Privacy manager salary

Is data privacy a good career? Data privacy is one of the most important aspects of today’s information security-centered world. Sure, everyone uses data throughout their day. However, protecting the privacy of this data is almost as important as the data itself. For those that heed the call to data privacy, the job role of privacy manager is sure to be on their career horizon. 

How much does a privacy manager earn in the U.S.?

Explore a privacy manager’s salary and detail what a privacy manager does, the factors impacting earnings and advice on how to increase your salary as a privacy manager. 

What is a privacy manager?

Regarding a privacy manager job description, each job may vary depending on the organization and the individual. Privacy managers generally create, develop, maintain and enforce an organization's data privacy policies and procedures. Privacy managers actively lead when a privacy incident or data breach occurs and will spearhead the investigation.   

They will then track, monitor and resolve any known privacy issues. Privacy managers also build strategic and comprehensive privacy programs for their organization and ensure compliance with all privacy-related laws and regulations. As you can see, privacy managers are the proverbial point person in all things data privacy for an organization.

What is the average data privacy manager's salary?

Does data privacy pay well? As you can expect, the average salary of the privacy manager reflects the importance of the role in an organization’s overall data privacy. Below are what some of the leading career-centered websites are reporting as the national average privacy manager salary in the United States:

•       PayScale - $94,955
•       Comparably - $100,733
•       ZipRecruiter - $118,580

Based upon these leading average privacy manager salary projections, we can calculate a national average salary of $104,756. This is approximately 6.5% higher than the reported national average salary in the United States of $97,962.

Factors impacting privacy manager salary

While information regarding the national average privacy manager salary is presented above, this information is not one dimensional as it depends on multiple factors such as experience, education and other factors which may significantly impact how much you can expect to earn as a privacy manager. Below are several factors which will impact a privacy manager's salary.

Experience

According to PayScale, the amount of work experience you have as a privacy manager will impact your average salary:

•       Privacy managers in their early career - $89,787
•       Privacy managers in their mid-career - $98,322
•       Experienced privacy managers - $102,980

Education

Another factor impacting the average privacy manager's earnings is education level. We will examine education's impact by looking at both a degree-based education level and the relevant certifications on the market for the role of privacy manager.

Degree-based education

Most organizations hiring privacy managers will expect you to have a degree. However, some organizations will not require a degree if you have the right experience. 

Generally speaking, privacy managers should have at least a bachelor's degree. Those looking to work as a privacy manager at either a government agency or a large organization may need to hold a master’s degree due to the scale and complexity of the job that you will be responsible for at those agencies or organizations. Don't take this as absolute gospel, as the good experience alone might get you a higher salary than you would otherwise get.

Certifications

Another contributing educational factor to your average privacy manager salary is your certifications. Below are the most popular data privacy certifications on the market today:

•   Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM)
•   Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE)
•   Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP)
•   Certified Information Privacy Technologist (CIPT)

Geographic location

The last factor impacting the average privacy manager’s salary that we will look at is your geographic location. This is not a factor that has only a slight influence over what you will get paid, but rather it may be the most impactful factor there is. The question of who pays the highest salary will likely be answered by where the location of an organization. 

Not only will geographical location impact how much you may get paid, but it also may impact the availability of these job roles, as some areas have a more substantial need for these positions than others. 

Below is an example of how much geographical location can impact your average salary and illustrates how much privacy managers can expect to be paid about the national average privacy manager salary. 

•       San Francisco - 17% above
•       New York - 11% above
•       Boston - 8% above
•       Chicago - 4% above
•       Denver - on par with the national average privacy manager salary
•       Phoenix - 2% below

Clearly, a privacy manager's salary near California is much higher than in Arizona. So consider location when investigating privacy program manager jobs and your future career.

Advice for increasing your salary as a privacy manager

If you are looking to boost your salary as a privacy manager, there are several things you could do that will put you in the strongest position to be offered better pay or to even request a pay increase:

• Educate yourself - while some organizations may not require a degree, having one will help you make your case that you should be paid more
• Get certified - getting certified in at least one of the certs listed above will verify to your organization that you have the skills necessary to ask for a higher salary.
• Location, location, location - if you currently reside in an area of the United States that does not pay privacy managers as much as other places, you might consider moving to a major metropolitan area that has a higher demand for privacy managers, such as San Francisco, San Jose, New York City or Chicago. The data privacy manager salary near California will be your best bet to maximize your salary.

Privacy manager jobs are growing in importance. Data is more critical now than ever, and it will likely only grow in importance over time. This means that privacy managers are a vital link in the information security chain, as organizations will need tight control over their data privacy in the future into the future. While the average privacy manager salary of $104,756 makes for a healthy paycheck, feel free to leverage the advice above to boost your salary.