Security Manager Jobs

What is a Security Manager?

A Security Manager is a mid level management role, also known as an Information or IT Security Manager, they are responsible for the overall management of an organisations IT Security.

The job role will cover the management of everything to do with IT Security with involvement from initial scoping of requirements, through design, development and implementation right through to day to day management of the teams responsible for keeping the organisations IT Infrastructure secure.

An IT Security Manager will likely have many years of relevant experience in various IT security related roles, giving them a depth of knowledge which will enable them to effectively manage all aspects of Information Security at an organisation.
You may be responsible for designing, testing and Implementation of IT Security solutions as well as on-going maintenance and monitoring of live production environments.

The work may involve maintaining security software and integrating new security into an organisation using various tools and techniques including firewalls, spyware, malware detection and intrusion detection systems.

What are the typical job duties for a Security Manager?

The job will involve the creation and execution of system implementations covering strategies, processes and procedures impacting on the reliability and secure of IT projects.

As an IT Security Manager you will manage teams working to identify and safeguard the organisation against any security threats, weaknesses, bugs or exploits. The role covers managing the management process of keeping your organisation safe and secure in a world facing ever more cyber threats as time goes by.

The role will likely include overseeing your organisations software and hardware modifications and other changes that will ultimately improve overall data security.

You will most probably have an important role in defining, implementing and maintaining corporate security policy and procedures by effectively managing those responsible for IT Security related project delivery across the entire project lifecycle.

More specific Security Manager responsibilities may include:

1) Involvement in the creation and execution of strategies that will enhance and increase the reliability and security of IT projects
2) You will manage teams delivering secure and robust IT solutions to identified problems.
3) You will manage the creation of vulnerability audits, penetration tests, forensic IT investigations and related outcomes improving overall IT Security.
4) Depending on the organisations structure, you may have the responsibility of managing teams with diverse skill-sets from support staff, programmers and analysts through to security auditors, architects and consultants.
5) Liaison with senior management, key stakeholders, programmers and other risk-assessment professionals will likely be a key part of your role.
6) Training in the latest security awareness skills together with any associated protocols, methodologies and procedures are likely responsibilities.
7) You will manage your organisations compliance with necessary legislation, such as the Data Protection act and other government regulations as they come in to force.
8) You may need to manage staff and ensure that organisational security and clearance procedures are adhered to.
9) You will have a lead role in the identification and selection of new security technologies, partners, vendors and third party service or solutions providers in the IT Security sector.
10) As IT Security Manager you will be responsible for ensuring that projects budgets and resources are managed effectively, ensuring that you organisation always achieves a favorable return on it investment in any solutions that it adopts.

What hours will I work?

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

What skills do I need?

• Man management experience gained in a similar organisation
• Project management skills
• An up to date working knowledge of IT Security related hardware, software and vendor solutions
• An overall understanding of relevant scripting and source code programming languages, such as C#, C++, .NET, Java, Perl, PHP, Python or Ruby On Rails etc. that your teams will be using
• Practical experience using computer operating systems such as MS Windows, UNIX/Linux
• An analytical mind with the ability to quickly get to the root cause of issues
• You will need to be organised, efficient and able to work unsupervised under your own initiative
• 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 Manager Salary

What can you expect to earn as a Security Manager? The position of an IT Security Manager is a senior level 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 Security Manager are $73,053 – $152,674 or £56,194 to £117,441 at a conversion rate of 1.3 for USD/GBP.

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