Cybersecurity Salary Benchmark 2026
Up-to-date salary ranges, role descriptions and market trends for cybersecurity in the Netherlands and Europe. Complete the form and you will receive the benchmark straight away.
Cybersecurity salary ranges Netherlands 2026
VigIT People publishes the core figures from the Cybersecurity Salary Benchmark 2026 below. The benchmark is built on 417 traceable data points from six source layers, with a reference date of 1 June 2026, and orders every function according to the European Cybersecurity Skills Framework (ECSF) of ENISA. All amounts are weighted consensus ranges for fixed gross annual salary in the Netherlands, excluding variable pay. Public sector excluding the IKB allowance of approximately 16.5 per cent.
| ECSF role | Junior (0–2 yrs) | Medior (3–5 yrs) | Senior (6–10 yrs) | Lead / 10+ yrs | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CISO | €70.000 – €85.000 | €85.000 – €115.000 | €115.000 – €150.000 | €145.000 – €200.000+ | A |
| Cyber Incident Responder | €42.000 – €58.000 | €58.000 – €87.000 | €87.000 – €115.000 | €115.000 – €150.000 | B |
| Legal, Policy & Compliance | €44.000 – €58.000 | €60.000 – €80.000 | €80.000 – €105.000 | €105.000 – €145.000 | B |
| Cyber Threat Intelligence Specialist | €45.000 – €60.000 | €60.000 – €80.000 | €80.000 – €110.000 | €110.000 – €140.000 | A/B |
| Cybersecurity Architect | €65.000 – €82.000 | €85.000 – €115.000 | €115.000 – €145.000 | €140.000 – €180.000+ | B |
| Cybersecurity Auditor | €41.000 – €55.000 | €55.000 – €80.000 | €80.000 – €110.000 | €105.000 – €145.000 | B |
| Cybersecurity Risk Manager | €48.000 – €65.000 | €65.000 – €92.000 | €92.000 – €125.000 | not measured | B |
| Implementer / DevSecOps | €45.000 – €63.000 | €63.000 – €86.000 | €86.000 – €113.000 | not measured | A/B |
| Penetration Tester | €48.000 – €62.000 | €62.000 – €82.000 | €82.000 – €105.000 | €80.000 – €120.000 | B |
| Digital Forensics Investigator | €40.000 – €55.000 | €55.000 – €75.000 | €75.000 – €100.000 | not measured | B |
| Cybersecurity Researcher | €38.000 – €55.000 | €55.000 – €75.000 | €75.000 – €110.000 | not measured | B |
| Cybersecurity Educator | €41.000 – €54.000 | €48.000 – €73.000 | €56.000 – €97.000 | not measured | C |
| OT security (specialism) | €48.000 – €65.000 | €65.000 – €92.000 | €92.000 – €130.000 | €125.000 – €175.000+ | A/B |
Confidence A: several independent employer sources less than twelve months old. B: survey-driven and employer-confirmed. C: thin data picture, indicative. OT security is not a separate ECSF role profile but a specialism that runs across several roles.
What your sector pays
Median indications for the two anchor roles, with the sector premium or discount relative to the broad Dutch market. The spread within sectors is greater than the spread between them; use this table as a direction, not as a scale.
| Sector | CISO median | Architect median | Premium or discount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial | €120.000 – €150.000 | €95.000 – €120.000 | +15 to +25% |
| Tech / SaaS | €100.000 – €150.000+ | €90.000 – €130.000 | +10 to +25%, often with equity |
| Energy / utilities | €95.000 – €125.000 | €85.000 – €110.000 | +5 to +15% |
| Industry / OT | €90.000 – €120.000 | €85.000 – €110.000 | +5 to +15% (OT scarcity) |
| Ports / logistics | €90.000 – €120.000 | €85.000 – €105.000 | +5 to +10% |
| Big4 / consultancy | €100.000 – €145.000 | €85.000 – €120.000 | 0 to +15%, plus profit share |
| Semi-public sector | €90.000 – €120.000 | €85.000 – €105.000 | 0 to +10% |
| Healthcare / university hospitals | €80.000 – €110.000 | €75.000 – €95.000 | in line with the market |
| Central government | €70.000 – €100.000 | €85.000 – €95.000 | −5 to −15%, plus IKB and ABP |
| Defence / security | €70.000 – €100.000 | €80.000 – €95.000 | −5 to −15% |
| Municipality / province | €65.000 – €90.000 | €75.000 – €90.000 | −10 to −20% |
Do not read the public sector discount as a net difference: the IKB allowance of 16.5 per cent and the ABP employer pension contribution of 18.97 per cent largely close the gap at total reward level.
Cybersecurity interim and freelance rates 2026
The Dutch contracting market consists of three separate pools with their own intake channels and pricing. The difference between platform interim and executive search is a factor of two to three and is not a measurement error.
| Segment or specialisation | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Platform and volume contracting | €560 – €960 per day | Marketplaces and intermediaries, visible rates |
| Government and tenders | €85 – €150 per hour | Framework agreements; DPO up to €150 per hour, often all-in caps |
| Executive search, C-level | €1.400 – €2.400 per day | Quiet assignments via network and search, invisible on platforms |
| OT security, medior to expert | €95 – €220 per hour | Scarcity premium of 20 to 35 per cent |
| GRC multi-framework | €140 – €180 per hour | NIS2, DORA and the AI Act stacked in one profile |
| Incident response | €75 – €150 per hour | Peak demand during incidents; 24/7 availability carries a price |
| Pentest | €95 – €130 per hour | Mature market, stable relationships |
| CISO interim, junior to medior | €125 – €175 per hour | Below the executive layer; a step up into the search segment |
The Dutch cybersecurity labour market in five figures
- 28.582 unfilled security roles in the Netherlands, against a workforce of 72.910 (ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2025).
- 20 to 30 per cent: how far Dutch pay levels sit above the EU average.
- 20 to 35 per cent measured OT security premium over comparable IT roles, established independently three times.
- 7 per cent of vacancies state a salary. That is the baseline before the EU pay transparency directive of 7 June 2026.
- 4.000 to 8.000 additional security professionals needed because of NIS2 and the Dutch Cybersecurity Act (VigIT People estimate).
Methodology: 417 data points from six source layers, weighted by source tier, recency and geography, supplemented with the search and placement data of VigIT People. Reference date 1 June 2026. Main sources: employer-stated vacancies and collective agreement scales NL and BE 2025–2026, ISC2 Cybersecurity Workforce Study 2025, Heidrick & Struggles 2025 Global CISO Compensation Survey, Dragos OT Year in Review 2026, BLS and Morgan McKinley 2026. Reuse of these figures is permitted with attribution: VigIT People, Cybersecurity Salarisbenchmark 2026 (vigitpeople.tech).
What the benchmark covers
The VigIT Salary Benchmark 2026 is based on our own placement practice in infrastructure and cybersecurity recruitment, supplemented with market data from the Netherlands and Europe.
- Salary ranges per role and seniority level, from SOC analyst to CISO.
- Differences across sectors — finance, healthcare, government and industry.
- Clear role descriptions and the responsibilities that come with them.
- Market trends and scarcity indicators shaping pay in 2026.
- Context for permanent, interim and freelance work, including day rates.
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