Cybersecurity Jobs in Tucson, AZ

Tucson's cybersecurity jobs run from cleared analyst seats at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base to security teams at Tucson Medical Center, local credit unions and town halls, with training pipelines at Pima Community College and the University of Arizona. The guides below cover every cybersecurity role in Tucson, who is hiring, and what it pays.

Cybersecurity Analyst Jobs in Tucson, AZ Cybersecurity Careers Information Security Specialist Jobs in Tucson, AZ

Why Cybersecurity Work Is Different in Tucson

Defense sets the tone. Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on the southeast side hosts Air Combat Command units, and contractors such as Peraton and General Dynamics Information Technology post Tucson cyber analyst and information system security officer jobs that require TS/SCI clearances, U.S. citizenship and onsite work. Raytheon, the metro's largest private employer, designs and builds missiles at its plant south of Tucson International Airport. For anyone who can hold a clearance, the defense side is where the highest posted pay in the local market sits.

The civilian half of the market is smaller but open to people without a clearance. Tucson Medical Center on Grant Road runs an information security program inside a large nonprofit hospital, Hughes Federal Credit Union hires analysts for monitoring, compliance and exam support, and the Town of Oro Valley keeps a cybersecurity position in its technology department. The federal wage survey counted about 570 information security analysts in the Tucson metro in May 2023, so the field is compact, and the University of Arizona's campus security operations center and Pima Community College's East Campus operations center give new people real hands-on time before their first full-time job.

Top Cybersecurity Employers in Tucson

These employers have posted cybersecurity roles, or named them, on their own careers sites:

  • Peraton - senior cyber analysts at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base supporting Air Combat Command's intelligence directorate; active TS/SCI.
  • General Dynamics Information Technology - onsite Tucson ISSO II roles on Defense Department programs, posted at $88,400 to $119,600.
  • Tucson Medical Center - IS Security Analyst and senior analyst jobs at the midtown hospital, covering policy, risk controls and compliance training.
  • Hughes Federal Credit Union - cybersecurity analyst on West Wetmore Road for monitoring, incident response and IT governance, posted at $66,000 to $83,000.
  • University of Arizona - the Information Security Office runs the campus security operations center and hires paid student cybersecurity analysts.
  • Town of Oro Valley - a cybersecurity analyst position in the Innovation and Technology Department, with criminal justice background screening.

Cybersecurity Career Paths in Tucson

  • Security operations - Cybersecurity Analyst and SOC Analyst. Watching alerts, triaging incidents and hunting threats, at a hospital, credit union or on a defense contract.
  • Compliance and assurance - Information Security Specialist and Governance Risk and Compliance Analyst. Security plans, control reviews and audit evidence, the core of ISSO work on Tucson's defense programs.
  • Engineering and testing - Security Engineer and Penetration Tester. Building and hardening security tools and infrastructure, or attacking systems to find weaknesses first.

How to Start a Cybersecurity Career in Tucson

  • Pima Community College Cybersecurity AAS - two years at East Campus on Irvington Road, in person or hybrid; an NSA-validated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense program with training in the college's operations center.
  • University of Arizona BAS in Cyber Defense - College of Information Science, main campus and online; the university holds NSA designations in cyber defense, cyber operations and cyber research.
  • CompTIA Security+ and higher certifications - Security+ meets the IAT Level II bar many defense contracts set under the Defense Department's 8140 rules; CISSP, CISM or CISA for senior roles.
  • A security clearance - sponsored by the hiring contractor and limited to U.S. citizens; required for the Davis-Monthan and defense program jobs.

Arizona has no state license for any cybersecurity role. Certifications and clearances are employer or contract requirements, not legal ones, and civilian employers such as hospitals, credit unions and towns hire without a clearance.

Cybersecurity Salaries in Tucson

  • Entry - roughly $60,000 to $75,000 a year for junior analysts and first security roles.
  • Mid - roughly $75,000 to $105,000 a year for experienced analysts and ISSOs.
  • Senior - roughly $105,000 to $140,000 a year for ISSMs, security managers and cleared senior analysts, with some cleared postings above that.

These are estimates that vary by employer and experience. The federal wage survey put the Tucson median for information security analysts at about $41 an hour in May 2023. A TS/SCI cyber analyst posting at Davis-Monthan lists $104,000 to $166,000, while civilian roles pay less in cash but come without clearance requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who hires cybersecurity workers in Tucson?

On the defense side, contractors such as Peraton and GDIT post cleared Tucson roles, including cyber analyst work at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. On the civilian side, Tucson Medical Center, Hughes Federal Credit Union, the University of Arizona and the Town of Oro Valley all carry security positions.

Do you need a clearance for cybersecurity jobs in Tucson?

Only for defense jobs, which require U.S. citizenship and usually TS/SCI eligibility. Hospital, credit union and local government security roles in Tucson do not list a clearance.

Is there an Arizona license for cybersecurity work?

No. Arizona does not license cybersecurity analysts, ISSOs or security engineers. Employers look for degrees, experience and certifications such as Security+, CISSP, CISM or CISA.

Where can you train for cybersecurity in Tucson?

Pima Community College's two-year Cybersecurity associate degree is taught at East Campus, and the University of Arizona offers a bachelor of applied science in Cyber Defense in Tucson and online. Both schools hold NSA Center of Academic Excellence recognition.

How much do cybersecurity jobs pay in Tucson?

The federal Tucson median for information security analysts was about $86,000 a year in May 2023. Posted Tucson ranges run from $66,000 to $83,000 for a credit union analyst to $104,000 to $166,000 for a cleared cyber analyst at Davis-Monthan.

Ready to get started? Browse all current cybersecurity job openings in Tucson, AZ on TucsonHIRED and apply today.