Principal Application Security Engineer - (SAST, AI)

Michael Page; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 400,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Michael Page is seeking a hands-on security leader to embed secure software development practices across engineering teams in Abu Dhabi. The role focuses on maturing the Application Security program, managing SAST platforms, and driving secure coding within the SDLC, while enabling AI-assisted security capabilities.

Ideal candidates will have 7+ years in software engineering with 3+ years in App Security, plus experience securing repositories and CI/CD pipelines, and proficiency in

Qualifications

• 7+ years in software engineering with security focus.
• 3+ years in a dedicated Application Security role.
• Hands-on with SAST, dependency scanning, vulnerability management.
• Secure SDLC practices and secure code practices.
• Experience securing CI/CD pipelines and source code repos.
• Proficient in Python, Java, Go, or TypeScript.
• Experience with cloud-native security and DevSecOps.
• Experience evaluating AI-driven security tooling.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mature the Application Security program across software engineering teams.
• Own and manage SAST platforms, policies, and processes.
• Drive secure code practices throughout the SDLC.
• Manage source repository security across code repos and pipelines.
• Oversee vulnerability management activities.
• Establish security standards, frameworks, governance across development teams.
• Partner with engineering leaders to embed security-by-design.
• Introduce AI-assisted application security capabilities to improve detection and remediation.
• Drive tooling adoption, metrics, and reporting to improve software security posture.

Skills

Software engineering

Application security

SAST

CI/CD security

Vulnerability management

Secure SDLC

DevSecOps

AI security tooling

Tools

Git

CI/CD tooling

Kubernetes

Job description

This is a hands on leadership role focused on embedding secure software development practices across engineering teams while driving the adoption of modern Application Security and AI powered security capabilities.

Client Details

Leading organisation in Abu Dhabi.

Description

• Lead and mature the Application Security program across software engineering teams.
• Own and manage SAST platforms, policies, and processes.
• Drive secure code practices throughout the SDLC.
• Manage source repository security, ensuring strong security controls across code repositories and development pipelines.
• Oversee vulnerability management activities.
• Establish application security standards, frameworks, and governance across development teams.
• Partner closely with engineering leaders to build security capabilities and embed security-by-design principles.
• Introduce AI assisted application security capabilities to improve vulnerability detection, code review, and remediation efficiency.
• Drive adoption of security tooling, metrics, and reporting to improve software security posture.
• Provide subject matter expertise on secure architecture, secure development practices, and application security controls.

Job Offer

• Opportunity to lead and shape a modern Application Security function within a growing organisation.
• Exposure to cutting edge AI security initiatives and secure software engineering practices.

Requirements

• 7+ years' experience in Software Engineering, including 3+ years in a dedicated Application Security role.
• Hands on experience with SAST, dependency scanning, vulnerability management, and secure SDLC practices.
• Strong experience securing source code repositories and CI/CD pipelines.
• Proficiency in at least two out these lanauages: Python, Java, Go, or TypeScript.
• Experience with cloud native application security, container security, and DevSecOps practices.
• Experience evaluating and implementing AI driven security tooling and managing risks associated with AI generated code and coding assistants.