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CISO / IT Security Manager: salary 2026

This is what CISO / IT Security Manager earn in Germany – from 0 job ads with a stated salary and 65 salary data sets.

Median, gross

€90,750

€65,000 lower 10 % €123,500 upper 10 %

How salaries are distributed

Each column = number of salary figures per €5,000 band · basis 65

  • Between lower and upper 10 % (€65,000 – €123,500)
  • Edges

Salary rises with experience

Median and middle 50 % per level · jobs + data sets

€72,500

Junior

67,500 – 77,500

13 values

€82,000

Mid-level

75,000 – 87,500

+13 % · 16 values

€99,500

Senior

90,500 – 103,000

+37 % · 19 values

€112,000

Lead/Principal

98,500 – 118,500

+54 % · 17 values

Salary by federal state

Median of the salary data sets for CISO / IT Security Manager per federal state. The samples are small here – read the figures as a trend, not a guarantee.

  1. North Rhine-Westphalia €103,000 n = 5
  2. Baden-Württemberg €103,000 n = 7
  3. Hesse €102,500 n = 7
  4. Hamburg €101,500 n = 5
  5. Bavaria €94,500 n = 4
  6. Schleswig-Holstein €90,500 n = 4
  7. Rhineland-Palatinate €90,500 n = 5
  8. Lower Saxony €85,500 n = 4
  9. Berlin €84,000 n = 8
  10. Saarland €83,500 n = 4
  11. Thuringia €81,500 n = 4
  12. Brandenburg €80,500 n = 4
  13. Saxony €78,500 n = 4

CISO / IT Security Manager: job profile and outlook

The Chief Information Security Officer manages a company's entire IT security strategy and is responsible for protecting all digital assets, data and systems. As a member of the executive board or extended management, the CISO defines security guidelines, controls the security budget and reports on the risk situation to the executive board and supervisory board. The requirements for a CISO are comprehensive: in addition to many years of experience in IT security, strategic thinking, leadership skills and the ability to communicate technical risks in business language are expected. Knowledge of compliance frameworks such as ISO 27001, NIST, BSI baseline protection and GDPR is essential. Experience in crisis management and working with authorities and external auditors is also part of the requirement profile. The salaries for CISOs and IT security managers are among the highest in the IT industry. The enormous responsibility, regulatory requirements and strategic importance of the role justify remuneration packages that are often supplemented by bonuses, share options and extensive additional benefits. The path to becoming a CISO typically leads via positions as a security engineer, security architect and head of security. Increasing regulation, the growing threat situation and the obligation to appoint security officers are creating a sustained high demand for qualified IT security managers.

Similarly paid roles

Same axis – directly comparable

€40,000 – €130,000 · bar = lower to upper 10 %, line = median

How we calculate

  • Sources: job ads with a stated salary that are assigned to a role, plus recorded salary data sets. Currently 6,380 active IT jobs state their salary.
  • Range: lower 10 % to upper 10 % (P10–P90), so that individual outliers do not shift the limits. The median splits the values into two equal halves.
  • Plausible: only gross annual salaries between €15,000 and €250,000; placeholders and monthly values are excluded.
  • Calculator: role median × experience factor × federal state factor. The factors come from 4,290 salary data sets – each as a ratio to the median of its role, so the mix of roles does not distort them.
  • Minimum size: breakdowns by skill, city and work model only appear from 20 values; every figure states its basis.

Earning more starts with the right job.

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