Australian Security Engineer postings jump 26%, with experience the real price of entry
Hiring is picking up fast, hitting its busiest week yet, but employers are mostly asking for five or more years on the job.
is what the typical role asks for. 16% ask for 10 years or more.
45% of open roles state years77 new roles in the last 30 days, against 61 the 30 days before, at the same companies.
Companies read for 60 days or moreat 114 companies hiring in Australia.
Issue of 2 November 2026This week's read
There are 208 Security Engineer roles open right now across 114 companies in Australia. New postings are climbing: 77 went up in the last 30 days, versus 61 in the 30 days before that, a 26% rise. Weekly postings have been building for weeks and the most recent week, 26 Oct, was the busiest one tracked, with 31 new roles.
This is not an easy market for people early in their career. The median posting asks for five years minimum experience, and 16% of roles want ten years or more. Mid-level and senior titles make up most of what is open, while junior-level roles are rare. If you are newer to security engineering, expect fewer doors to knock on here.
Deloitte Services Pty has the most open roles of any single employer, with Amazon, Accenture and Downer also among the busier hirers. Even so, the top eight employers together hold only 28% of all open roles, so most of the hiring is happening outside the big names, spread thin across the other 114 companies.
On skills, cloud and detection tools lead the asks: AWS appears most often, followed closely by SIEM, Azure and Python. CISSP is the most requested certification, named in 23% of postings, ahead of CISM and CISA. Financial services and defense show up more than other industries in these listings.
Two things to flag before you apply: only 3% of roles are remote, so most of this hiring expects you in person somewhere in Australia. Pay is rarely posted either, just 3% of listings include it, so there are not enough numbers yet to say what the market is paying.
What this means for you
Three things you can act on this week
- Experience is the main filter
Employers want a median of five years minimum, and 16% ask for ten or more. Junior roles are rare, so build your case around hands-on years if you are applying.
- Look past the big names
The top eight employers, including Deloitte Services Pty, Amazon and Accenture, hold only 28% of open roles. Most hiring is spread across the other 114 companies, so widen your search.
- Cloud and CISSP come up often
AWS, SIEM and Azure are the most asked-for skills, and CISSP is named in 23% of postings. Weigh how often these come up against your own background before you decide what to highlight.
Momentum
New Security roles each week
Last 30 days: 77 new roles, against 61 the 30 days before (+26%). Each week counts the same companies, and a role counts as new only in the week it was posted, so a careers site we start reading never shows up as growth.
See the numbers
| Week starting | New roles |
|---|---|
| 7 Sep | 16 |
| 14 Sep | 14 |
| 21 Sep | 14 |
| 28 Sep | 12 |
| 5 Oct | 14 |
| 12 Oct | 13 |
| 19 Oct | 20 |
| 26 Oct | 31 |
Who is hiring
The companies with the most open Security roles
114 companies are hiring. The top eight hold 28% of the open roles.
| Company | Open roles | Change in new roles |
|---|---|---|
| Deloitte Services Pty | 14 | |
| Amazon | 9 | |
| Accenture | 8 | |
| Downer | 7 | |
| Firmus | 6 | |
| Amentum | 5 | |
| GHR | 5 | |
| Leidos | 5 |
Change compares new roles in the last 30 days with the 30 days before, shown where a company posted 25 or more in the earlier 30 days. Staffing agencies are left out. A company name links to its Ashney company page where there is one.
What they ask for
The technology Security roles ask for most
Ask Rate is the share of roles that name a skill, from 204 postings read in full. Ways of working (methods such as Agile, tools such as Jira) are listed apart; office tools and soft skills are left out.
Ways of working
Industries named most: Financial services 8%, Defense 7%, SaaS 6%. Certifications named: CISSP 23%, CISM 14%, CISA 10%. 3% of open roles say they are remote.
Cite this report