Cyber Security Engineer Jobs: Where They Are, What They Pay

A job board will show you thousands of cyber security engineer openings. It won’t tell you which are senior roles with a mid-level title. Or which pay $90K for $150K work, or aren’t real at all.

TL;DR: The fastest places to find cyber security engineer jobs are LinkedIn, Indeed, Dice, and employers’ own career pages, with USAJOBS and clearance boards for government work. As of September 29, 2026, LinkedIn alone listed more than 11,000 remote U.S. security engineer jobs. The title on a posting is a weak signal, so read the responsibilities to find the true level, then check the pay against market data. U.S. base pay averages $130,521 for the title, and a growing list of states now requires employers to post a range.

This is the second companion to our security engineer salary, jobs, and career path guide. The first, cyber security engineer salary by experience level, covers pay in depth. This one covers the search itself: where the jobs are, how to read a posting, what to expect it to pay, and when to walk away.

Jump to a section:

• How many cyber security engineer jobs are open?
• Where do you find cyber security engineer jobs?
• Who hires cyber security engineers?
• What does a cyber security engineer job description include?
• How do you tell a posting’s real seniority level?
• What do cyber security engineer jobs pay?
• Do job postings have to list the salary?
• Are remote cyber security engineer jobs worth chasing?
• How do you find government and cleared cyber security jobs?
• How do you spot a fake cybersecurity job posting?
• What should your job search plan look like?

How many cyber security engineer jobs are open?

Thousands at any given time. Dice listed 1,553 cyber security engineer results on September 29, 2026, and CyberSeek counted 457,398 cybersecurity-related job openings nationally across 2025.

The numbers depend on where you look and how broadly you define the job. A snapshot from September 29, 2026:

• Dice showed 1,553 results for “cyber security engineer,” with 40 new that day.
• LinkedIn showed more than 11,000 remote security engineer jobs in the United States.

Those are live counts, so they’ll be different by the time you read this. For a steadier view, CyberSeek, a job-market tracker built on the NICE cybersecurity workforce framework, counted 457,398 cybersecurity-related online job openings across 2025. That figure covers every cybersecurity role, not engineers alone.

The federal view is smaller and more conservative. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 192,900 jobs in its closest occupation category, Information Security Analysts, as of 2025. It projects 21% growth through 2035 and about 14,100 openings each year, from new positions plus people leaving or retiring.

Where do you find cyber security engineer jobs?

Use a general board like LinkedIn or Indeed for volume, a tech board like Dice for technical roles, company career pages for direct applications, and USAJOBS or clearance boards for government work.

Each source does something different, so use two or three together:

Three habits make these sources work better:

1. Search the exact phrase. Put “cyber security engineer” or “security engineer” in quotes. A loose “security” search pulls in physical security guard roles.
2. Search both spellings. “Cybersecurity engineer” and “cyber security engineer” return different result sets on most boards. Our pillar guide explains why the titles describe the same work.
3. Set alerts, then apply early. Postings collect most of their applicants in the first few days. An alert that fires the day a role opens beats checking once a week.

Who hires cyber security engineers?

Tech services firms hire the most. In BLS data, computer systems design employs 22% of the closest occupation, finance and insurance 17%, and management of companies and the information sector 9% each.

Per the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, the largest employers in the closest occupation category, as of 2025, are:

• Computer systems design and related services: 22%
• Finance and insurance: 17%
• Management of companies and enterprises: 9%
• Information: 9%
• Management, scientific, and technical consulting: 6%

The first bucket includes managed security providers and IT consultancies, which hire engineers to run security for many clients at once. Those roles build broad experience fast. Banks and insurers tend to hire for narrower, deeper roles tied to strict regulation. Knowing which kind of employer you’re applying to tells you what the day-to-day work will look like before you read a word of the posting.

What does a cyber security engineer job description include?

Four parts: the security domain you’ll own, the tools you’ll use, the required experience and certifications, and the pay range when the law requires it. The responsibilities section matters most.

Most cyber security engineer job descriptions follow the same shape:

• The domain. Network security, cloud security, identity and access management, detection engineering, or application security. This is the real job. Everything else supports it.
• The tools. A SIEM such as Splunk or Microsoft Sentinel, a cloud platform such as AWS or Azure, firewall platforms, and scripting in Python or PowerShell. Treat tool lists as wish lists. Most hiring managers expect you to know some and learn the rest.
• The requirements. Years of experience, a degree or equivalent experience, and certifications. Security+ shows up often at the lower levels. CISSP shows up more at senior levels.
• The pay. Required in a growing number of states, covered below.

The responsibilities section is where you learn what the job involves day to day. “Assist with,” “support,” and “monitor” describe a junior role. “Own,” “design,” “lead,” and “set standards for” describe a senior one, whatever the title says.

How do you tell a posting’s real seniority level?

Ignore the title and read the verbs, the scope, and the reporting line. A posting asking you to own architecture and mentor others is senior, even if it only says “security engineer.”

Title inflation runs in both directions. Some employers post an analyst job as “security engineer” to attract more applicants, while others post a senior job with a plain title and a mid-level salary. Use these signals instead of the title:

Two more checks help. Look at who the role reports to. A security engineer reporting to a CISO at a small company often carries senior scope. Then look at the team size. The only security engineer at a 300-person company does senior work, and should be paid like it.

What do cyber security engineer jobs pay?

The U.S. average base salary for the title is $130,521, per Indeed’s job-posting data, with level averages from about $75K at entry to over $200K at staff and principal.

A quick reference, from Indeed’s security engineer data (updated September 21, 2026) and the BLS:

All of these are base pay only. Big tech companies add stock and bonus on top, which often doubles total compensation at the senior levels. Our salary by experience level guide breaks down bonus, equity, clearance, and city effects in detail, so use it before you negotiate an offer.

When a posting’s range and its responsibilities don’t match, trust the responsibilities. A range of $95K to $110K for a role asking you to design the company’s cloud security architecture is a mid-level salary for senior work.

Do job postings have to list the salary?

In a growing number of states, yes. New York requires ranges from employers with four or more employees, and Virginia and Maine added posting requirements in 2026, with Delaware following in 2027.

Pay transparency laws are why you see more salary ranges on postings than you did a few years ago. Four examples:

Virginia, Maine, and Delaware details: The National Law Review, May 18, 2026. Not legal advice.

Other states and cities have their own rules, and each sets its own employer-size threshold. The practical effect for your search is the same everywhere: if a posting in a covered state has no range, ask for it. In those states, the law is on your side, so a direct question about pay is routine rather than pushy.

Are remote cyber security engineer jobs worth chasing?

Yes, but budget for more competition. LinkedIn showed more than 11,000 remote U.S. security engineer jobs on September 29, 2026, and remote postings draw applicants from the whole country.

Remote roles widen your options, and they widen everyone else’s too. A few things to check before you apply:

• State restrictions. Many remote postings only hire in states where the employer is set up to handle payroll and tax. Look for a line like “remote, U.S. only” or a list of eligible states.
• Pay by location. Some employers adjust remote pay to your cost of living. Ask early whether the posted range depends on where you live.
• Remote in name only. Some “remote” roles require regular office visits or a clearance that means on-site work. Read to the bottom of the posting.

With so many applicants, a referral matters more for remote roles, and our piece on why networking beats cold applications covers how to get one.

How do you find government and cleared cyber security jobs?

Federal civilian roles are posted on the USAJOBS cybersecurity portal. Cleared contractor roles are posted on clearance-focused boards and contractor career pages, and most require an existing clearance.

Two different paths sit under the “government” label:

• Federal civilian jobs. Agencies post these on the USAJOBS cybersecurity portal, run by the Office of Personnel Management. Expect detailed application forms and longer hiring timelines than private-sector roles.
• Cleared contractor jobs. Defense and intelligence contractors hire engineers who already hold active security clearances, and those roles often pay a premium, which our salary guide covers.

The usual clearance catch applies: you generally don’t get to apply for one yourself, because an employer sponsors it for a specific role that needs it. No clearance yet? Filter for postings that offer sponsorship, and expect months.

How do you spot a fake cybersecurity job posting?

Walk away if anyone asks you to pay for the job, pay a placement fee, or deposit a check and send money back. The FTC says honest employers never ask for any of those.

Job scams follow a few patterns. The Federal Trade Commission lists these warning signs:

• You’re asked to pay to get the job.
• A placement firm wants a fee, especially in advance.
• You receive a check to deposit, then get told to send part of it back or buy gift cards.
• The offer promises a lot of money for little work in a short time.

Add a few cybersecurity-specific red flags: an offer after a chat-only “interview” with no technical questions, a request for your Social Security number or bank details before you sign anything, or a recruiter emailing from a free address for a company with its own domain.

Expect the legitimate side to check you more carefully too. The FBI warned in a January 2025 public service announcement that North Korean IT workers have used AI and face-swapping technology in video job interviews to hide their identities. Many employers now require on-camera interviews and ID checks for remote security roles as a result. Our guide to how employers detect North Korean IT workers explains what those checks look like.

What should your job search plan look like?

Pick a target level and domain, set alerts on two or three boards, apply within days of a posting, benchmark every range, and ask for a referral before you apply wherever possible.

A plan to start this week:

1. Pick your level honestly. Match your experience to the seniority table above, not to the titles you want.
2. Pick one or two domains. Network, cloud, identity, detection, or application security. Focus wins here.
3. Set alerts on LinkedIn, Indeed, and Dice for both spellings of the title.
4. Build a target list of 15 to 20 employers and check their career pages weekly.
5. Benchmark every range against current salary data before you apply.
6. Ask for a referral at any company where you know someone. Our guide to portfolios that beat pedigree covers what to show them.

If you’re earlier in the process and don’t have security experience yet, start with our guide to getting into cybersecurity with no experience. It covers the IT and analyst roles that lead to this one.