Security Clearance Jobs Blog

If you haven’t checked out our 2011 Salary Survey, it isn’t too late. Security-cleared professionals should be happy to read that they remain among the top earners, even in a recovering economy. If you add certifications to your security clearance you can expect added monetary benefits – check out our survey of the top 10 certifications held by cleared professionals.

Defense contractors still see the highest salaries with their expected earnings remaining relatively flat over 2010′s numbers at an annual take averaging $98,221. Government workers can expect $83,577 (but let’s not downplay the benefits of getting President’s Day off…), with the average salary among cleared workers in all sectors at $88,894.

Security-cleared professionals with an intelligence agency-issued clearance were on average the highest paid with average salaries of $96,089. Cleared workers with polygraph also earn approximately 22 percent more than their non-polyed peers. Project managers, sales or business professionals and engineers are among the top-earners in the cleared industry.

Other highlights from the 2011 Salary Survey? The unemployment rate for technology professionals has been significantly below the national average since 2001. A security clearance and the increased demand for cybersecurity professionals and we can expect continued upward pressure for cleared cyber workers.

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An article in POLITICO this morning is an interesting tale. Apparently, the CIA is offering their operatives to the private sector.  The work they perform is not on “government time”, but as a side gig.   When I first saw this story, I thought it would be agents consulting along the lines of  corporate physical security or cybersecurity.   In fact, they’re working for Wall Street firms.

The CIA defends the practice as a type of talent retention program, where highly trained CIA officers can supplement their government salary without leaving the agency for the private sector, where they stand to earn 2x to 3x their current salary. POLITICO describes the work of one such firm used by Wall Street firms.

“The firm is called Business Intelligence Advisors, and it is based in Boston. BIA was founded and is staffed by a number of retired CIA officers, and it specializes in the arcane field of “deception detection.”

The tactics that BIA officials such as these teach hedge fund clients are based in a program it calls “Tactical Behavior Assessment” which focuses on the verbal and nonverbal cues that people convey when they aren’t telling the truth.

Often, BIA deploys its CIA-trained operatives to analyze quarterly corporate-earnings calls…and BIA uses them to figure out if the company may not be disclosing the truth…The information they gleaned from this phone call could be worth millions of dollars.”

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The 2009 Security Clearance Salary Survey of 5,023 security-cleared job seekers conducted by ClearanceJobs.com has been released! See how you compare with your colleagues!

After you complete this short survey, you will be provided with the most current salary survey results in an 8 page [pdf] report for free!

Get the Security Clearance Salary Survey

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The latest Security Clearance Salary Survey on ClearanceJobs.com suggest that even though cleared candidates earn more than non-cleared candidates, they are still not happy with their salaries. Why is this overwhelmingly the case? What about you?

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The newest security clearance jobs salary survey has been released and the results are interesting. According to the nationwide study, average nationwide salaries of security-cleared professionals rose 1 percent to $68,139.

Some of the key findings:

• Among the 10 highest paid locations, salaries for security clearance jobs in New Jersey increased 7.7 percent to $74,756 since the last survey was published in October 2006; statewide salaries in Maryland dropped nearly 5.6 percent to $74,292
• In metro Washington, D.C., top paying locations are split between Arlington and Fairfax counties, with Fairfax clearance jobs paying higher
• Candidates who have passed polygraph tests earn approximately $10,300 more a year than candidates without one
• Security-cleared women closed the gender gap by an additional 1 percent since last surveyed
• Despite high wages, the majority of polled candidates with clearances were not satisfied with their present salaries

Read the entire salary survey at http://www.clearancejobs.com/salary/

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It is widely published that security-cleared candidates have more earning potential due to a burgeoning defense industry. How is your salary? Are you satisfied? If you aren’t happy with your present salary, why?

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The newest ClearanceJobs.com Security Clearance Salary Survey reports average nationwide salaries are up by 2% since the first quarter of this year. The survey of about 2,200 cleared workers also lists a few other interesting findings:

• Salaries for the lowest level Department of Defense-issued clearance, Confidential, had the greatest gain this quarter, with the average salary rising 13.5 percent to $52,000
• The average salary in the Washington D.C. metro area declined nearly ten percent since the first quarter to $73,428
• Security cleared professionals in Iraq continue to be rewarded with higher than average pay, as salaries rose 6.4 percent to $98,387 this quarter
• Security-cleared women narrowed the salary gender gap by 3.75 percent since the first quarter, but they still earn approximately 12 percent less than their male counterparts
• IT management positions top the list of highest paying job titles with security-cleared IT executives earning $111,578 and security-cleared project managers earning $99,322

It is good to see DC area salaries leveling off a bit. Perhaps the era of $20k signing bonuses and free BMWs is coming to a close. Click for full security clearance salary survey results.

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