Cybersecurity Analyst Jobs in Tucson, AZ
Cybersecurity analyst jobs in Tucson split between cleared defense work around Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and civilian security teams at hospitals, credit unions and local government. Tucson information security analysts earned a median of about $41 an hour in the latest federal survey. Current openings are below.
Current Cybersecurity Analyst Openings in Tucson, AZ
Listings marked External are sponsored openings provided by the Jobs2Careers network.
Cybersecurity Analyst Work in Tucson
Tucson's cyber market has two distinct halves. On the southeast side, contractors such as Peraton staff cyber analyst seats on Davis-Monthan for Air Combat Command's intelligence directorate, work that needs an active TS/SCI clearance and happens on base with no telework. Across town, analysts protect patient records at Tucson Medical Center on Grant Road, member accounts at Hughes Federal Credit Union on West Wetmore Road, and town systems in Oro Valley, where a clearance is not part of the job.
The federal Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey counted about 570 information security analysts in the Tucson metro in May 2023, a small field compared with the region's thousands of registered nurses. The University of Arizona runs its own security operations center and pays students to work in it, and Pima Community College's East Campus on Irvington Road trains analysts in a working operations center, so new analysts here can get real alert-handling time before their first full-time job.
Top Tucson Employers Hiring Cybersecurity Analysts
These Tucson employers have posted cybersecurity analyst roles, or named the role, on their own careers sites:
- Peraton - defense contractor posting senior cyber analyst roles at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base for threat analysis and incident response; active TS/SCI required.
- General Dynamics Information Technology - hires onsite Tucson information system security officers to run compliance reviews, vulnerability assessments and authorization packages for Defense Department programs.
- Tucson Medical Center - the midtown hospital on Grant Road posts IS Security Analyst and senior analyst jobs covering security policy, risk controls and compliance.
- Hughes Federal Credit Union - Tucson-based credit union hiring a cybersecurity analyst for monitoring, incident response and audit support, listed 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 - carries a cybersecurity analyst position in its Innovation and Technology Department, with police-level background screening and on-call duty.
Cybersecurity Analyst Salaries in Tucson
- Entry level (0 to 2 years): roughly $60,000 to $75,000 per year.
- Experienced (3 to 6 years): roughly $75,000 to $100,000 per year.
- Senior or cleared defense analyst: roughly $100,000 to $140,000 per year, with some cleared postings listed higher.
These are estimates that vary by employer and experience. A clearance is the biggest single lever in Tucson: a TS/SCI cyber analyst posting at Davis-Monthan lists $104,000 to $166,000, while civilian analyst roles at credit unions and local government run closer to the federal survey's Tucson median of about $86,000 a year. Certifications such as Security+ or CISSP move pay inside both halves of the market.
How to Become a Cybersecurity Analyst in Tucson
Arizona does not license cybersecurity analysts, so the gate is education, certifications and, for defense work, a clearance. Pima Community College's Cybersecurity associate of applied science runs two years at East Campus, in person or hybrid, and is an NSA-validated Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense program. The University of Arizona's College of Information Science offers a bachelor of applied science in Cyber Defense on the main campus and online, and the university holds NSA designations in cyber defense, cyber operations and cyber research. Contractor roles usually require Security+ or a similar certification under the Defense Department's 8140 workforce rules, U.S. citizenship, and an employer-sponsored clearance.
What the Job Involves
A cybersecurity analyst watches alerts from firewalls, endpoint tools and log systems, decides which ones are real, and works the incident when one is. Between incidents the job is vulnerability scans, chasing patches with system owners, writing and updating security policy, running phishing and awareness training, and producing the evidence auditors and examiners ask for.
Skills Employers Look For
- CompTIA Security+ early, CISSP, CISM or CISA for senior roles
- Network fundamentals: firewalls, routing, Active Directory
- SIEM log analysis and alert triage
- Vulnerability scanning and remediation tracking
- Risk frameworks such as NIST and the Defense Department's RMF
- Clear incident write-ups and audit documentation
- U.S. citizenship and clearance eligibility for defense roles
Career Path and Advancement
A common Tucson route starts on a help desk or as a systems administrator, or in the UA student security operations center, then moves into an analyst seat once the candidate holds Security+. From there the civilian track runs senior analyst, security engineer and information security manager at a hospital, credit union or town, while the defense track runs ISSO, ISSM and cleared lead roles on the contracts around Davis-Monthan. An active clearance earned on one Tucson contract can carry over to the next.
Related Careers in Tucson
These Tucson guides cover the closest alternatives for cybersecurity analysts:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be a cybersecurity analyst in Arizona?
No. Arizona has no state license for cybersecurity analysts. Employers screen on degrees, certifications such as Security+ or CISSP, and background checks, and defense contractors add U.S. citizenship and a security clearance.
How much do cybersecurity analysts make in Tucson?
The federal wage survey put the Tucson median for information security analysts at about $41 an hour, roughly $86,000 a year, in May 2023. Civilian postings such as Hughes Federal Credit Union's list $66,000 to $83,000, and cleared defense analyst roles at Davis-Monthan list well above $100,000.
Do Tucson cybersecurity jobs require a security clearance?
The defense jobs do. Peraton's and GDIT's Tucson postings require TS/SCI eligibility and U.S. citizenship. Analyst roles at Tucson Medical Center, Hughes Federal Credit Union and the Town of Oro Valley do not list a clearance, though Oro Valley requires a criminal justice background check.
Where can you study cybersecurity in Tucson?
Pima Community College offers a two-year Cybersecurity associate degree at East Campus, where students also train in the college's security operations center. The University of Arizona offers a bachelor of applied science in Cyber Defense in Tucson and online, and both schools hold NSA Center of Academic Excellence recognition.
How do you get an entry-level cybersecurity analyst job in Tucson?
Earn Security+, get hands-on time in a help desk or systems role, and apply to civilian employers first, since their postings do not ask for a clearance. UA students can apply for paid student cybersecurity analyst positions in the university's security operations center.
Ready to apply? Browse all cybersecurity analyst jobs in Tucson, AZ on TucsonHIRED and apply today.