Security Engineer roles are often structured into tiers or levels similar to SOC analysts, but with a focus on building, hardening, and maintaining security infrastructure rather than alert triage.
Here’s how Cybersecurity Engineer tiers typically break down:
Contents
🧰 Tier 1 – Junior / Associate Security Engineer
Entry-level engineering role focused on assisting with configuration, monitoring, and operational tasks under supervision.
🔍 Responsibilities:
- Assist with firewall, endpoint, and log ingestion configurations
- Run vulnerability scans and report findings
- Manage user access reviews and basic IAM tasks
- Help maintain patching schedules
- Monitor dashboards and ticket queues
🧠 Skills:
- Basic knowledge of networking and protocols (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP)
- Familiarity with firewalls, SIEMs, and antivirus tools
- Exposure to scripting (PowerShell, Bash, or Python)
- Understanding of the CIA triad and basic security principles
👣 Goal:
Build foundational hands-on experience with common tools and security practices.
🛠️ Tier 2 – Security Engineer / Systems Security Engineer
Mid-level engineer responsible for deploying and maintaining key security infrastructure and supporting incident response.
🔍 Responsibilities:
- Configure and tune SIEM, EDR, DLP, WAF, and vulnerability management tools
- Write detection rules and alerts (e.g. SPL, KQL, Sigma)
- Troubleshoot security tools and integrate log sources
- Assist with incident response and threat detection
- Automate repetitive tasks using scripts or SOAR
- Perform cloud security reviews (AWS, Azure)
🧠 Skills:
- Comfortable with Linux and Windows internals
- Proficient in log formats, detection tuning, and SIEM query languages
- Basic to intermediate scripting (Python, PowerShell)
- Familiar with frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK, NIST 800-53, CIS Controls
📈 Goal:
Act as a reliable, hands-on defender capable of building detection and hardening systems.
🧠 Tier 3 – Senior Security Engineer / Security Architect
Advanced-level role that designs secure systems, leads engineering projects, and mentors others.
🔍 Responsibilities:
- Architect and deploy enterprise-grade security solutions (SIEM, SOAR, ZTNA, IAM)
- Lead threat modelling and risk assessments
- Align infrastructure to frameworks like NIST, ISO 27001, or PCI
- Guide DevSecOps practices and CI/CD pipeline security
- Mentor junior engineers and contribute to incident response and architecture reviews
- Collaborate with red/purple teams to improve detection and coverage
🧠 Skills:
- Deep experience with cloud security (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Network security architecture and segmentation
- Security automation and infrastructure-as-code (e.g. Terraform, Ansible)
- Proficient in multiple programming/scripting languages
- Strong understanding of identity, access, and privilege models
📈 Goal:
Shape long-term security strategy, infrastructure, and detection capability.
🏗️ Additional Career Tracks or Titles
| Title | Focus |
|---|---|
| Security Architect | Designs enterprise security systems end-to-end |
| Cloud Security Engineer | Secures AWS/Azure environments, IAM, workloads |
| DevSecOps Engineer | Embeds security in CI/CD pipelines |
| Detection Engineer | Specialises in alert tuning, threat modelling, and detection logic |
| SOAR Engineer | Automates incident response and ticketing workflows |
🚦 Certification Recommendations by Tier
| Tier | Recommended Certifications |
|---|---|
| Tier 1 | CompTIA Security+, SSCP, Microsoft SC-200 |
| Tier 2 | CySA+, GCIH, Azure/AWS security certs, Splunk Core Certified |
| Tier 3 | CISSP, CCSP, OSCP, CISM, GIAC GMON or GCIA |