Common job titles and salaries for CGEIT-certified professionals [updated 2021]
Introduction
ISACA’s Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT) certification gives you the credibility to discuss critical issues around governance and strategic alignment. This credential normally is sought after by senior personnel and is recommended for professionals considering a move to the C-suite, if they aren’t already there.
This article will discuss whom the CGEIT is geared towards, as well as the salary prospects breakdown by specific job titles, geographic location, gender and work experience.
Job titles
According to PayScale, a job title does affect salary negotiation. It is important to do the research to find out what you are worth, knowing that your experience level and your skill set will determine your value in the market. To do this, consider the factors you bring to the hiring table for a specific company or job opening.
Here are a few present-day roles available on job search engine sites such as Dice.com, Indeed.com and Monster.com:
- Senior IT Internal Auditor, Cybersecurity & Compliance: Evaluates the effectiveness of a company’s security procedures and practices to meet compliance goals and objectives
- Lead Analyst — IT Governance, Risk & Compliance: Presents resolutions to all audit-identified issues relating to security
- Security Risk and Compliance Specialist: Performs hands-on security risk assessment, as well as ensuring alignment with compliance regulations
- Information Security Compliance Manager: Addresses various information security governance functions, such as enterprise risk management, compliance management and policy management
- Governance Risk Consultant: Helps to ensure that an organization’s controls, policies and procedures are in place
- IT Risk Manager: Executes a company’s risk management program addressing threats to information assets and analyzing supply chain risks, info and data protection, as well as customer compliance
- IT Governance Controls Specialist: Assists in the implementation of a company’s IT governance controls, ensuring adherence to internal policies and conducting risk analysis, devising and executing tests as well validation actions
Salary breakdowns of the CGEIT by job title
The following matrix shows the salary breakdown, as per PayScale, by specific job title:
| Job title | Avg. base salary (USD)/year |
|---|---|
| Chief Risk Officer | $154,451 |
| Information Technology (IT) Consultant | $78,809 |
| Information Systems (IS) Manager | $83,421 |
| Compliance Analyst | $58,267 |
| Information Security Analyst | $72,474 |
| Chief Data Officer | $178,196 |
According to Salary.com, the numbers are even more flattering. In fact, the site reports that the average salary for jobs that require IT governance skills is $215,658 in the US, considering jobs like Chief Technology Officer, Technology Research Analyst and Information Technology Executive.
Salary breakdowns of the CGEIT by geographic location
The following matrix shows the average salary breakdown given by Indeed.com (October 2020) and Salary.com (2020) by cities in the United States for some CGEIT-related job titles.
Washington, DC
| Job title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Compliance Officer | $94,091 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $81,183 |
| Information Technology Manager | $127,513 |
| Data Governance Specialist | $77,900 |
| Chief Information Security Risk Governance Officer | $246,200 |
Seattle, WA
| Job title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Compliance Officer | $101,890 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $82,046 |
| Information Technology Manager | $103,073 |
| Data Governance Specialist | $76,500 |
| Chief Information Security Risk Governance Officer | $241,900 |
Houston, TX
| Job title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Compliance Officer | $69,068 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $70,497 |
| Information Technology Manager | $105,111 |
| Data Governance Specialist | $71,700 |
| Chief Information Security Risk Governance Officer | $226,700 |
Chicago, IL
| Job title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Compliance Officer | $75,509 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $71,246 |
| Information Technology Manager | $117,353 |
| Data Governance Specialist | $74,200 |
| Chief Information Security Risk Governance Officer | $234,700 |
New York, NY
| Job title | Salary |
|---|---|
| Compliance Officer | $94,321 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $72,741 |
| Information Technology Manager | $123,423 |
| Data Governance Specialist | $84,100 |
| Chief Information Security Risk Governance Officer | $266,100 |
Salary breakdowns of the CGEIT by gender
According to PayScale, based on 41 survey responses, men are earning salaries that range from $90k – $211k. Although figures for women are unavailable, ISACA suggests in its 2020 study on Tech Workforce that there is still a pay gap, and women feel they are underpaid and have fewer growth opportunities than their male counterparts.
Breakdown of total years of work experience for individuals that possess the CGEIT
When it comes to years of experience that CGEIT holders possess, PayScale reports the following breakdown based on 58 survey responses:
- 46.6% are in their late career stage
- 34.5% are experienced
- 17.2% are mid-career professionals
Conclusion
Although any IT professional will benefit greatly by possessing the CGEIT certification, it will have the most impact, in terms of compensation, upon the individual with the following characteristics:
- They possess a C-Level or Senior IT Manager+ job title
- They are working in one of the major East and West Coast cities
- They are in their late career stages
In sum, being certified in the governance of enterprise IT (CGEIT) can help anyone on the path to enhancing their opportunities. Those aspiring to executive positions will find the certification helpful in showing prospective employers they have the knowledge and experience needed to support their business strategies and objectives while still minimizing risk.
This is a very exciting industry that often lacks the number of skilled professionals required to fill the available open vacancies. Therefore, getting a CGEIT is also the perfect way to step up a career entering a field that is not only lucrative but also satisfying.
Sources
CGEIT, ISACA
Salary for Certification: Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT (CGEIT), PayScale
How Much Am I Worth? – 5 Ways to Figure It Out, Salary.com
What is CGEIT? A certification for seasoned IT governance professionals, CIO
Average Salary for Jobs with IT Governance Skills, Salary.com
CGEIT Salaries in the United States, Indeed.com