IT auditor to embedded systems security engineer
An IT auditor already meets 22% of what the embedded systems security engineer role asks for. The move turns on 24 required skills not yet in the profile.
81.5/ 100
1 How much of what an embedded systems security engineer is expected to do is already part of an IT auditor’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the embedded systems security engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
An embedded systems security engineer role treats 7 of its required skills as things an IT auditor already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- ICT network security risks
- ICT security standards
- analyse ICT system
- identify ICT security risks
- information security strategy
- manage IT security compliances
What stands in the way is 24 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 9 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. An embedded systems security engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an IT auditor background worth leading with.
- already held perform ICT security testing working with computers
- already held analyse ICT system working with computers
- already held identify ICT security risks information skills
- already held manage IT security compliances working with computers
- already held organisational resilience business, administration and law
- already held ICT network security risks information and communication technologies (icts)
All 9 carried skills, including the 7 the embedded systems security engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 32 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn develop ICT device driver required
- still to learn develop software prototype required
- still to learn execute software tests required
- still to learn identify ICT system weaknesses required
- still to learn use software libraries required
- still to learn utilise computer-aided software engineering tools required
- optional, not held ICT safety optional
- optional, not held debug software optional
- optional, not held integrate system components optional
- still to learn Internet of Things required
- still to learn software anomalies required
- still to learn computer programming required
- still to learn digital systems required
- optional, not held ICT encryption optional
- optional, not held ethical hacking principles optional
- still to learn interpret technical texts required
- still to learn keep up with the latest information systems solutions required
- still to learn perform risk analysis required
- still to learn report test findings required
- still to learn provide ICT consulting advice required
- still to learn use software design patterns required
- still to learn create flowchart diagram required
- optional, not held design user interface optional
- optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
- still to learn embedded systems required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- still to learn security engineering required
- still to learn define security policies required
- still to learn define technical requirements required
- optional, not held perform project management optional
2 further areas in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries an embedded systems security engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 develop ICT device driver practise this
- 02 Internet of Things study this
- 03 cyber attack counter-measures study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 9 skills that carry over
- already held ICT network security risks knowledge
- already held ICT security standards knowledge
- already held analyse ICT system skill
- already held identify ICT security risks skill
- already held information security strategy knowledge
- already held manage IT security compliances skill
- already held perform ICT security testing skill
- already held cloud technologies knowledge
- already held organisational resilience knowledge
The 2 learning areas not shown above
- still to learn monitor system performance required
- still to learn cyber attack counter-measures required
8 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held ICT encryption optional
- optional, not held ICT safety optional
- optional, not held debug software optional
- optional, not held design user interface optional
- optional, not held ethical hacking principles optional
- optional, not held integrate system components optional
- optional, not held develop creative ideas optional
- optional, not held perform project management optional
28 held skills the embedded systems security engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role ICT accessibility standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT process quality models knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT project management knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT quality policy knowledge
- not needed by the target role ICT security legislation knowledge
- not needed by the target role World Wide Web Consortium standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role apply information security policies skill
- not needed by the target role audit techniques knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate analytical insights skill
- not needed by the target role cyber security knowledge
- not needed by the target role define organisational standards skill
- not needed by the target role develop ICT workflow skill
- not needed by the target role develop audit plan skill
- not needed by the target role develop documentation in accordance with legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role engineering processes knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure adherence to organisational ICT standards skill
- not needed by the target role execute ICT audits skill
- not needed by the target role identify legal requirements skill
- not needed by the target role improve business processes skill
- not needed by the target role inform on workplace safety standards skill
- not needed by the target role legal requirements of ICT products knowledge
- not needed by the target role monitor technology trends skill
- not needed by the target role perform quality audits skill
- not needed by the target role prepare financial auditing reports skill
- not needed by the target role product life-cycle knowledge
- not needed by the target role protect personal data and privacy skill
- not needed by the target role quality standards knowledge
- not needed by the target role systems development life-cycle knowledge
10 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn Internet of Things required
- still to learn cyber attack counter-measures required
- still to learn embedded systems required
- still to learn software anomalies required
- still to learn computer programming required
- still to learn digital systems required
- still to learn safety engineering required
- still to learn security engineering required
- optional, not held ICT encryption optional
- optional, not held ethical hacking principles optional
Common questions about this move
Can an IT auditor become an embedded systems security engineer?
Yes, and it is a career change move. An IT auditor already covers 22% of what an embedded systems security engineer is expected to do: 9 skills carry over, 7 of which the embedded systems security engineer role treats as required.
What skills does an IT auditor need to become an embedded systems security engineer?
24 required skills are missing, plus 8 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by working with computers. The single most important is develop ICT device driver.
How hard is the move from IT auditor to embedded systems security engineer?
Its learning distance is 81.5 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.