Application Security Head

Adani Group; Mumbai; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 6,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Adani Group is seeking a strategic, senior cybersecurity leader to drive development and deployment of innovative application security products. This role requires guiding a team of security professionals, shaping security strategy across the application lifecycle, and partnering with IT, product, and development teams to embed secure practices.

You will lead remediation, risk assessment, and governance efforts while advancing threat intelligence and security training across engineering cohorts.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field.
• 15+ years of experience in cybersecurity with leadership roles.
• Certifications in Cybersecurity such as CISSP, CISM, or equivalent; advanced certifications desired.
• Proven track record in product development and implementation within the cybersecurity domain.

Responsibilities

• Oversee organization’s application security initiatives and align with business goals and risk management.
• Define and implement strategies to protect applications across their lifecycle.
• Mentor and manage a team of application security professionals to build a strong security culture.
• Collaborate with senior management, development, product, and IT teams on security priorities.
• Evaluate and remediate risks; identify threats and secure SDLC from design to deployment.
• Lead secure coding practices, code reviews, and security testing (SAST/DAST/DAST).
• Coordinate remediation and track vulnerabilities; ensure timely fixes.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements (GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA, SOC 2).
• Lead incident response and threat intelligence efforts; stay abreast of trends.
• Provide training to developers and QA on secure coding and threat awareness.
• Coordinate with other security teams (infrastructure, cloud, network) to ensure integrated security.
• Drive tool selection and security automation to improve efficiency and coverage.
• Assess third‑party risk and ensure supplier security compliance.

Skills

Application Security Strategy

Secure SDLC Leadership

DevSecOps & Tool Integration

Threat Modelling

Security Architecture

Secure Coding

Vulnerability Management

Application Security Testing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/IT/Cybersecurity

Master’s degree or relevant certifications (preferred)

Job description

Purpose/Objective

• Responsible for leading the development and implementation of innovative cybersecurity products and solutions.
• This role requires a strategic thinker with extensive experience in the cybersecurity industry, who can drive technological advancements and foster a culture of innovation within the organization.

Key Responsibilities of Role

• Leadership and Strategy Development: - Oversee the organization's application security initiatives, ensuring alignment with business goals and risk management strategies.
• Define and implement strategies to protect applications across their entire lifecycle—from design to deployment and beyond.
• Manage and mentor a team of application security professionals, including security engineers and analysts, to build a robust application security culture within the organization.
• Collaborate with senior management, development teams, product teams, and IT to ensure alignment on security priorities and initiatives.
• Risk Management: - Evaluate the security posture of applications and assess potential risks, such as data breaches, vulnerabilities, and exploitation tactics.
• Proactively identify potential threats and assess how the application’s architecture could be targeted by cybercriminals.
• Develop and recommend remediation strategies to minimize risk exposure.
• Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC): - Ensure that security is embedded throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC), including design, coding, testing, and deployment.
• Perform code reviews, static/dynamic analysis, and penetration testing to identify vulnerabilities in applications.
• Work with developers to integrate secure coding practices, secure design principles, and appropriate security controls into application development.
• Application Security Testing and Tools: - Oversee the implementation and execution of security testing activities, such as automated scanning, vulnerability assessments, and penetration testing.
• Select and implement the appropriate security tools (e.
  g.
  , Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Software Composition Analysis (SCA)) to identify vulnerabilities in applications.
• Coordinate remediation efforts and track the status of vulnerabilities found in applications, ensuring timely fixes.
• Compliance and Governance: - Ensure that applications meet industry standards and regulatory requirements related to application security, such as GDPR, PCI DSS, HIPAA, or SOC 2.
• Develop and enforce security policies, standards, and best practices for secure application development and deployment.
• Conduct regular audits of applications and security programs, and report security metrics to management and external auditors.
• Incident Response and Threat Intelligence: - Lead efforts to investigate and respond to application security incidents, including identifying root causes and preventing future occurrences.
• Stay up-to-date on the latest trends in application security vulnerabilities, exploits, and attack techniques, and adjust strategies accordingly.
• Work with the broader cybersecurity team to coordinate responses and communicate the impact and mitigation steps to internal and external stakeholders.
• Training and Awareness: - Provide regular security training sessions for developers, QA engineers, and other relevant teams to foster a culture of security awareness.
• Educate and advocate for secure coding standards and practices across development teams.
• Promote awareness around secure application development and threat landscapes to improve organizational security culture.
• Collaboration with Other Security Teams: - Collaborate with the infrastructure security team to ensure that application security integrates well with network security, endpoint security, and cloud security.
• Engage in or facilitate red teaming exercises to assess application vulnerabilities and ensure security resilience in real-world attack scenarios.
• Tool Selection and Automation: - Implement security automation tools to help streamline security testing and vulnerability management.
• Continuously evaluate and refine application security practices, tools, and workflows to improve efficiency and security coverage.
• Vendor and Third-Party Risk Management: - Ensure that third-party applications and services used by the organization meet security standards and are regularly assessed for vulnerabilities.
• Evaluate and assess the security of third-party suppliers, vendors, and contractors who provide software or services to the organization.

Technical Competencies

• Application Security Strategy & Secure SDLC Leadership,DevSecOps & Security Tool Integration,Threat Modelling, Security Architecture & Secure Coding,Vulnerability Management & Application Security Testing

Qualifications and Experience

• Educational qualifications & Experience: - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Cybersecurity, or a related field Master’s degree or relevant certifications in Cybersecurity or Technology Management (preferred)
• - Certifications: Certifications in Cybersecurity such as CISSP, CISM, or equivalent Additional certifications in emerging technologies and innovation management (desired)
• Work Experience (Range in Years) : Minimum 15+ years of experience in the Cybersecurity industry Demonstrated track record of leadership in driving technological advancements and innovation Proven experience in product development and implementation within the cybersecurity domain.