NIS2 is changing what cybersecurity readiness looks like for organisations across Ireland. For employers, the challenge is not simply whether the right technology and controls are in place. It is also whether the organisation has the cybersecurity talent, leadership and internal expertise required to manage risk effectively.

The EU's NIS2 Directive significantly expands the scope of cybersecurity requirements across critical sectors, strengthens risk-management and incident-reporting obligations, and places greater responsibility on boards and management bodies. Across the EU, it applies to 18 critical sectors, including areas such as energy, transport, healthcare, financial services, digital infrastructure and public administration.

In Ireland, implementation is still developing. As of August 2026, the National Cyber Security Bill intended to transpose NIS2 into Irish law has not yet been enacted. Ireland was referred to the Court of Justice of the European Union by the European Commission in July 2026 for failing to complete transposition.

For Irish businesses likely to fall within scope, however, waiting for the final legislation before assessing cybersecurity capability could leave significant gaps to address later.

What Does NIS2 Mean for Cybersecurity Hiring?

For hiring managers, NIS2 means organisations may need to review whether they have sufficient expertise across cyber risk, governance, incident response, security operations, business continuity and supply-chain security.

ENISA has specifically mapped NIS2 obligations against cybersecurity workforce roles and skills, noting that organisations need clearly defined responsibilities and the appropriate expertise to translate regulatory obligations into practical cybersecurity measures.

This means NIS2 readiness is not simply a compliance project. It is also a people and capability challenge.

That could involve recruiting new specialists, strengthening existing teams, developing internal skills or using contract and project expertise where permanent capability is not immediately available.

Why the Cybersecurity Talent Challenge Matters

Demand for experienced cybersecurity professionals is already putting pressure on employers.

ENISA's latest cybersecurity investment research found that 76% of surveyed organisations reported difficulty attracting cybersecurity professionals, while 71% experienced difficulty retaining them. Compliance was also the leading driver of cybersecurity investment among respondents.

Earlier ENISA research into NIS2 workforce requirements found that 89% of surveyed organisations expected to require additional cybersecurity staff to comply with NIS2.

For Irish hiring managers, this creates an important challenge: organisations may be increasing their requirements for cyber expertise at the same time as other employers are looking for many of the same specialist skills.

This makes early workforce planning increasingly important.

Which Cybersecurity Skills Are Becoming More Important Under NIS2?

There is no single "NIS2 hire". Organisations need a combination of technical, operational, governance and leadership capabilities depending on their existing cyber maturity, sector and risk profile.

For hiring managers reviewing their teams, several areas deserve particular attention.

1. Governance, Risk and Compliance

Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) expertise is likely to play an increasingly important role as organisations translate regulatory requirements into policies, risk-management frameworks, controls and evidence.

Professionals working across cybersecurity governance and risk may be responsible for areas including:

• cyber risk assessments
• security policies and controls
• policy development and implementation
• regulatory and audit readiness
• third-party and supplier risk
• security assurance
• stakeholder management and engagement
• cybersecurity governance and reporting

The Irish NCSC has published draft Risk Management Measures intended to outline the minimum measures expected of essential and important entities, alongside its Cyber Fundamentals Framework (CyFun) as a practical framework for improving cyber resilience.

This creates a need not only for technical security expertise, but for professionals capable of connecting regulatory obligations with operational implementation.

2. Cybersecurity Leadership and Governance

NIS2 brings cybersecurity further into the boardroom.

The Directive requires management bodies of essential and important entities to approve cybersecurity risk-management measures and oversee their implementation. The Irish NCSC has also released dedicated guidance for management board members in NIS2 entities, reinforcing the importance of leadership responsibility for cybersecurity.

As a result, organisations may need stronger leadership across roles such as:

• Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)
• Director of Cybersecurity
• Head of Information Security
• Information Security Manager
• Cyber Risk or Governance Lead

For hiring managers, technical capability alone may therefore not be enough. Senior cyber leaders increasingly need to communicate risk clearly to boards, influence business decisions and translate complex security issues into commercial priorities.

Mason Alexander's Cyber & Information Security recruitment team supports organisations hiring across senior cybersecurity leadership as well as technical and governance functions.

3. Incident Response and Security Operations

NIS2 places significant emphasis on detecting, managing and reporting cybersecurity incidents.

Organisations therefore need the capability to recognise threats quickly, understand their potential impact and coordinate an effective response.

Relevant skills can include:

• Security Operations Centre (SOC) expertise
• incident response
• digital forensics
• threat intelligence
• threat hunting
• security monitoring and detection

The objective should not simply be preventing every possible attack. Organisations need teams capable of responding effectively when incidents occur and restoring operations as quickly as possible.

4. Business Continuity and Cyber Resilience

Cybersecurity and business continuity are increasingly interconnected.

ENISA's latest NIS investment research found that business continuity was one of the areas organisations identified as particularly challenging when implementing NIS2 requirements.

Hiring managers should therefore consider whether their organisation has sufficient capability around:

• resilience planning
• disaster recovery
• incident management
• recovery testing
• operational risk

These skills may sit across cybersecurity, technology risk and broader resilience teams rather than within a traditional security function alone.

5. Supply-Chain and Third-Party Cyber Risk

A company's cybersecurity posture increasingly depends on the security of its suppliers, technology partners and service providers.

NIS2 explicitly incorporates supply-chain security into cybersecurity risk management, meaning organisations need the ability to understand and manage third-party cyber exposure.

This increases the relevance of professionals experienced in:

• third-party risk management
• supplier security assessments
• technology risk
• cyber assurance
• vendor governance

For businesses with complex supplier ecosystems, these capabilities can become an important part of broader NIS2 readiness.

NIS2 Readiness: What Should Hiring Managers Do Now?

Hiring managers do not need to wait until a vacancy appears to start thinking about NIS2-related workforce requirements.

A more effective approach is to assess capability before hiring becomes urgent.

Map existing cybersecurity capabilities

Start by identifying the skills already available internally across security operations, engineering, risk, governance, resilience and leadership.

The objective should be to understand capability, rather than simply headcount.

Identify critical skills gaps

Compare current expertise against the areas the organisation needs to strengthen.

For some businesses, the priority may be GRC and cyber risk. For others, it could be security operations, incident response, IAM, cloud security or senior leadership.

ENISA's European Cybersecurity Skills Framework provides 12 cybersecurity role profiles designed to help organisations better define cybersecurity responsibilities, skills and competencies. ENISA has also mapped these roles specifically against NIS2 obligations.

Decide what should be hired, developed, or contracted

Not every capability gap necessarily requires a permanent hire.

Employers can consider a mix of:

• permanent recruitment
• specialist contractors
• internal upskilling and reskilling
• project-based teams
• external specialist support

The right approach will depend on urgency, existing internal expertise, and whether the capability needs to remain within the organisation long term.

Start engaging scarce talent early

Specialist cyber professionals are difficult to recruit, and regulatory demand is adding further competition.

Waiting until capability becomes business-critical can significantly narrow the available options.

Organisations that anticipate requirements early have more time to understand the market, benchmark profiles, engage passive candidates and build a realistic hiring strategy.

From NIS2 Compliance to Long-Term Cyber Capability

It would be a mistake to view NIS2 solely as another regulatory requirement.

The wider objective is stronger cyber resilience: organisations capable of identifying risk, responding to incidents and protecting essential operations.

Building that capability requires technology, processes and governance — but it also requires people with the expertise to make those elements work together.

For hiring managers, the key question therefore becomes less about whether NIS2 will create new cybersecurity requirements and more about whether the organisation currently has the skills to deliver them.

Build the Cybersecurity Capability Your Organisation Needs

As organisations across Ireland strengthen their cybersecurity and prepare for evolving regulatory requirements, securing specialist cyber talent is becoming an increasingly important part of workforce planning.

Mason Alexander's Cyber & Information Security recruitment specialists support organisations across Ireland with permanent, contract, project and executive cybersecurity hiring. Our team recruits across cybersecurity leadership, GRC, security engineering, IAM/PAM, security operations, threat intelligence, incident response and other specialist information security functions.

Whether you need to strengthen an existing security function, address a specific skills gap, or build a wider cybersecurity team, work with Mason Alexander to access specialist cyber talent and build the capability your organisation needs for the challenges ahead.