Security Compliance Auditor Role: Skills and Responsibilities

As cyberattacks grow and become more severe, protecting sensitive data has become every business’s priority. As a result, companies adopt compliance frameworks that suit their business needs — but they are not always sure if they meet the rules set by the state. That's why they hire security compliance auditors.

Security compliance auditors examine security systems, documentation, and processes to identify the non-compliant areas.

In this article, we'll discuss this role in detail, including their key responsibilities, skills, and so much more.

Security compliance auditor role

In 2023, 6.41 million people lost their data to cyberattacks. These breaches harm users and cost companies a solid amount of money. That’s why the government has set compliance laws that businesses must follow to protect both customers and their data.

As a result, companies hire security compliance auditors to ensure that everything within their operations complies with the set laws and regulations. These compliance auditors identify failures and develop risk management strategies to ensure your organization does not violate regulatory requirements.

Apart from this,since they are senior members, they also train junior staff on how to implement those policies.

Education and work experience 

To become a security compliance auditor, you usually need a college degree and some work experience. Most jobs ask for a bachelor's degree in computer science or a similar field but some might want a master's degree.

For experience, companies look for 3-6 years of work in cybersecurity or related areas. You should know about security rules and standards like GDPR, HIPAA, or SOC 2. It's also important to understand how to conduct audits and use security tools. For this, certifications like CISSP or CISM can help.

You must also be good at explaining complex ideas and working with different teams.

Extra certifications that boost current potential 

Some jobs have criteria where they prefer candidates with certifications in security compliance auditing. These certifications show you've strong auditing skills along with hands-on experience. Here are our two top picks for you:

• CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor): This certification teaches you how to audit and secure your systems. By completing this, you'll be able to identify security gaps and ensure compliance with regulations.
• CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional): It also provides knowledge on best security architecture and risk management practices. By completing this certification, you’ll have strong communication skills to assist with auditing.

Since both certifications are globally recognized, it may be easier for you to get a suitable role in your dream company. Try your luck.

Skills a security compliance auditor possess

A security compliance auditor assesses, evaluates, and reports on an organization's compliance with security frameworks and regulations. To excel in this field, you must have a diverse skill set that combines technical expertise and effective communication. So, let’s look at some of the key skills of a compliance auditor:

Communication skills

Communication is the second most common skill among IT experts worldwide. Since security compliance auditors often encounter different vulnerabilities and security gaps, they must communicate these audit findings to non-technical auditors. And that's only possible when they know how to convey information in simple words.

Risk management

Every business has a different control plan to handle security risks. A security compliance auditor has to Identify risks and assess the effectiveness of these control plans. That's where their risk management abilities are used.

For example, attackers may use phishing attacks to steal an organization's sensitive data. The control plan for this will be training employees and installing email filters. But if a user's account still gets compromised, it's the auditor’s job to determine…

• What went wrong?
• What additional security steps will restrict these attacks?

Tip: You can develop this problem-solving skill by working on scenario-based audits.

(Related reading: cybersecurity risk management)

Documentation skills

One of the primary goals of a security compliance audit is to help businesses develop a strategy. That’s why security compliance auditors note down all the areas where compliance is lacking and document their suggestions. These suggestions are of three types:

• Technical: Include stuff like securing devices and setting up firewalls.
• Non-technical: Include policies, staff training, and governance recommendations.
• Physical: Provide suggestions on how to protect physical space and hardware.

Emotional intelligence

Arguments between security compliance auditors and stakeholders are part of audit meetings. However, emotional intelligence is the only trait that helps them stay calm and respectful.

For example, if they discover that management did not mitigate risks on time, they won’t instantly blame one person. Instead, they will politely ask the team about it and show them how to handle similar issues in the future.

Tech skills

Since a security compliance auditor’s job is to find weaknesses in complex and technical processes, understanding system architecture and software applications is also necessary. That’s why they have a strong knowledge of:

• Programming languages such as Python and Java.
• Common data security standards and best practices in the industry.
• Different detection and prevention protocols, such as firewalls.

Responsibilities of a security compliance auditor

A security compliance auditor has to take the time to understand the business goals and study past audit reports. But this is just a small part of their role — there’s so much more to it. Let’s explore some of their most common responsibilities in detail:

Understand the business

They first understand business objectives and goals before starting to work on audits because security compliance will vary depending on the size and type of business.

For example, if you audit a tech company, it must meet SOC 2 standards to protect data in the cloud. This builds trust between customers and third-party service providers. On the other hand, a retail business must follow PCI DSS protocols because it aims to protect payment data from fraud.

(Related reading: third party risk management.)

Vulnerability assessment

A security compliance auditor looks for vulnerabilities like unpatched systems and weak passwords. This helps them take preventive measures to protect businesses from any data breach. Otherwise, the company may face:

• Downtime
• Non-compliance fines
• Reputational and financial damages

(Related reading: vulnerability management.)

Security compliance with regulations

Most organizations rely on different security frameworks to address their security needs. For example, healthcare institutes comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and incorporate this framework into their systems to protect patients' data.

Some other common security frameworks include:

• NIST ensures security in five steps: identify, protect, detect, respond, and mitigate.
• COBIT provides a solution that aligns with IT and business needs.

A security compliance auditor ensures that their organization's policies comply with at least one of the industry's legal frameworks.

Policy recommendation

A security compliance auditor also lists all the policy recommendations to make the system safe and compliant. Here's how they do this:

• Summarize the audit's objective and the systems they assessed.
• Include the detected vulnerabilities. For example, it can be weak passwords.
• Assign risks with three levels: low, medium, and high, and prioritize the most severe ones.
• Provide recommendations such as risk mitigation plans or network monitoring.
• Add a review of all necessary regulations, such as SOC2 or PCI DSS. It will allow businesses to see if their security follows the standards.

Salary and career outlook

Although this is a high-paying role, your experience level and skills can impact your average salary. This is what the salary reports from 2024 show:

• Glassdoor's report shows you can expect to make $102,020 a year.
• ZipRecruiter's report says that a security auditor can make $89,997 annually.

The career outlook for security compliance auditors looks promising, given the increasing demand for skilled professionals in the cybersecurity field. Cybersecurity Ventures conducted a survey and found that unfilled positions in this sector more than tripled between 2013 and 2021.

At the start of this period, there were approximately 1 million job openings worldwide. By 2021, this number skyrocketed to around 3.5 million vacancies.

How to become a security compliance auditor: A step-by-step approach

Now, if you want to get into the security compliance auditor role but don't know how, here's a step-by-step guide:

Get a degree: The first step is to get a degree in the relevant field. The entry-level roles require at least sixteen years of education. But you can proceed with a master's or PHD for higher-level roles.

Learn programming languages: To understand how system architecture works, you must learn the basics of common programming languages such as Python or Java.

Obtain a certification: You must also get a certification that is in demand. They’ll help you build both hard and soft skills. CISA and CISSP are top certificates, so you can choose either.

Gain work experience in junior roles: Get practical experience in junior security roles such as IT support specialist, network or systems administrator, or junior security analyst. This hands-on experience will provide valuable insights into IT operations and security practices, which will help you advance to a security compliance auditor role easily.

Advance to security compliance auditor role: As you gain experience, look for opportunities to transition into compliance-related tasks or roles. You can start this by assisting with internal audits or working on compliance projects. Eventually, you can apply for security compliance auditor positions.

Summing up the security compliance auditor role 

Security compliance auditor is a high-level role that requires both technical and soft skills. While a degree in a related field is important, staying up to date with constantly changing compliance laws is even more essential.