Do Security Job Titles Affect Your Job Search Strategy?

Security professionals angling for top jobs in the industry often focus on the role of Chief Security Officer. Is that the best job search strategy?

The job title “Chief Security Officer” became an ANSI standard in 2009 and has been revised on occasion to refine and update responsibilities. Developed by ASIS International, the original concept of the CSO role envisioned the position as having responsibility for the strategy and governance of security related risks facing organizations. The standard supported the concept of convergence with the role serving as a single point of accountability in pursuit of a broader view.

While some companies do have converged security programs, it is also common to have a separation between the corporate security function and that of information- or cyber-security. The CSO might have a broader mandate while the Chief Information Security Officer, or CISO, might be more narrowly focused.

But is a CSO or CISO always the senior-most security role? Job titles vary widely across organizations and not every top security job is a CSO. Naming conventions differ across industries and that adds to the mix. Someone looking for a senior security role will find more opportunities by casting a wider net instead of searching only for a job titled CSO or CISO.

For instance, the top security job in one company might be considered a vice-presidential role while in another, it could be simply titled “Security Director.”

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