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Career Tracks

Take the Right Track

The key when applying for a DHS Cybersecurity Service position is knowing which Career Track most aligns with your experience and expertise. Our jobs fall under five different career tracks – entry, developmental, technical, leadership, and executive. Just starting out? Check out the entry track. Have years of technical and managerial experience? The leadership track may be right for you! Learn more about how to find your path below. Want to learn more about all of our career tracks? Download the Career Levels Overview.

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Our Career Tracks

Entry Track
Start a new cybersecurity career at DHS!

0-2 years of work experience – not including internships

  • College student or recent graduate looking for a first job
  • Interested in switching to cybersecurity from another career field
  • Interested in learning cybersecurity and building technical expertise
Typical starting salary range

$66,200 – $86,000

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Developmental Track
Accelerate an emergent cybersecurity career!

3+ years of cybersecurity work experience

  • Have worked in an entry-level cybersecurity role
  • Have identified a primary technical capability
  • Interested in continuing to deepen technical expertise
Typical starting salary range

$80,800 – $105,500

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Technical Track
Apply your technical expertise in a critical role or through a range of projects!

5+ years of cybersecurity work experience

  • Have worked in progressively difficult cybersecurity roles
  • Have contributed to efforts to address cybersecurity challenges and/or to cybersecurity projects, programs and teams
  • Have a primary technical capability
  • Interested in applying and maintaining established technical expertise and/or becoming a resident expert
Typical starting salary range

$104,000 – $207,500

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Leadership Track
Manage cybersecurity employees, programs, and organizations!

5+ years of cybersecurity work experience

  • Have worked in progressively difficult cybersecurity roles
  • Have contributed to efforts to address cybersecurity challenges and/or to cybersecurity projects, programs and teams
  • Led efforts to address cybersecurity challenges and/or cybersecurity projects and programs
  • Have a primary cybersecurity technical capability
  • Interested in enhancing your management expertise and/or managing cybersecurity employees/organizations
Typical starting salary range

$120,600 – $203,500

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Executive Track
Direct the strategy and operations for large, complex cybersecurity organizations or entire mission functions!

5+ years of cybersecurity work experience

  • Have significant experience managing cybersecurity programs and teams of cybersecurity employees
  • Have experience performing and leading work associated with a primary technical capability
  • Have overseen resource planning, goal setting, and business improvement efforts
  • Interested in providing strategic mission leadership, guiding specific organizations – or all of DHS or groups of stakeholders – to deliver results
Typical starting salary range

$171,700 – $234,000

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Typical starting salary ranges reflect the salaries most new employees receive in most of the United States in calendar year 2025. In certain geographic areas, typical starting salaries will be higher because of a local cybersecurity labor market supplement. This includes metro Washington, D.C. where salaries include a 10% supplement. Visit Resources to learn more about DHS Cybersecurity Service tracks, career levels and salaries.

In limited circumstances, DHS may hire widely recognized cybersecurity technical experts and industry leaders at salaries higher than those provided in the Technical Track and Executive Track.