Leadership wanted a workforce development framework based on data—current roles, accurate job families, and mobility within career paths.

The client partnered with CyberVista, now N2K, to help mobilize their new workforce plan from the ground up, beginning with an assessment of the company’s entire cybersecurity department. This was accomplished by:  

• Conducting a job inventory to review its 400 existing cybersecurity jobs. The organization was planning a restructure and wanted to determine the best way to prioritize updating current roles and future hiring initiatives. Many of the job descriptions were ten years old, so those were also updated along with job responsibilities.
• Identifying skills in cyber job roles. The organization and N2K interviewed stakeholders across various cyber business units to conduct a thorough analysis of the job roles, then used the feedback to understand the nuances of the different roles and recategorize them into more functional job families.
• Evaluating market trends. The company evaluated the market landscape, trends, and future job hierarchies to inform hiring and onboarding strategies for the next generation of cyber talent. A thorough analysis of market trajectory also allowed them to provide solutions for training and career development.
• Mapping to the NICE Framework. The company worked to identify, aggregate, and audit all cybersecurity job roles and responsibilities to ensure accuracy and relevance in accordance with the NICE Framework. This allowed a clearer roadmap for job requirements and critical skills.
• Hosting alignment sessions with partners and its consultant. Leadership and N2K engaged with external HR market intelligence and specialist teams to understand market salary trends and industry benchmarks. N2K also engaged with these partners to provide skill and competency input to refine job descriptions, HR management, and future staff training requirements.

An Employer-Driven Training Model

The company took workforce development into its own hands by taking the initiative to map its current workforce and plan for future cybersecurity personnel needs. The initial analysis helped N2K develop a roadmap of cyber career pathways, and informed the creation of a training framework that would not only teach the conceptual and practical skills needed to perform the duties of a particular role, but also give aspiring or transitioning cybersecurity talent actionable direction and efficient interventions for advancement.