Key takeaway: The 10 best cybersecurity recruiting firms for 2026 are: Alta Associates, CyberSN, Benchmark Executive Search, Heller Search Associates, Redbud Cybersecurity Recruiting, Pinpoint Search Group, Stott and May, Franklin Fitch, Marlin Hawk, and CyberCoders. Alta, Benchmark, Heller, and Marlin Hawk lead CISO and security leadership searches; CyberSN, Redbud, and Pinpoint are the strongest specialists for security engineers, analysts, and GRC professionals; Stott and May and Franklin Fitch combine permanent and contract security hiring; CyberCoders brings volume for mid-level security roles.
Cybersecurity recruiting firms fill roles that most generalist recruiters cannot screen: security engineers, penetration testers, incident responders, cloud security architects, governance and risk leads, and chief information security officers. The best of them employ recruiters who have worked in security or have spent years inside the community, because candidates in this market are heavily recruited and ignore outreach from people who cannot distinguish a SOC analyst from a security architect.
The shortage is well documented. ISC2's 2024 Cybersecurity Workforce Study estimated a global workforce gap of 4.8 million people against an active workforce of about 5.5 million, and CyberSeek counted roughly 457,000 US cybersecurity job openings in the year to August 2024, with only 83 workers available for every 100 postings. The stakes are also rising: IBM's 2024 Cost of a Data Breach report put the average breach at $4.88 million, the highest on record, which is why CISO searches now reach boards rather than only CIOs.
This ranking covers firms that specialize in security hiring at both leadership and practitioner levels. For broader technology searches, see our technology recruiting firms list; for contract IT capacity, see IT staffing agencies.
How did we evaluate cybersecurity recruiting firms?
| Criterion | Weight | What we assessed |
|---|---|---|
| Security domain expertise | 30% | Recruiters with security backgrounds or sustained community involvement, and the ability to screen technical depth |
| Leadership search track record | 20% | Completed CISO, deputy CISO, and security VP searches at recognizable companies |
| Practitioner reach | 20% | Access to engineers, analysts, and GRC professionals who are not active on job boards |
| Model flexibility | 15% | Retained, contingency, and contract options |
| Market insight | 15% | Compensation data, workforce research, and advice on role design |
The 10 firms at a glance
| # | Firm | Headquarters | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alta Associates | Flemington, NJ | CISO, chief risk officer, and security leadership searches at large enterprises |
| 2 | CyberSN | Boston, MA | Security engineering, operations, and GRC roles on permanent or contract terms, plus salary... |
| 3 | Benchmark Executive Search | Reston, VA | Security leadership for government contractors, defense, and companies that sell into the... |
| 4 | Heller Search Associates | Westborough, MA | CISO and security leadership searches that need to be coordinated with broader IT leadership... |
| 5 | Redbud Cybersecurity Recruiting | Chicago, IL | Companies that want a recruiter with hands-on security experience screening engineers... |
| 6 | Pinpoint Search Group | Fort Lauderdale, FL | Security product companies hiring sales engineers, researchers, and go-to-market leaders, plus... |
| 7 | Stott and May | London, UK | Permanent and contract security hiring across the US and UK, especially for security vendors... |
| 8 | Franklin Fitch | London, UK | Security operations, cloud security, and infrastructure roles in Austin, New York, Boston, and... |
| 9 | Marlin Hawk | London, UK | Global financial services and technology companies hiring CISOs and senior security leaders |
| 10 | CyberCoders | Irvine, CA | Volume hiring of mid-level security engineers, analysts, and architects on contingency |
The 10 best cybersecurity recruiting firms
1. Alta Associates
Type: Cybersecurity and risk executive search (part of Diversified Search Group) Headquarters: Flemington, NJ Best for: CISO, chief risk officer, and security leadership searches at large enterprises
Alta Associates has specialized in cybersecurity, IT risk, and privacy leadership search since 1986 and joined Diversified Search Group in 2021, which added the resources of one of the largest US executive search firms. Founder Joyce Brocaglia also created the Executive Women's Forum, which gives the firm an unusually deep network of senior security and risk leaders. Alta runs retained searches for CISOs, chief risk and privacy officers, and their direct reports at Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, and healthcare systems.
Strengths:
- Longest track record in cybersecurity executive search
- Strong network of senior and diverse security leaders
- Backed by Diversified Search Group's research and reach
Limitations:
- Retained, leadership-only focus; no practitioner or contract placements
- Fees reflect executive search positioning
2. CyberSN
Type: Cybersecurity staffing, recruiting, and workforce intelligence Headquarters: Boston, MA Best for: Security engineering, operations, and GRC roles on permanent or contract terms, plus salary and job-architecture data
CyberSN was founded by Deidre Diamond, a long-time security staffing executive, and focuses entirely on cybersecurity talent. It places permanent and contract professionals across 45 defined security job categories, publishes compensation and job-posting research, and runs a workforce intelligence practice that helps CISOs structure teams and job descriptions. The firm also founded the Secure Diversity nonprofit and is active in community events, which keeps its candidate network current.
Strengths:
- Entirely dedicated to cybersecurity roles
- Useful job-taxonomy and compensation research
- Contract and permanent options from one firm
Limitations:
- Less focus on CISO-level retained search
- Primarily US coverage
3. Benchmark Executive Search
Type: Cybersecurity, national security, and technology executive search Headquarters: Reston, VA Best for: Security leadership for government contractors, defense, and companies that sell into the public sector
Benchmark Executive Search is a boutique retained search firm based in the Washington, DC area that focuses on cybersecurity, national security, and advanced technology leadership. It has placed CISOs, CEOs of security companies, and board members, and its location gives it deep relationships with cleared executives, federal contractors, and security vendors that serve government customers. Private equity firms with security portfolio companies also use it for leadership searches.
Strengths:
- Strong network of cleared and public-sector security executives
- Board and C-level placements at security vendors
- Boutique attention from senior partners
Limitations:
- Small team limits concurrent search capacity
- Less practitioner-level coverage
4. Heller Search Associates
Type: CIO, CTO, and CISO retained executive search Headquarters: Westborough, MA Best for: CISO and security leadership searches that need to be coordinated with broader IT leadership hiring
Heller Search Associates is a retained executive search firm focused exclusively on technology leadership, including CIOs, CTOs, chief digital officers, and CISOs. Founder Martha Heller is a widely read writer on IT leadership, and the firm's positioning gives it access to security leaders who view the CISO role as a step toward broader technology leadership. Clients are typically large enterprises and private-equity-backed companies hiring their first or next CISO.
Strengths:
- Deep understanding of how CISOs fit into IT leadership teams
- Recognized voice in technology leadership circles
- Retained, high-touch process
Limitations:
- Security is one practice among several technology leadership areas
- Not a fit for individual contributor or contract roles
5. Redbud Cybersecurity Recruiting
Type: Cybersecurity-only recruiting boutique Headquarters: Chicago, IL Best for: Companies that want a recruiter with hands-on security experience screening engineers, architects, and managers
Redbud was founded in 2014 by a CISSP-certified security practitioner with more than 20 years in the field, and that technical background shapes its process: candidates are screened by someone who has done the work. The firm recruits security engineers, architects, analysts, GRC specialists, and security managers nationwide on contingency and retained terms, and it has built a reputation among mid-size companies that cannot afford a mis-hire in a small security team.
Strengths:
- Recruiters with real security credentials and experience
- Strong practitioner and manager-level network
- Flexible fee models for mid-size companies
Limitations:
- Small boutique with limited capacity
- Less CISO-level executive search experience
6. Pinpoint Search Group
Type: Cybersecurity recruiting for security vendors and enterprises Headquarters: Fort Lauderdale, FL Best for: Security product companies hiring sales engineers, researchers, and go-to-market leaders, plus enterprise security teams
Pinpoint Search Group recruits exclusively for cybersecurity, with a particular niche in the security vendor ecosystem: it places sales engineers, threat researchers, product managers, and go-to-market leaders for security startups and public security companies, alongside practitioners for enterprise security teams. The firm publishes regular analysis of cybersecurity funding rounds and hiring trends, which keeps it close to the venture-backed segment of the market.
Strengths:
- Unusual depth in security vendor go-to-market hiring
- Regular market and funding research
- Fast turnaround on contingency searches
Limitations:
- Smaller enterprise CISO search practice
- Primarily US-focused
7. Stott and May
Type: Cybersecurity and technology recruiting with US offices Headquarters: London, UK Best for: Permanent and contract security hiring across the US and UK, especially for security vendors and financial services
Stott and May is a London-founded technology recruiting firm with US offices in New York and Los Angeles whose cybersecurity practice is among its largest. It places security engineers, consultants, architects, and leaders on permanent and contract terms, and it works heavily with security vendors, consultancies, and financial services firms. Its transatlantic footprint is useful for companies building security teams in both markets.
Strengths:
- Contract and permanent coverage in the US and UK
- Strong security vendor and consultancy relationships
- Established cybersecurity practice within a larger tech recruiter
Limitations:
- Generalist technology firm rather than security-only
- US presence concentrated in New York and Los Angeles
8. Franklin Fitch
Type: IT infrastructure and cybersecurity recruiting Headquarters: London, UK Best for: Security operations, cloud security, and infrastructure roles in Austin, New York, Boston, and Raleigh
Franklin Fitch specializes in IT infrastructure and cybersecurity recruiting from London with US offices in Austin, New York, Boston, and Raleigh. Its security practice places SOC analysts, security engineers, cloud security specialists, and security managers on permanent and contract terms, and its infrastructure heritage means it understands roles that sit between networking, cloud, and security. It is a strong option for mid-size companies in its US hub cities.
Strengths:
- Strong coverage of security operations and cloud security roles
- Growing US presence in several hub cities
- Permanent and contract options
Limitations:
- Less executive search capability
- Coverage outside its hub cities is remote-led
9. Marlin Hawk
Type: Technology and cybersecurity executive search Headquarters: London, UK Best for: Global financial services and technology companies hiring CISOs and senior security leaders
Marlin Hawk is a retained executive search firm with offices in London, New York, and other global hubs that focuses on technology, data, and cybersecurity leadership. Its security practice places CISOs, heads of security architecture, and cyber risk leaders, particularly at banks, asset managers, insurers, and large technology companies. It publishes research on the global CISO population that is widely cited in security leadership circles.
Strengths:
- Global CISO research and network
- Deep financial services relationships
- Retained search quality with international reach
Limitations:
- Leadership-only; no practitioner recruiting
- London-centric with a smaller US team
10. CyberCoders
Type: Technology recruiting with a large cybersecurity practice (part of ASGN) Headquarters: Irvine, CA Best for: Volume hiring of mid-level security engineers, analysts, and architects on contingency
CyberCoders is a national contingency recruiting firm owned by ASGN that uses a proprietary matching platform to place technology professionals, and cybersecurity is one of its largest practice areas. It fills security engineer, analyst, architect, and manager roles quickly for companies that are hiring several security professionals at once, and its database reach is among the broadest in the industry. It is less specialized than the boutiques above but useful when speed and volume matter more than a bespoke search.
Strengths:
- Large candidate database and fast contingency turnaround
- National coverage for mid-level security roles
- No fee unless a hire is made
Limitations:
- Technology generalist rather than security specialist
- High-volume model produces less curated shortlists
When should you use a cybersecurity recruiting firm?
Security roles reward specialist help more than most functions because the candidate pool is small, heavily recruited, and hard for a generalist to screen. A recruiter who cannot explain the difference between detection engineering and vulnerability management will lose the best candidates in the first conversation. For a CISO or security leadership role, retained firms such as Alta, Benchmark, Heller, and Marlin Hawk are worth the 30-35% fee because the cost of a failed hire is measured in breaches and board confidence. For engineers and analysts, boutiques like Redbud, Pinpoint, and CyberSN offer contingency terms around 20-25% with recruiters who speak the language.
The exception is companies hiring security professionals continuously. A platform or financial services company adding ten security engineers a year will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in agency fees, and that volume justifies a dedicated internal sourcing capability. Our cost-per-hire benchmarks and AI agent versus recruiting agency comparison lay out the break-even point.
How Noon fits alongside cybersecurity recruiters
The hardest part of security hiring is reaching candidates who are employed, well paid, and ignoring recruiter messages. Noon runs autonomous sourcing agents that continuously find and screen security candidates across the open web against your actual hiring bar, evaluating technical depth and career trajectory the way a strong in-house recruiter would, and run personalized email and SMS outreach that references the candidate's real work. It is one flat plan with unlimited roles and seats (see pricing). Security teams that hire regularly use Noon as the always-on channel for engineering and analyst roles and engage a retained firm for the CISO search; our candidate sourcing guide explains how to set up the pipeline.
FAQ
What does a cybersecurity recruiting firm do? A cybersecurity recruiting firm identifies, screens, and presents candidates for security roles, from SOC analysts and penetration testers to CISOs. Specialist firms employ recruiters with security backgrounds who can assess technical skills, certifications such as CISSP or OSCP, and fit with a company's risk profile.
How much do cybersecurity recruiters charge? Contingency firms typically charge 20-25% of first-year base salary for practitioner roles, paid only on a hire. Retained executive search firms charge 30-35% for CISO and security leadership searches, billed in installments. Contract placements are billed hourly with a markup on the contractor's pay rate.
Which firm is best for a CISO search? Alta Associates, Benchmark Executive Search, Heller Search Associates, and Marlin Hawk are the most established retained firms for CISO searches. Large generalist search firms such as Korn Ferry, Spencer Stuart, and Heidrick & Struggles also run CISO searches through their technology officer practices.
How long does it take to fill a cybersecurity role? Practitioner roles such as security engineer or analyst typically take six to ten weeks with a specialist recruiter. CISO searches run three to five months. CyberSeek data showing 83 available workers per 100 openings means timelines stretch quickly without proactive sourcing.
Do cybersecurity recruiting firms place contract staff? Yes. CyberSN, Stott and May, Franklin Fitch, and CyberCoders all place security professionals on contract or contract-to-hire terms. Retained search boutiques such as Alta and Heller focus on permanent leadership roles only.
