Director, Security Engineer

ITSMF; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 269,000 - 307,000; Full time

Job summary

Capital One is seeking a Director of Security Engineer to lead multiple security engineer teams and drive security automation and cloud posture across enterprise platforms. You will translate strategic security objectives into engineering priorities, mentor future leaders, and partner with product and engineering executives to embed secure design throughout the lifecycle.

This role requires deep security architecture experience in cloud environments, strong leadership, and a track record of

Qualifications

• Minimum 9 years in cybersecurity or IT.
• Minimum 5 years designing enterprise security architecture in cloud.
• Minimum 5 years people management experience.
• Bachelor's Degree preferred; professional certifications encouraged.
• 5+ years with CI/CD security, IaC or serverless computing.
• Experience with IAM, endpoint, vulnerability management or network security tools.
• Leadership in large-scale security engineering environments.
• Ability to influence technology roadmaps and communicate with executives.
• Experience in application security and software development (Java, Python, JavaScript).

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple security engineering teams building and scaling enterprise platforms.
• Set long-term vision and roadmap for security automation and cloud posture.
• Partner with product/engineering execs to embed secure design principles.
• Oversee IAM, data protection and cloud posture management programs.
• Translate security objectives into actionable engineering priorities.
• Foster a culture of security innovation and operational excellence.
• Mentor future security leaders with structured growth plans.
• Serve as technical authority on threats and risk mitigation.
• Engage with the broader security community to stay current.

Skills

Security leadership

Cloud security

DevSecOps

IAM

Strategy planning

Mentorship

Threat intelligence

Architectural design

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's Degree

CISSP

AWS Security Specialty

GIAC Cloud Security

CIDPRO

Tools

CI/CD security

Infrastructure as code

Serverless computing

Cloud security tooling

IAM tooling

Vulnerability management

Job description

Director, Security Engineer

Do you love building and pioneering in the technology space? Do you enjoy solving complex business problems in a fast-paced, collaborative, inclusive, and iterative delivery environment? At Capital One, you'll be part of a big group of makers, breakers, doers and disruptors who love to solve real problems and meet real customer needs. We are seeking Security Engineers who are passionate about building automated controls, cloud security architecture, and DevSecOps solutions to join our team. As a Security Engineer, you’ll have the opportunity to be on the forefront of driving major technical transformations and securing enterprise platforms across Capital One.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead multiple teams of security engineers responsible for building and scaling enterprise security platforms and tooling
• Establish the long-term vision, strategy, and roadmap for security automation, detection and infrastructure resilience
• Partner with product and engineering executives to ensure secure design principles are embedded across technology lifecycles
• Oversee execution of programs that strengthen IAM, data protection and cloud posture management capabilities
• Translate strategic security objectives into actionable engineering priorities and measurable outcomes
• Champion a culture of security innovation, continuous improvement, and operational excellence across engineering domains
• Develop future security leaders through mentorship, structured growth plans and exposure to strategic decision making
• Serve as the technical authority for emerging threats, translating risk intelligence into architectural blueprints and proactive mitigations
• Stay connected to the broader security engineering community outside Capital One, sharing and contributing where appropriate to stay aware of the industry

Basic Qualifications:

• High School Diploma, GED or Equivalent Certification
• At least 9 years of experience in cybersecurity or information technology
• At least 5 years of experience designing or implementing enterprise-scale security architecture in cloud environments
• At least 5 years of people management experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree
• 5+ years of experience building specialization and expertise in a focused discipline of cybersecurity
• 7+ years of experience with CI/CD security integration, infrastructure as code, or serverless computing
• 8+ years of experience with security tools such as IAM, endpoint, vulnerability management or network security technologies
• 10+ years of experience in cloud or infrastructure security engineering
• 10+ years of experience leading security engineering or platform teams in large-scale environments
• Proven ability to define and execute technical strategy aligned to organization risk appetite
• Proven expertise in enterprise-scale architecture, automation, and secure systems design
• Experience advising executive stakeholders and influencing technology roadmaps
• Recognized thought leader or contributor to security engineering communities
• One or more professional certifications: CISSP, AWS Security Specialty, CIDPRO or GIAC Cloud Security
• Experience in application security and software development in one or more programming languages such as Java, Python, JavaScript, etc.

At this time, Capital One will not sponsor a new applicant for employment authorization, or offer any immigration related support for this position (e.g. H1B, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, F-1 CPT, J-1, TN, E-3, and O-1, or any other forms of work authorization that require immigration support from an employer).

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked. McLean, VA: $269,100 - $307,200 for Director, Security EngineerPlano, TX: $244,700 - $279,200 for Director, Security EngineerRichmond, VA: $244,700 - $279,200 for Director, Security Engineer

Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate’s offer letter.

This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at the Capital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.

This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days. No agencies please.

Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City’s Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia’s Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.