Typical comp shape
Head of securitys usually earn large rsu + sign-on grants. Common employers include Cloudflare, CrowdStrike, Okta. Security leaders joining post-breach often negotiate accelerated sign-on vesting, concentrating tax in the first 12 months.
What Texas changes
Texas has no wage income tax, which is structurally favorable for head of securitys with meaningful RSU comp. The savings vs a CA-resident colleague can be $30-60k per year at senior IC levels. That math is why Austin and Seattle are the two top relocation destinations for Bay Area tech workers.
Planning cadence
For a head of security in Texas, the three planning windows are: after each RSU vest (withholding check and sell-vs-hold), before any ISO exercise (AMT model at federal only), and in Q4 (estimated tax top-up to clear the safe harbor). A move-out question — if you're considering leaving Texas for a high-tax state, time it around vesting.