Security Engineers in Essen
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Meet FRATCH Security Engineers in Essen
Christian F.
Last position:
Project Lead & Cyber Security Consultant at Deutsche Börse Gruppe
- Established a cyber resilience framework for AI-accelerated threats in the Frontier AI Threat Endurance (FATE) program: capability assessments, maturity assessments and gap analyses covering cyber security, operational resilience, incident response, recovery and governance, followed by target concepts and improvement measures
- Supported action owners from specification through implementation: implementation roadmaps, decision papers, management presentations and governance reporting, as well as audit- and supervision-ready documentation; managed stakeholders from IT, Information Security, Risk Management, Operational Resilience, Business Continuity and the business units
Rudolf E.
Last position:
Datacenter Engineer, Network & Security Administrator at International insurance group
Operation and further development of the network and security infrastructure.
Monitoring, analysis and resolution of network and security incidents.
Cross-department collaboration with other specialist teams for operations, further development and reporting.
Firewall vulnerability analysis.
Firewall rule approvals.
Troubleshooting IP communication issues in the network and firewall infrastructure.
Security-critical IT infrastructure, processing of personal data, compliance with legal regulations.
Products: Palo Alto Networks Firewalls, Cisco ACI, Checkpoint Firewalls, F5
Technologies: SDN, SDWAN, Cisco EPIC, Cisco ACI
Timo T.
Last position:
Gronic Ident & Sign at Gronic Systems GmbH
Gronic Ident & Sign
Core technologies: Android, Jetpack Compose, Retrofit, Regula Document Reader, Adobe Sign
Android app on dedicated devices for identifications and electronic signatures at the PoS
Pascal F.
Last position:
Senior Network Security Consultant at IT-Systemhaus
- Provided expert level consulting for lifecycle, upgrades and refresh activities
- Used Remedy for effort recording and billing to customers
- Used ServiceNow for service management and workflow
- Used Jira for project management with agile/Scrum methods
- Used Confluence for documentation
- Worked with customer-specific software tools
- Worked with customer-provided and secured hardware suitable for IT security operations infrastructure setup for customers
- Built firewall rule sets and handed over to service owner and delivery teams
- Environment: Cisco ASA, Cisco Firepower, CSM, Cisco AnyConnect, Cisco ISE, Check Point VSX and gateways
Mohamad A.
Last position:
Systems Engineer for Network Security at Bechtle AG
- SD-WAN solution by Aruba – Swiss energy company (330 sites): design and implementation of an SD-WAN branch solution with Aruba 9004 gateways, encrypted overlay, policy-based routing, WAN load balancing, and centralized management via Aruba Central.
- LAN/WLAN & security – schools in Germany (9 sites): deployment of Aruba switches & AP-505, FortiGate 80F firewalls; setup of Checkmk monitoring, incident and change management, and secure admin access (BeyondTrust).
- Multi-site security – energy billing company (20 sites): deployment of a complete Fortinet solution (FortiGate HA cluster, FortiSwitch PoE, FortiAP), IPsec remote-access VPN via FortiClient, centralized management via FortiCloud, IntraID authentication, operations and incident management.
- Data center migration – German client: migration of data center switches (Mellanox), firewall cluster, and OfficeConnect switches to a new data center; securing configurations, implementing HA designs, testing, monitoring, and coordinated change and incident processes. Setup of two new 6300 M VSX clustered switches.
- Data center security – university hospital: implementation of a high-availability FortiGate 400F firewall cluster across three data centers; security policy design, operational support, and change/incident management.
- Enterprise campus & network access control – manufacturing company in Germany: introduction of Aruba ClearPass NAC, setup of a VSX-based switching architecture, secure WLAN access with MPSK, and integration into existing networks.
- EU client (Germany & Poland) – Sophos firewalls: operations, incident and change management of Sophos firewalls including IPsec VPN; troubleshooting and ongoing optimization of security configurations.
- Network modernization – pharmacy client in Germany: design and rollout of core and access switching (Mellanox, Aruba Instant On), migration from Sophos to Fortinet firewalls, network segmentation, and security hardening.
Selin K.
Last position:
Digital Trust and Safety Analyst at TELUS International
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Security Engineers statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
18 years
Position duration
1.7 years (Germany: 3.5 years)
Positions per freelancer
22 (Germany: 13)
Top business areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Customer Service
Top industries
Information Technology, Banking and Finance, Retail
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Audit
Bachelor's degree or higher
75% (Germany: 85%)
Master's degree or higher
75% (Germany: 49%)
Certifications per freelancer
6
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
100% (Germany: 95%)
Based on our profile pool as of 26 Oct 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of experts in this role in Essen are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows the share of experts charging within that range.
Average rates for Security Engineers in Essen
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 26 Oct 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Security Engineers experts industry focus
See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.
- Information Technology (100%)
- Banking and Finance (83%)
- Retail (67%)
- Chemical (50%)
- Healthcare (50%)
- Transportation (50%)
- Professional Services (50%)
- Energy (33%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the role
Securing modern systems and critical infrastructure
A security engineer designs, implements, and maintains safeguards to protect networks, systems, applications, and cloud environments from cyber threats. In the Ruhr region and Essen specifically, organizations frequently require these professionals to defend hybrid industrial IT, cloud platforms, and corporate networks against complex security incidents.
Core technical capabilities and toolsets
- Cloud security posture management across AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud Platform
- Infrastructure as Code hardening using Terraform, Ansible, and OpenTofu
- Automated vulnerability scanning, static code analysis, and container defense with tools like Trivy and Snyk
- Identity and Access Management through Okta, Keycloak, or Microsoft Entra ID
- Continuous monitoring and threat hunting via modern SIEM and SOAR platforms
Typical assignments for freelance security specialists
Companies bring in an external cybersecurity engineer during major transformation phases, cloud migrations, or after comprehensive compliance audits like ISO 27001 or TISAX. Whether redesigning firewalls, remediating critical vulnerabilities, or standing up centralized log management, these freelance experts deliver focused implementation power without lengthy onboarding.
Application security and DevSecOps pipelines
Modern delivery teams rely on an application security engineer or DevSecOps specialist to embed defensive checks directly into CI/CD pipelines. This includes integrating dynamic and static application security testing, managing secrets with tools like HashiCorp Vault, and training development teams on secure coding principles and OWASP Top 10 mitigation.
Network defense and industrial operational technology
Essen serves as an energy and industrial hub where operational technology and enterprise IT intersect. Security professionals here often isolate supervisory control networks, implement microsegmentation, and enforce zero trust principles to prevent lateral movement across enterprise and plant environments.
What sets apart experienced security professionals
Top practitioners combine a builder mindset with deep defensive tradecraft. They do not merely generate vulnerability reports; they write automated remediation scripts, define pragmatic architectural baselines, and collaborate closely with developers and operations engineers to keep systems both resilient and productive.
Frequently asked questions
Before you brief your next project: the most common questions about Security Engineers.
An external security engineer delivers hardened infrastructure templates, automated CI/CD pipeline scans, and tailored incident response playbooks. They also configure identity policies, implement SIEM integrations, and remediate high-priority findings from external penetration tests.
While a penetration tester acts as an ethical attacker to discover system weaknesses, a cybersecurity engineer primarily builds and operates defensive systems. They remediate identified vulnerabilities, construct preventive controls, and ensure architectural resilience against future exploits.
Engaging a freelance application security engineer makes sense when shipping new digital products under tight deadlines or remediating complex architectural flaws. They embed security gates into build systems without requiring permanent overhead.
Most tasks, including cloud hardening, pipeline security, and policy engineering, proceed remotely through zero trust network access. However, projects in Essen involving industrial control systems or on-premise data centers often require occasional on-site presence for physical appliance configuration.
A compliance officer monitors alignment with legal frameworks and manages internal audits, whereas an infosec engineer hands-on implements the required technical controls. The engineer translates abstract regulatory requirements into active firewall rules, encryption mechanisms, and automated logging.
Look for strong software engineering fundamentals alongside certifications like CISSP, CISP, or specialized cloud accreditations. A top-tier DevSecOps engineer should also provide code repositories or architectural samples demonstrating practical infrastructure automation.
Many industrial enterprises and utilities around Essen require a security specialist with solid German language skills for stakeholder coordination and local operational documentation. Tech startups and international subsidiaries in the region generally accept English-speaking experts for infrastructure-focused assignments.
An experienced cloud security engineer typically delivers tangible value within their first two weeks by auditing current access baselines, identifying misconfigurations, and prioritizing immediate containment measures for critical exposures.
The average hourly rate for Security Engineers in Essen is 95 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 760 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Security Engineers in Essen, 75% hold at least a Bachelor's degree and 75% hold at least a Master's degree.
On average, freelancers working as Security Engineers in Essen have 18 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 1.7 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Security Engineers in Essen are German (100%), English (100%), and French (17%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Security Engineers in Essen are Information Technology (100%), Banking and Finance (83%), and Retail (67%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Security Engineers in Essen are Information Technology (83%), Project Management (83%), and Customer Service (67%).
FRATCH Security Engineers main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
