How to hire a senior security engineer

How to hire a senior security engineer, step by step

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

What does a senior security engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a senior security engineer, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A senior security engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, senior security engineers 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.

   This list shows salaries for various types of senior security engineers.

   Type of Senior Security Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Senior Security Engineer	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.	$43-78
   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... Show more	$28-56
   Securities Consultant	A securities consultant is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the company's premises, including enforcing protection for all the employees and company assets. Securities consultants also handle the confidentiality and stability of data network systems to prevent potential breaches and unauthorized access to information... Show more	$34-55

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cloud Security
   • Java
   • Linux
   • Windows
   • Incident Response
   • Security Engineering
   • Azure
   • Security Solutions
   • Debugging
   • Security Issues
   • SIEM
   • Network Security
   • Ruby
   • Firewall

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage logistics of moving necessary equipment for test across country to newly designed/built NSA certify test facility.
   • Assess cloud providers and products to meet NIST 800-53 for accreditation of applications operating in the cloud.
   • Involve in migrating JBOSS /Fat java applications to RHEL6 upgrade.
   • Conduct vulnerability scans using NESSUS to scan the CMS QIO network infrastructure.
   • Install and maintain security infrastructure, including IPS/IDS, log management, and SIEM systems.
   • Design and implement a plan to upgrade the ACAS infrastructure to include MDA's remote sites.

   More senior security engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your senior security engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A senior security engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, senior security engineers' average salary in missouri is 37% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level senior security engineers 45% less than senior-level senior security engineers.
   • Certifications. A senior security engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a senior security engineer's salary.

   Average senior security engineer salary

   $122,480yearly

   $58.88 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level senior security engineer salary

   $90,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average senior security engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$156,095	$75
   2	Washington	$136,334	$66
   3	Oregon	$127,820	$61
   4	New York	$120,238	$58
   5	Utah	$118,567	$57
   6	Arizona	$118,132	$57
   7	Pennsylvania	$117,786	$57
   8	District of Columbia	$116,407	$56
   9	Virginia	$116,276	$56
   10	Massachusetts	$113,667	$55
   11	New Jersey	$113,547	$55
   12	Texas	$111,037	$53
   13	Maine	$108,789	$52
   14	Colorado	$108,767	$52
   15	North Carolina	$108,701	$52
   16	Ohio	$108,384	$52
   17	Georgia	$104,500	$50
   18	Oklahoma	$104,201	$50
   19	Florida	$103,996	$50
   20	Illinois	$103,910	$50

   Average senior security engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Roku	$174,350	$83.82
   2	Netflix	$172,407	$82.89
   3	Airbnb	$166,702	$80.15
   4	Credit Karma	$164,264	$78.97
   5	Coinbase	$163,724	$78.71	123
   6	Apple	$159,975	$76.91	24
   7	The Walt Disney Company	$159,838	$76.85	18
   8	Waymo	$158,733	$76.31	5
   9	Flexport	$157,905	$75.92
   10	Match Group	$155,295	$74.66
   11	Earnest Research	$154,889	$74.47
   12	Twitter	$153,930	$74.00	2
   13	Squarespace	$152,331	$73.24
   14	MGM Studios	$151,919	$73.04	2
   15	Google	$151,883	$73.02	28
   16	Fox Broadcasting Company	$151,697	$72.93
   17	Chime	$151,448	$72.81	3
   18	eBay	$151,434	$72.80	2
   19	Instacart	$151,247	$72.71	2
   20	Cloudflare	$148,951	$71.61	14

4. Writing a senior security engineer job description

   A senior security engineer 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. Below, you can find an example of a senior security engineer job description:

   Senior security engineer job description example

   As a Security Architect, you will work with our partner teams to perform architecture reviews and advise in secure software procurement, build, and deployment solutions. In this important role you will contribute systems that support the global financial services of billions of customers worldwide.
   Your Role and Responsibilities:
   Report to functional lead of the program and partner with product teams to assess and standardize security practices, raise the security bar on product environments, and harden the product features. Partner with and mentor your peers to guarantee a high standard of delivery by educating, challenging, and advising product teams on common standards and threats. Experience with Security fundamentals, including: cryptography, modern memory safety, operating system internals, and web services security. Experience with related security threats, including: cloud security, operating system/hypervisor security, and application security. Perform risk assessment and threat modeling activities. Scope application security assessments and penetration tests. Contribution to security training development and implementation. Lead the evaluation of security controls, such as libraries and frameworks, their development and their deployment. Guidance in the development of prototypes, Proofs of Concept and Reference Models for shared security controls at our Firm.
   Required Skills:
   Desire to up-skill and self-develop. 4+ years of experience within a software security team or similar operating environment. BA/BS in computer science, information security, related discipline, or equivalent work experience. Proficiency in one or more object-oriented programming languages: Java, C#, or Python. Software engineering experience with a current focus on secure application development. Penetration testing experience. Must be knowledgeable and familiar with common tools techniques and processes. Experience with common application flaws, and how to fix them.
   Desired Skills:
   Information security professional certifications encouraged, such as SANS GIAC, CISS. Experience teaching application security and secure development practices; in 1:1 situations or to large teams. Experience with DevOps processes in a Cloud/SaaS environment. Experience architecting, securing, and operating one or more public cloud environments: Amazon Web Services, Google App Engine, Azure, and Oracle Cloud. Experience with service-oriented architectures and web services security. Experience with one or more emerging programming languages: Go, Rust.
   
   JPMorgan Chase & Co., one of the oldest financial institutions, offers innovative financial solutions to millions of consumers, small businesses and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Our history spans over 200 years and today we are a leader in investment banking, consumer and small business banking, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management.
   
   We recognize that our people are our strength and the diverse talents they bring to our global workforce are directly linked to our success. We are an equal opportunity employer and place a high value on diversity and inclusion at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute, including race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital or veteran status, pregnancy or disability, or any other basis protected under applicable law. In accordance with applicable law, we make reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as any mental health or physical disability needs.
   
   The health and safety of our colleagues, candidates, clients and communities has been a top priority in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. JPMorgan Chase was awarded the "WELL Health-Safety Rating" for all of our 6,200 locations globally based on our operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address a post-COVID-19 environment.
   
   As a part of our commitment to health and safety, we have implemented various COVID-related health and safety requirements for our workforce. Employees are expected to follow the Firm's current COVID-19 or other infectious disease health and safety requirements, including local requirements. Requirements include sharing information including your vaccine card in the firm's vaccine record tool, and may include mask wearing. Requirements may change in the future with the evolving public health landscape. JPMorgan Chase will consider accommodation requests as required by applicable law.
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veterans

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find senior security engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any senior security engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level senior security engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   To find senior security engineer candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting senior security engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview senior security engineer candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • 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 security engineer

   Once you've selected the best senior security engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new senior security engineer. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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