Most requested AI skills in security jobs
Key facts
- #1 AI tools in daily work, Using AI in your work: 10.8%
- #2 AI governance and risk, Leading AI: 9.3%
- #3 AI workflow automation, Using AI in your work: 8.6%
- 16 skills ranked across security jobs
- Data as of November 2026
- 1AI tools in daily work Using AI in your work10.8%
- 2AI governance and risk Leading AI9.3%
- 3AI workflow automation Using AI in your work8.6%
- 4LLM application engineering Building AI systems6.2%
- 5AI coding assistants Using AI in your work2.1%
- 6AI adoption and change management Leading AI2.0%
- 7AI evaluation and guardrails Building AI systems2.0%
- 8Responsible AI Leading AI1.6%
- 9RAG and vector search Building AI systems1.6%
- 10MLOps Building AI systems1.5%
What stands out
- The lead is wide: AI tools in daily work (10.8%) is well clear of MLOps at #10 (1.5%).
- AI tools in daily work is the largest market in the top ten, with 670 openings behind its figure.
- Skills with fewer than 30 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Postings name specific AI skills, from using AI in everyday work to building AI systems. The share of openings that name a skill shows which ones employers ask for most often.
How to use it
Pick the skill near the top that you can show evidence for, and put it on your résumé with a concrete result. Open the skill's page for the jobs that ask for it.
The top 25
- 1
AI tools in daily work Using AI in your work
10.8%
- Openings naming it
- 670
- Median posted pay with it
- $202k
- Pay against all security openings
- +10%
Based on 670 openings.
- 2
AI governance and risk Leading AI
9.3%
- Openings naming it
- 578
- Median posted pay with it
- $213k
- Pay against all security openings
- +16%
Based on 578 openings.
- 3
AI workflow automation Using AI in your work
8.6%
- Openings naming it
- 534
- Median posted pay with it
- $216k
- Pay against all security openings
- +18%
Based on 534 openings.
- 4
LLM application engineering Building AI systems
6.2%
- Openings naming it
- 386
- Median posted pay with it
- $213k
- Pay against all security openings
- +16%
Based on 386 openings.
- 5
AI coding assistants Using AI in your work
2.1%
- Openings naming it
- 129
- Median posted pay with it
- $218k
- Pay against all security openings
- +19%
Based on 129 openings.
- 6
AI adoption and change management Leading AI
2.0%
- Openings naming it
- 123
- Median posted pay with it
- $217k
- Pay against all security openings
- +18%
Based on 123 openings.
AI adoption and change management: ranks by month and open jobs
- 7
AI evaluation and guardrails Building AI systems
2.0%
- Openings naming it
- 123
- Median posted pay with it
- $209k
- Pay against all security openings
- +14%
Based on 123 openings.
- 8
Responsible AI Leading AI
1.6%
- Openings naming it
- 101
- Median posted pay with it
- $173k
- Pay against all security openings
- −6%
Based on 101 openings.
- 9
RAG and vector search Building AI systems
1.6%
- Openings naming it
- 100
- Median posted pay with it
- $205k
- Pay against all security openings
- +12%
Based on 100 openings.
- 10
MLOps Building AI systems
1.5%
- Openings naming it
- 93
- Median posted pay with it
- $228k
- Pay against all security openings
- +24%
Based on 93 openings.
- 11
Machine learning engineering Building AI systems
1.5%
- Openings naming it
- 91
- Median posted pay with it
- $206k
- Pay against all security openings
- +13%
Based on 91 openings.
- 12
Model training and deep learning Building AI systems
1.4%
- Openings naming it
- 87
- Median posted pay with it
- $243k
- Pay against all security openings
- +32%
Based on 87 openings.
Model training and deep learning: ranks by month and open jobs
- 13
Gen-AI assistants (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude) Using AI in your work
1.3%
- Openings naming it
- 83
- Median posted pay with it
- Not enough pay data
- Share of openings
- 1.3%
Based on 83 openings.
Gen-AI assistants (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude): ranks by month and open jobs
- 14
AI strategy and use cases Leading AI
1.0%
- Openings naming it
- 64
- Median posted pay with it
- Not enough pay data
- Share of openings
- 1.0%
Based on 64 openings.
- 15
Prompt design Using AI in your work
0.73%
- Openings naming it
- 45
- Median posted pay with it
- Not enough pay data
- Share of openings
- 0.73%
Based on 45 openings.
- 16
ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) Building AI systems
0.50%
- Openings naming it
- 31
- Median posted pay with it
- Not enough pay data
- Share of openings
- 0.50%
Based on 31 openings.
ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow): ranks by month and open jobs
Full ranking
All 16 skills that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | Skill | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AI tools in daily work Using AI in your work | 10.8% | 670 |
| 2 | AI governance and risk Leading AI | 9.3% | 578 |
| 3 | AI workflow automation Using AI in your work | 8.6% | 534 |
| 4 | LLM application engineering Building AI systems | 6.2% | 386 |
| 5 | AI coding assistants Using AI in your work | 2.1% | 129 |
| 6 | AI adoption and change management Leading AI | 2.0% | 123 |
| 7 | AI evaluation and guardrails Building AI systems | 2.0% | 123 |
| 8 | Responsible AI Leading AI | 1.6% | 101 |
| 9 | RAG and vector search Building AI systems | 1.6% | 100 |
| 10 | MLOps Building AI systems | 1.5% | 93 |
| 11 | Machine learning engineering Building AI systems | 1.5% | 91 |
| 12 | Model training and deep learning Building AI systems | 1.4% | 87 |
| 13 | Gen-AI assistants (ChatGPT, Copilot, Claude) Using AI in your work | 1.3% | 83 |
| 14 | AI strategy and use cases Leading AI | 1.0% | 64 |
| 15 | Prompt design Using AI in your work | 0.73% | 45 |
| 16 | ML frameworks (PyTorch, TensorFlow) Building AI systems | 0.50% | 31 |
The jobs behind this ranking
Open security jobs, who is hiring for them and what they pay.
- Security jobs
- Top Security employers
- Security Engineer 126
- Senior Security Engineer 119
- Cybersecurity and Compliance Manager 73
- Chief Information Security Officer 67
- Information Systems Security Officer 50
- Staff Security Engineer 49
- Information System Security Officer 43
- Information Security Analyst 40
Job titles link to their salary page where pay is posted, otherwise to the open jobs.
How this ranking works
A AI skill's score is the share of security open professional roles whose posting names it, read by our AI-skill tagger from the full posting text across 24 AI skills in three groups: using AI in your work, leading AI, and building AI systems.
Only skills named in at least 30 openings are ranked.
Sample bar: skills with fewer than 30 openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which skill ranks first: most requested ai skills in security jobs?
- AI tools in daily work is the most requested AI skill in security jobs: it is named in 10.8% of openings.
- How many skills are ranked?
- 16 skills have at least 30 openings, so the list has 16 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A AI skill's score is the share of security open professional roles whose posting names it, read by our AI-skill tagger from the full posting text across 24 AI skills in three groups: using AI in your work, leading AI, and building AI systems. Only skills named in at least 30 openings are ranked.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Most requested AI skills in security jobs,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/ai-skills-most-requested-in-security-jobs
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/ai-skills-most-requested-in-security-jobs">Most requested AI skills in security jobs (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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