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The differences between senior information security engineers and security engineers 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 engineer and a security engineer. Additionally, a senior information security engineer has an average salary of $118,795, which is higher than the $104,524 average annual salary of a security engineer.
The top three skills for a senior information security engineer include incident response, risk management and windows. The most important skills for a security engineer are java, cloud security, and infrastructure.
| Senior Information Security Engineer | Security Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $118,795 | $104,524 |
| Hourly rate | $57.11 | $50.25 |
| Growth rate | 32% | 32% |
| Number of jobs | 119,962 | 86,093 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Senior information security engineers are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for managing the IT security of an organization. These engineers are required to participate in the planning, design, and installation of security systems that support the security policies of the organization. They must provide security expertise to the organization by conducting training for corporate security education and awareness programs. Senior information security engineers must also review reports on event anomalies while investigating security violations.
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.
Senior information security engineers and security engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Information Security Engineer | Security Engineer | |
| Average salary | $118,795 | $104,524 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $155,000 | Between $77,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | ICE Mortgage Technology |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior information security engineer and a security engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Information Security Engineer | Security Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior information security engineers' and security engineers' demographics:
| Senior Information Security Engineer | Security Engineer | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.4% Female, 12.6% | Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6% |
| 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% |