Cyber Security Engineer
Cyber security engineers build and maintain the defences that keep an organisation's networks, systems and data out of the wrong hands.
- Median salary*
- $117,000
4.5%vs last year, before tax
- People employed
- 70
30.0%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +28%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- 5 out of 10
- Average hours*
- 40/wk
matches all-jobs average
- Shortage status
- Not in shortage
national
- They work wherever there is something worth protecting: banks, insurers, hospitals, government agencies, telcos and the consultancies that serve them.
- The job sits closer to building and configuring than the cyber security analyst role it is often confused with, which is mostly watching alerts and responding to incidents.
- Many engineers specialise over time, in cloud infrastructure, identity, network defence or the systems that run factories and utilities.
How much do cyber security engineers earn?
The median full-time salary for a cyber security engineer is $117,000 per annum, before tax, up $24,800 since 2018.
Pay moves with the sector and the sensitivity of the systems you protect, with banks, insurers, defence and government agencies generally paying above the average, and a security clearance adding a premium. Specialising in cloud security, identity or operational technology lifts it further, as does on-call or after-hours work in a security operations centre. Contract and day-rate work becomes common at senior levels, where you trade job security for a higher rate.
What does a cyber security engineer do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Monitoring network traffic and security alerts for signs of intrusion, often from a security operations centre
- Investigating alerts and confirmed incidents, working out how an attacker got in and closing the way behind them
- Designing and building security controls across networks, servers and cloud environments
- Running vulnerability scans and assessments, then chasing the findings until system owners fix them
- Writing and enforcing security policies, and gathering the evidence auditors and regulators ask for
What skills do cyber security engineers need?
Employers look for cyber security, networks and systems administration, cloud infrastructure, backed by Splunk fluency and strong problem solving.
Specialist skills
- Cyber security
- Networks and systems administration
- Cloud infrastructure
- Risk and internal controls
- Regulatory compliance
- Programming and software development
Software and tools
- Splunk
- Wireshark
- Nessus
- CrowdStrike Falcon
- Microsoft Defender
General skills
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
Is the job growing?
About 70 people work as cyber security engineers in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 28% over the decade to 2035. That's very strong growth. Few roles in Australia are expanding this fast, and it points to solid demand for years to come.
How do you become a cyber security engineer?
Here's the path most cyber security engineers take, step by step.
- 1Start with a degree in cyber security, information technology or computer science
Most engineers hold one, and a degree in this field is the qualification employers screen for first. Look for a course with a work placement or an industry project, because employers ask what you have built and broken more than what you studied.
- 2Consider a diploma or advanced diploma if a degree isn't the right fit
A diploma in information technology or cyber security can lead into helpdesk, network support or security operations work, and plenty of people move into engineering from there after a few years of hands-on systems experience.
- 3Get an entry-level technical job and learn how systems actually work
Helpdesk, systems administration, network support and security operations centre analyst roles are the usual entry points. The work teaches you how infrastructure is configured and how it fails, which is what security engineering is built on.
- 4Add industry certifications as you go
CompTIA Security+ and Cisco's networking certifications suit early career, while ISC2's CISSP and SANS courses are more common once you have several years behind you. Government and defence employers usually require an Australian security clearance, which generally means Australian citizenship and a background check.
- 5Choose a specialism and go deeper
Cloud platforms, identity and access management, detection engineering, operational technology and digital forensics each have their own tools and problems. Picking one makes you easier to hire and better paid than staying a generalist, though many engineers keep a broad base and specialise later.
Study routes we have checked
Qualifications that are a recognised way into this role, and what else you need.
- Master of Cyber Security
A recognised route into this role
Complete security and systems coursework; employers assess practical engineering skills and experience.
- Master of Information Technology (Cyber Security)
A recognised route into this role
Complete the relevant technical coursework and practical projects. The qualification is an education route; employers assess role-specific technical skills and experience. Some roles need a security clearance.
- Master of Cybersecurity
A step towards this role
Builds security knowledge; engineering roles usually also look for experience in systems, networks or software.
Study that can help
No set qualification is needed for this role in our data. These qualifications are not required, but the study can help.
- Certificate IV in Information TechnologyCertificate IV
Teaches cyber security risk management and basic coding, groundwork the engineering side of security work builds on.
- Bachelor of Information Technology (Cybersecurity)Bachelor degree
Combines programming, networks and cloud computing with a cybersecurity specialisation.
- Bachelor of CybersecurityBachelor degree
Teaches network and cloud security and ethical hacking, which vulnerability assessment and defence building use.
Prefer something shorter?
A short course can build some of these skills without a full qualification. These aren't accredited, and we don't rank or recommend providers: compare a few before you commit.
Cyber security
Search on CourseraSearch on UdemySearch on LinkedIn Learning
Information technology
Search on CourseraSearch on UdemySearch on LinkedIn Learning
These are ordinary links to each provider's own site. We don't currently earn anything from them.
Ready to apply as a cyber security engineer?
Whether you're working toward becoming a cyber security engineer or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a cyber security engineer move to?
Moving into Chief Information Security Officer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $83,200 a year more on average.
- Chief Information Security OfficerSuggested move$200,200+$83,200
- Cyber Security ArchitectSuggested move$135,200+$18,200
- Penetration TesterSuggested move$127,400+$10,400
- Cyber Security GRC SpecialistSuggested move$117,000same pay
Thick lines are moves people were recorded making in Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility (income tax records, 2011-12 to 2020-21). Thin lines are moves we suggest from skill overlap and entry requirements.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
Chief Information Security Officer Cyber security engineers can advance to chief information security officer, leading an organisation's entire security strategy and team. | +$83,200 | 38% | reskill |
Cyber Security Architect A cyber security engineer can step up to architect, designing security systems and setting technical direction for an organisation. | +$18,200 | 67% | minimal |
Penetration Tester Cyber security engineers can specialise as penetration testers, using their defensive knowledge to find and exploit vulnerabilities ethically. | +$10,400 | 58% | short course |
Cyber Security GRC Specialist Cyber security engineers can move into governance, risk and compliance, applying their technical understanding to policy and assurance work. | +$0 | 29% | reskill |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a cyber security engineer?
The typical cyber security engineer is 38 years old; 81% are men, 92% work full-time, and full-timers average 40 hours a week.
- 38
- Median age
- 19%
- Female share
- 92%
- Full-time
- +0h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a cyber security engineer?
The work runs on a rhythm of steady engineering punctuated by incidents. Most weeks go on reviewing configurations, tuning alerts and working through a backlog of findings with system owners, then something gets through and the day turns into a coordinated response with a clock running. Engineers who enjoy it tend to like systems thinking and the puzzle of how an attacker would approach a target, and they are comfortable explaining technical risk to people who do not share their background.
What people like
- Defences you can see working. A control that blocks a real attack, or a log that catches something nobody else noticed, gives you a clear result to point at.
- The problems keep changing. Attack methods and the technology you defend shift constantly, so there is always a new platform, exploit or tool to understand.
- You work across the whole organisation. Security touches every system and team, so you deal with developers, network staff, lawyers and executives rather than sitting in one corner of IT.
- Room to specialise. Cloud, identity, detection engineering, operational technology and forensics are all open to you, and each has its own problems worth getting good at.
What people find hard
- The on-call rotation. Many security operations teams run cover around the clock, which means some nights, weekends and public holidays on call, and incidents rarely arrive at a convenient time.
- Being the person who says no. You will regularly tell project teams they cannot do something the way they planned, and those conversations are easier on some days than others.
- Patch and fix-up fatigue. The same classes of vulnerability reappear across large estates, and chasing system owners to apply fixes can be slow, repetitive work.
- Alert noise. Monitoring tools generate far more alerts than genuine incidents, and a good part of the job is tuning that noise down so real threats stand out.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ cyber security engineers?
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services employs the largest share of cyber security engineers, followed by Financial and Insurance Services.
Top employing industries
- 1Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 2Financial and Insurance Services
- 3Information Media and Telecommunications
- 4Public Administration and Safety
- 5Education and Training
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 52% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 26% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 13% | |
| Other | 9% |
Will AI replace cyber security engineers?
Moderate exposure. Not replaced, but changed. AI is taking on some tasks and the rest of the job shifts around them.
Cyber security engineering sits in the middle. The monitoring side is already heavily automated, with SIEM platforms and endpoint tools such as CrowdStrike Falcon and Microsoft Defender correlating alerts and drafting the first summary of an incident, so engineers spend less time watching dashboards than they used to. The building side is much harder to automate, because configuring identity, segmentation and cloud controls depends on how one particular organisation is put together, and a tool cannot answer to an auditor or a regulator.
How a typical week splits
- Alert triage and monitoring30% of the week
SIEM and endpoint tools group related alerts and suggest a severity, but an engineer still decides which ones are real and what to do about them.
- Vulnerability scanning and reporting25% of the week
Scanners such as Nessus produce the findings and draft the report, while separating genuine risk from noise and chasing system owners to fix things stays manual.
- Security architecture and control design25% of the week
Designing segmentation, identity and cloud controls means understanding a specific environment, its legacy quirks and its compliance obligations.
- Incident response and forensics20% of the week
Investigating a breach involves collecting volatile evidence, talking to the people involved and making containment calls as the situation changes.
How we work this out
We break each job into its main tasks, estimate the share of a typical week each one takes, and judge how far current AI and automation tools reach into it. The score out of 10 starts from the job's overall rating (low is 1 to 3, moderate 4 to 6, high 7 to 10) and the task split places it within that range. Source: Career Tips analysis of each role's main tasks.
Moves least exposed to AI
These career moves from cyber security engineer work are rated low for AI exposure:
- Cyber Security Architect
High skill overlap (67%), little retraining to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
- Penetration Tester
Solid skill overlap (58%), short course to get there, and a low automation-risk profile.
Common questions about becoming a cyber security engineer
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do cyber security engineers earn?
Cyber security engineers earn $117,000 per year before tax at the median. Pay rises with seniority, with the sector you work in and with specialisms such as cloud security, identity or operational technology, and a security clearance or regular on-call work adds to it. Treat the figure as a guide to what the role typically pays, not as a starting salary.
How do you become a cyber security engineer?
Most people start with a degree or diploma in IT or cyber security, then spend a few years in a hands-on technical role such as helpdesk, network support, systems administration or a security operations centre. Certifications such as CompTIA Security+ help early on, and government or defence employers usually ask for an Australian security clearance. There is no single required path, but employers want proof you can configure and defend real systems.
Are cyber security engineers in demand?
Cyber security engineers are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 28% over the decade to 2035. For someone entering the field, that points to a market where technical skills and clearances are valued, and where a few years of hands-on systems experience makes the move into security much easier.
Will AI replace cyber security engineers?
Not the role as a whole, though it is changing the work. AI tools now sift through alerts, summarise incidents and flag unusual network behaviour, which takes over much of the routine triage that used to fill a shift. Designing controls, judging what a risk means for a particular business and handling a live breach still depend on an engineer who knows that environment.
What can cyber security engineers move into?
Experienced engineers often specialise as a penetration tester, where pay is $10,400 more and the work turns from blocking attacks to finding and exploiting vulnerabilities ethically. A move into cyber security GRC specialist puts your technical understanding to use in policy, risk and assurance work, while the longer path to chief information security officer, where pay is $83,200 more, leads an organisation's whole security strategy and team.
Do you need a degree to work as a cyber security engineer?
Not always. Among cyber security engineers, Bachelor degree is the qualification the largest share of the workforce holds, at 52%, and it remains the straightest way in. A diploma plus several years of systems or network work can get you there too, which is why some of the strongest candidates come from helpdesk and network support backgrounds.
Related roles
- Cyber Security Architect
- Penetration Tester
- Cyber Security GRC Specialist
- Chief Information Security Officer
- Systems Administrator
- Network Engineer
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