Lead Technical Program Manager

AppFolio Inc; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 152,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

AppFolio Inc. is seeking a Lead Technical Program Manager, Risk & Security to drive cross-functional execution across security initiatives, unifying application, infrastructure security and vulnerability management under one roadmap.

You will partner with Engineering, SRE, IT, and other teams to align requirements, track milestones, and ensure timely delivery while communicating risks and options to senior leadership.

Qualifications

• Translate multi-domain security initiatives into structured roadmaps and deliverables.
• Facilitate cross-functional alignment between security, software engineering, SRE and IT operations.
• Evaluate dependencies, surface risks early and present options to leadership.
• Coordinate delivery across security disciplines and manage vendor engagements.

Responsibilities

• Establish, maintain, and execute strategic roadmaps for core internal security initiatives across application security, infrastructure security, vulnerability management, and threat operations.
• Partner with Engineering, SRE, IT, and Business Systems teams to scope requirements, track milestones, and ensure on-schedule delivery.
• Implement intake and prioritization processes for transparent, well-resourced security project handoffs.
• Identify blockers and dependencies, escalating with actionable options and trade-offs.
• Serve as the cross-functional liaison for security-driven initiatives and external vendors.
• Provide executive-ready reporting on program health, progress, and risks framed around business impact.

Skills

Cross-functional leadership

Technical program management

Executive communication

Security program oversight

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering or related field

Tools

Jira

Job description

AppFolio is more than a company. We’re a community of dreamers, big thinkers, problem solvers, active listeners, and multipliers. At every opportunity, we set the pace while delivering innovation built to carry real estate into the future. One in which every experience feels effortless, yet meaningful. Where customers are empowered to take on any opportunity. We show up as one team, connected by our values to be a force for good. Because together, we have the power to create extraordinary outcomes for our customers, our communities, and ourselves.

The Lead Technical Program Manager, Risk & Security will drive the cross-functional execution and operational alignment of critical security initiatives across stakeholder groups, including Engineering, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), IT, Business Systems, Marketing Operations, and more. By unifying application security, infrastructure security, vulnerability management, and adversarial testing under a single roadmap, this role ensures our security posture scales cleanly with AppFolio’s growth. Reporting within the Information Security organization, you will serve as the primary bridge between technical security functions and partner engineering teams, empowering our business to build safely, mitigate risks early, and maintain customer trust.

Your Impact

• Establish, maintain, and execute strategic roadmaps for core internal security initiatives across application security, infrastructure security, vulnerability management, and threat operations.
• Partner directly with Engineering, SRE, IT, and Business Systems teams to scope requirements, track critical project milestones, and ensure operational deliverables remain on schedule.
• Implement structured intake and prioritization processes to make security project handoffs transparent, well-resourced, and aligned with overall business goals.
• Proactively identify cross-departmental blockers, resource gaps, and dependency conflicts, escalating issues with actionable options and strategic trade-offs.
• Serve as the single point of contact and primary cross-functional liaison for security-driven initiatives, streamlining communications with internal engineering partners and external third-party vendors.
• Deliver clear, executive-ready reporting on program health, project progress, resource needs, and technical outcomes framed around business risk reduction and resilience.

Qualifications

• Able to translate complex, multi-domain security initiatives (application security, infrastructure security, vulnerability management) into structured project roadmaps and clear operational deliverables.
• Skilled at facilitating cross-functional alignment between security, software engineering, site reliability, and IT operations teams.
• Strong ability to evaluate technical dependencies, surface emerging risks early, and present clear options and trade-offs to senior leadership.
• Demonstrated competency in managing technical project workflows within tools like Jira to maintain clear accountability and visible tracking.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the versatility to tailor messages effectively for software engineers, security practitioners, and executive leadership.

Must Have

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical technical leadership experience) required.
• Proven track record in technical program or project management within an information security or engineering organization.
• Experience managing cross-functional technical projects that intersect with software development lifecycles, CI/CD pipelines, or SRE/IT operational workflows.
• Hands-on experience utilizing project management and issue-tracking platforms (such as Jira) to manage complex backlogs, dependencies, and delivery timelines.
• Experience coordinating deliverables across multiple security disciplines or managing vendor engagements aligned with internal project schedules.
• Strong communication skills, including executive-level reporting capabilities.

Compensation & Benefits

The compensation that we reasonably expect to pay for this role is: $152,000 - $190,000 base pay. The actual compensation for this role will be determined by a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s skills, education, experience, and internal equity.

Please note that compensation is just one aspect of a comprehensive Total Rewards package. The compensation range listed here does not include additional benefits or any discretionary bonuses you may be eligible for based on your role and/or employment type.

Regular full-time employees are eligible for benefits - see here.

About AppFolio

AppFolio is the technology leader powering the future of the real estate industry. Our innovative platform and trusted partnership enable our customers to connect communities, increase operational efficiency, and grow their business. For more information about AppFolio, visit appfolio.com.

Why AppFolio

Grow

We enable a culture of high performance, where delivering results is recognized by opportunities for growth and compelling total rewards. Our challenging and meaningful work drive the growth of our business, and ourselves.

Learn

We partner with you to realize your potential by investing in you from the start. We're cultivating a team of big thinkers through coaching and mentorship with our best-in-class leaders, and giving you the time and tools to develop your skills.

Impact

We are creating a world where living in, investing in, managing, and supporting communities feels magical and effortless, freeing people to thrive. We do this by innovating with purpose while cultivating a culture of impact. We learn as much from each other as we do our customers and our communities.

Connect

We excel at hybrid work by fostering an environment that feels flexible, personal and connected, no matter where we are. We create space to fuel innovation and collaboration, and we come together to celebrate, connect, and succeed.

Paddle as One.

Learn more at appfolio.com/company/careers

Statement of Equal Opportunity

At AppFolio, we value diversity in backgrounds and perspectives and depend on it to drive our innovative culture. That’s why we’re a proud Equal Opportunity Employer, and we believe that our products, our teams, and our business are stronger because of it. This means that no matter what race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, age, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, or veteran status, you’re always welcome at AppFolio.