Confluent - Staff Security Engineer

IBM Computing; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM is seeking a Staff Application Security Engineer to shape security across our on‑prem and cloud services. You will lead security architecture, threat modeling, and automation initiatives, partnering with Engineering and Product leadership to embed security by design throughout the lifecycle.

The role emphasizes scaling security operations through tooling, reviews, and proactive risk management, with a focus on high‑scale, distributed environments and AI/LLM‑driven security improvements.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on application security experience in large-scale distributed systems.
• Knowledge of secure software design and cloud-native platforms.
• Ability to embed security into core architecture and partner with leadership.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve application security architecture across on‑prem and cloud platforms.
• Lead security design reviews for complex distributed systems.
• Oversee security code reviews, API security testing, and remediation guidance.
• Architect and drive security automation to scale security operations.
• Design deployment automation and orchestration for secure cloud-native pipelines.
• Lead vulnerability research and table-top exercises to stay ahead of threats.
• Deploy advanced controls to maximize observability and harden attack surfaces.

Skills

Security architecture

Threat modeling

Security automation

Cross-functional leadership

Cloud security

Security by design

Security strategy

Tools

Go

Python

Java

CI/CD pipelines

APIs security testing

Job description

Introduction

At IBM Software, we transform client challenges into solutions. Building the world’s leading AI-powered, cloud-native products that shape the future of business and society. Our legacy of innovation creates endless opportunities for IBMers to learn, grow, and make an impact on a global scale. Working in Software means joining a team fueled by curiosity and collaboration. You’ll work with diverse technologies, partners, and industries to design, develop, and deliver solutions that power digital transformation. With a culture that values innovation, growth, and continuous learning, IBM Software places you at the heart of IBM’s product and technology landscape. Here, you’ll have the tools and opportunities to advance your career while creating software that changes the world. With Confluent, data doesn’t sit still. We put information in motion, streaming in near real time so organizations can react faster, build smarter, and deliver experiences as dynamic as the world around them.

Your role and responsibilities

We’re not just building better tech. We’re rewriting how data moves and what the world can do with it. With Confluent, data doesn’t sit still. Our platform puts information in motion, streaming in near real-time so companies can react faster, build smarter, and deliver experiences as dynamic as the world around them.

It takes a certain kind of person to join this team. Those who ask hard questions, give honest feedback, and show up for each other. No egos, no solo acts. Just smart, curious humans pushing toward something bigger, together.

One Confluent. One Team. One Data Streaming Platform.

About the Role:

As a Staff Application Security Engineer at Confluent, you will join a team of security architects and engineers responsible for shaping and advancing the application security strategy across our on-premises products and cloud services. In this role, you will go beyond implementation to define the long-term security posture of our ecosystem, spanning high-scale distributed systems, on-prem deployments, and globally operated cloud platforms.

You will lead the design and evolution of application security architecture, ensuring security is embedded throughout the product lifecycle—from early design decisions to cloud deployment and ongoing operations. Acting as a strategic partner to Engineering and Product leadership, you will influence architectural direction and proactively mitigate systemic and emerging security risks.

This role plays a key part in building and sustaining a strong security culture across Engineering, Product, and the broader organization. You will architect and oversee security automation and tooling that scales security operations and enables consistent, high-quality outcomes. The ideal candidate brings deep technical expertise and sound security judgment, with a proven ability to eliminate entire classes of vulnerabilities through architecture, automation, and cross-functional leadership.

What You will Do:

• Partner closely with Engineering, Product, and Platform teams to identify security risks early, influence architectural decisions, and drive adoption of secure-by-design practices across the organization.
• Define and standardize threat modeling frameworks and security design standards, and lead security design reviews for complex, distributed systems, providing actionable architectural guidance to engineers and product managers.
• Serve as the subject matter expert (SME) for product security implementation reviews, overseeing security code reviews and API security testing while providing definitive remediation guidance.
• Architect and drive the roadmap for security automation, building scalable software security tooling to transform product security operations and vulnerability management practices.
• Design and lead the deployment of automation and orchestration frameworks that integrate security seamlessly into the cloud-native deployment pipeline.
• Proactively identify new vulnerability classes, lead research initiatives and orchestrate complex table‑top exercises to keep the organization ahead of the evolving threat landscape.
• Strategically identify and deploy advanced technology controls to maximize observability and harden key attack surfaces across the ecosystem.

Required technical and professional expertise

• 10+ years of hands‑on application security experience, who can drive measurable security improvements across large-scale, distributed systems and global engineering organizations.

• Comprehensive knowledge of security fundamentals as applied to modern web applications and cloud-native platforms including secure software design and architecture, secure coding practices, common vulnerability classes.

• Ability to partner as a trusted peer with Engineering and Product leadership to embed security into the core architecture of the organization.

• Ability to lead technical investigation and response to application security incidents while driving preventive improvements through architecture and automation.

• Proven experience evolving the software development lifecycle to embed security by default, from securing CI/CD pipelines and build systems to implementing automated security guardrails in cloud-native deployment workflows. Passionate about applying AI and LLMs to automate complex security workflows, reduce manual toil, and drive measurable improvements in security outcomes.

• Experience in Go, Python, or Java, with the ability to design and build scalable security automation frameworks.

• Experience in leading cross-functional initiatives in distributed environments, translating security requirements into clear, executable technical roadmaps.

• A data‑driven decision‑maker who can balance security requirements with business velocity and engineering trade‑offs to deliver outcomes.

• Ability to raise the organization’s security bar through architectural reviews, advanced technical guidance, and the development of engineers across all levels.

Preferred technical and professional experience

• 12+ years of hands‑on application security experience

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.