Application Security Engineer

The Pennsylvania State University; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 198,000; Full time

Job summary

The Pennsylvania State University is seeking an Application Security Engineer to join the DevSecOps Team in the JMIE Division at ARL, based in San Diego, CA. You will champion secure SDLC practices, perform deep security testing, and collaborate with engineers to ensure secure, compliant applications from design to production.

Required: strong application security background, SAST/DAST/SCA, CI/CD security, and an active TS/SCI clearance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 3+ years of relevant experience or equivalent
• Active TS/SCI clearance is required for this role
• Strong background in applying secure development practices and secure design principles
• Experience integrating SAST/DAST/SCA with CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps workflows
• Ability to review architectures, microservices, and containerized workloads for security weaknesses

Responsibilities

• Lead security integration into Agile/DevSecOps workflows from design through deployment
• Perform secure code reviews, threat modeling, and architecture analysis
• Conduct SAST/DAST/IAST testing across microservices and containerized apps
• Develop secure coding standards and guidance for engineering teams
• Collaborate with developers to enforce least privilege, secure defaults, and defense-in-depth
• Manage and optimize application security tools (SAST/DAST, SCA, secret-scanning, container/CI pipeline security)
• Evaluate open-source and third-party components for vulnerabilities and license risks
• Guide teams in secure API development and cryptographic best practices
• Support RMF and enterprise risk alignment for releases and cloud migrations
• Build security-focused culture through training and developer engagement

Skills

Application security

Vulnerability analysis

Threat modeling

SAST/DAST/SCA

CI/CD security

Secure coding (Python/Java/C#/JS/TS/Go

NIST 800-53

Authentication/Authorization

Security policy interpretation

Security testing

TS/SCI clearance

Education

Bachelor's Degree in CS/IS or related field

Tools

SAST

DAST

SCA

CI/CD security tools

Secret-scanning tools

Container security tooling

eMASS/STIG/ACAS

Job description

This position will be located fully onsite in San Diego, CA. Questions about flexible work arrangements may be directed to the hiring manager during the interview process. Periodic travel to local and remote test sites is required.

We are seeking a highly skilled Application Security Engineer with a strong foundation in security engineering to join the DevSecOps Team of the Joint Mission Integration and Experimentation (JMIE) Division within the Information Advantage Office at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) at Penn State, based in San Diego, CA. The JMIE Division delivers advanced communications capabilities and secure experimentation networks supporting departmental mission partners, including cross-domain data movement, tactical compute environments, and resilient edge processing strengthen secure software design, development, and deployment across our mission-focused environments.

In this role, you will champion application security best practices, embed security across the software development lifecycle, and work closely with engineering teams to ensure applications are resilient, compliant, and securely architected from concept to production. ARL is an authorized DoD SkillBridge partner and welcomes all transitioning military members to apply.

You will:

• Lead the integration of application security best practices into Agile and DevSecOps workflows, ensuring security requirements are included from initial design through deployment
• Conduct deep-dive secure code reviews, threat modeling, and architecture analysis to identify vulnerabilities and guide remediation strategies
• Perform static (SAST), dynamic (DAST), and interactive application security testing, ensuring coverage across microservices, APIs, and containerized applications
• Develop and maintain secure coding standards, patterns, and guidance used across engineering teams
• Partner with developers and product owners to ensure secure design decisions, using approaches such as least privilege, secure defaults, zero-trust principles, and defense-in-depth
• Manage and optimize tools supporting application security, including SAST/DAST platforms, software composition analysis (SCA), secret-scanning, and container/CI pipeline security tool
• Evaluate open-source and third-party components for vulnerabilities, license risks, and supply chain integrity
• Guide teams in secure API development, authentication/authorization best practices, cryptographic use, and secure data handling
• Validate security controls and perform risk analysis for applications undergoing release, modernization, or cloud migration
• Assist in building a security-focused engineering culture through training, documentation, and hands-on developer engagement
• Collaborate with cybersecurity, cloud, and network teams to ensure application security aligns with enterprise risk, RMF requirements, and overall mission objectives

Additional responsibilities for senior-level roles may include:

• Leading threat modeling sessions, red/blue-team collaboration, and advanced vulnerability analysis
• Designing scalable AppSec programs and enterprise SDLC security strategiesSupporting RMF documentation and security artifacts relevant to application-level controls
• Acting as a security advisor on high-visibility or mission-critical applications

Required Skills/Experience include:

• Strong background in application security, including secure development practices, vulnerability analysis, and secure design principles
• Versed in SAST, DAST, SCA, and CI/CD security integration
• Proficiency with secure coding techniques in one or more languages (e.g., Python, Java, C#, JavaScript/TypeScript, Go)
• Experience reviewing application architectures, microservices, and containerized workloads for security weaknesses
• Familiarity with NIST 800-53 or similar control frameworks as they relate to application-level security requirements
• Strong understanding of authentication, authorization, encryption, and API security best practices
• Strong background in cybersecurity disciplines, including vulnerability management, scanning, compliance evaluation, and control implementation
• Experience interpreting security policy, generating evidence, and documenting test results for NIST 800-53 / JSIG security controls
• Active TS/SCI clearance

Preferred Skills/Experience include:

• Experience operating within DevSecOps pipelines and modern CI/CD ecosystems
• Knowledge of cloud-native application security (AWS, Azure, or DoD cloud environments)
• Experience with secure design reviews for APIs, distributed systems, mobile applications, or cross-domain solutions
• Background with eMASS, STIGs, or ACAS in support of application accreditation efforts
• Relevant certifications: CSSLP, GWAPT, GWEB, GCSA, GSSP, or CISSP
• Prior experience delivering developer security training or building secure coding programs

MINIMUM EDUCATION, WORK EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's Degree 3+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted
• Required Certifications: None

ARL's purpose is to research and develop innovative solutions to challenging scientific, engineering, and technology problems in support of the Navy, the Intel Community (IC), and other federal government customers.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION on ARL

visit our website at www.arl.psu.edu.

BACKGROUND CHECKS/CLEARANCES

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. Notice regarding employment at the Applied Research Laboratory (ARL): Employees must be eligible to obtain a government security clearance, participate in the ARL drug testing program, and comply with electronic and physical monitoring requirements applicable to federal contractors. ARL operates in a secure information environment involving Unclassified, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), and Classified information. Personal electronic devices brought onsite must be registered and may be restricted from certain areas. You must be a U.S. citizen to apply.

SALARY & BENEFITS

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $119,736.00 - $197,604.00. This salary range includes an adjustment based on required geographic work location. Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure

• In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time.
• One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

CAMPUS SECURITY CRIME STATISTICS

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters. The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

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