Security Engineer Jobs

What is an IT Security Engineer?

An IT Security Engineer is responsible for building and maintaining security software and integrating security into production environments in an organisation using various tools and techniques including firewalls and intrusion detection systems.

The job will entail intrusion detection, network traffic analysis, plus of course ensuring efficient virus, spyware and malware detection.
You may be the first point of call as security issues arise so will need to have a reactive approach to problem solving and the ability to think fast on your feet!

What are the typical job duties for a Security Engineer?

The job will entail developing automated scripts tracking intrusion detection, traffic analysis, virus, spyware and malware detection.
Initial IT Security Incident response will be necessary along with problem-solving and an analytical approach to new issues as they develop.
As an IT Security Engineer you will work to help identify and minimise any security weaknesses, bugs, exploits or other security related issues within your organisation.
This may be achieved by software and hardware modifications and changes or by educating system users and customers in best practice methodologies.

You will also likely have a role in software design, implementation and testing of IT Security related applications and tools.
Deployment, on-going support, user training and documentation of new applications may also be part of your job role, depending on your organisation.

More specific Security Engineer responsibilities may include:

1) Involved in and assisting other IT Security staff in the design, development, testing and implementation of IT Security solutions
You will likely be involved in the full project lifecycle from design and development of new software solutions for your organisations IT Security requirements right through to implementation. Liaison with system users impacted by the project may also be necessary.

2) Provision of production support for live IT Security environments
As part of your role you will probably be expected to provide production support to live environments. You will be using your understanding of authentication, session and communication protocols and general awareness of the environments at your organisation. You will need to install and configure firewalls and other intrusion detection systems. You will also need to investigate and report on incidents, conducting forensic investigations of IT security issues and providing a fast effective response.

3) Testing and evaluation of new IT Security Solutions
Being involved in the full IT Project lifecycle means you will be involved in the testing and implementation of solutions around IT Security. You will need to help the developers of new software to ensure a smooth migration to new solutions, helping identify any issues in testing. You will need to carry out periodic vulnerability and penetration testing of your systems on a regular basis to ensure the security sand integrity of your organisations software and hardware systems.

4) On-going maintenance, training and reporting to management
Training of system users may be necessary, along with the production of documentation supporting new and exiting systems.
You will likely need to report to Senior IT management on production issues that may arise as part of your job role. This may include delivering technical reports and formal papers regarding any test findings that you have made. Testing of the live or production environment on a regular basis will be vital in order to maintain security and data integrity as new threats and exploits emerge.

You will supervise all changes to live environments, with special responsibility for IT security, and will have a role in ensuring your organisations conformance with any new applicable standards as they arise.

What hours will I work?

The job of Security Engineer is usually a daytime role, working an average 40 hours per week. Short-term IT Security Engineer Contractors and Consultants may be paid a day rate where any additional work is chargeable.

What skills do I need?

• Up to date knowledge of IT Security hardware, software and solutions
• Understanding of scripting and source code programming languages, such as C#, C++, .NET, Java, Perl, PHP, Python or Ruby On Rails etc. that you will be using
• Practical experience using computer operating systems such as MS Windows, UNIX/Linux
• An analytical mind with the ability to respond quickly to issues
• You will need to be organised, efficient and able to work unsupervised under your own initiative
• A good team-worker
• Good written and verbal communication skills

What qualifications do I need?

Many employees will desire a Bachelors degree in a related field such as Computer Science, IT or a Cyber-Security related field, but this is not a necessity.

Security Engineer Salary

What can you expect to earn as a Security Engineer? The position of an IT Security Engineer is an important role. Salaries will of course vary depending on your experience, qualifications, the organisation and sector plus whether you are employed on a full-time, short-term Contractor or Consultant basis.
According to Payscale* Salary expectations for the role of Software Engineer are $55,381- $130,187 or £42,600 to £100,143 at a conversion rate of 1.3 for USD/GBP.

Sources: * Payscale – http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Job=Security_Engineer/Salary