analysts must carefully study computer systems and networks and assess risks to determine how security policies and protocols can be improved." Additionally, a senior information security consultant resume shows how senior information security consultants use analytical skills: "coordinate and review static code analysis on java code. "
Detail oriented. Many senior information security consultant duties rely on detail oriented. "because cyberattacks can be difficult to detect, information security analysts must pay careful attention to computer systems and watch for minor changes in performance.," so a senior information security consultant will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways senior information security consultant responsibilities rely on detail oriented: "conduct detailed & comprehensive investigation and triage on wide variety of security events. "
Ingenuity. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of senior information security consultants is ingenuity. This skill is critical to many everyday senior information security consultant duties, as "information security analysts must anticipate information security risks and implement new ways to protect their organizations’ computer systems and networks." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "provide expertise and ingenuity to the risk and information security management tasks. "
Problem-solving skills. senior information security consultant responsibilities often require "problem-solving skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "information security analysts must respond to security alerts and uncover and fix flaws in computer systems and networks." This resume example shows what senior information security consultants do with problem-solving skills on a typical day: "designed and implemented symantec intrusion detection systems (hids), netscreen idp, and cisco ids solutions. "
See the full list of senior information security consultant skills
The three companies that hire the most senior information security consultants are:
- Mandiant
10 senior information security consultants jobs
- Capital One2 senior information security consultants jobs
- Freddie Mac2 senior information security consultants jobs
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Compare different senior information security consultants
Senior information security consultant vs. Securities analyst
Securities analysts, also known as financial analysts, are responsible for collecting and interpreting data on securities, economies, corporate strategies, and financial markets. They provide clients with recommendations on investments based on in-depth research. This role has various duties and responsibilities that include putting out a buy, sell or hold recommendation in the financial markets, assessing the value and financial stability of companies, and meeting with company representatives to better understand their business practices. Securities analysts are also responsible for devising financial models.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, senior information security consultant responsibilities require skills like "risk management," "cloud security," "project management," and "financial institutions." Meanwhile a typical securities analyst has skills in areas such as "security policies," "security systems," "security issues," and "database." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Securities analysts really shine in the finance industry with an average salary of $95,246. Comparatively, senior information security consultants tend to make the most money in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $115,787.The education levels that securities analysts earn slightly differ from senior information security consultants. In particular, securities analysts are 2.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a senior information security consultant. Additionally, they're 2.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior information security consultant vs. Security engineer
Security engineers are responsible for developing and overseeing data and security software to help prevent data breaches, leaks, and taps related to cybercrime. Other duties and responsibilities include developing new systems to help protect computer networks and assets, configuring firewalls, and conducting penetration testing to pinpoint vulnerabilities. Additionally, security engineers are responsible for investigating attacks and help prevent cybersecurity threat. They are also responsible for creating new processes for authorization, encryption algorithms, and authentication, and analyzing current security policies.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real senior information security consultant resumes. While senior information security consultant responsibilities can utilize skills like "risk management," "project management," "financial institutions," and "glba," security engineers use skills like "infrastructure," "troubleshoot," "network security," and "security solutions."
Security engineers earn a lower average salary than senior information security consultants. But security engineers earn the highest pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $126,572. Additionally, senior information security consultants earn the highest salaries in the telecommunication with average pay of $115,787 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Security engineers tend to reach similar levels of education than senior information security consultants. In fact, they're 1.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 2.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior information security consultant vs. Consultant
Consultants are individuals who were tapped by a company or an organization to work on a specific activity, depending on their field of expertise. They act as guides for the organization in undertaking projects that are related to their field. Consultants would usually assist organizations in planning, often giving advice when the need arises. They would, at times, take the lead in activities that involve data gathering and interpretation of data gathering results so that they can provide solid recommendations on actions that the organization may undertake. They may also guide the organization in implementing any changes brought about by their consultancy and in evaluating the effectiveness of the changes.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior information security consultants are more likely to have skills like "risk assessments," "risk management," "nist," and "security assessments." But a consultant is more likely to have skills like "customer service," "strong analytical," "c++," and "c #."
Consultants earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $85,405. Senior information security consultants earn the highest pay from the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $115,787.Most consultants achieve a similar degree level compared to senior information security consultants. For example, they're 1.1% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Senior information security consultant vs. 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. Their main role is to guarantee the quality, security, and retrievability of the organization's information. Also, they outline security systems that make certain the integrity, confidentiality, and accessibility of data. Additionally, they secure IT infrastructure, maintain hardware and software updated, establish security standards, and monitor threats like breaches.
Types of senior information security consultant
Updated January 8, 2025
