Principal Engineer - Application Security (AI security, Pen Testing, DevSecOps)

Roundel; Brooklyn Park (MN); Hybrid; USD 168,000 - 303,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k)

Paid time off

Employee discount

Disability insurance

Paid vacation

Job summary

Target is seeking a Principal Application Security Engineer to lead our enterprise AppSec program from Minnesota. You will advance secure development practices, integrate security into the software lifecycle, and work with engineering teams to reduce risk through scalable solutions.

The role requires deep technical expertise, strategic thinking, and the ability to scale security across a large organization via automation, standardization, and self-service capabilities.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in CS, Info Security, or related field.
• 10+ years of software/security engineering experience.
• Demonstrated expertise across SSDLC, SAST/DAST/SCA, Threat Modeling, and Penetration Testing.
• Strong experience integrating security into CI/CD and DevSecOps workflows.
• Proven ability to influence technical direction without formal authority.
• Experience securing cloud-native applications (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Experience leveraging AI/Generative AI in security workflows.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership for the enterprise Application Security program.
• Advance secure development practices across the SDLC.
• Automate security tooling and integrate security into CI/CD pipelines.
• Partner with Security Architecture and cross-functional engineering teams.
• Define and track metrics; drive security maturity at scale.
• Mentor engineers and promote security best practices across teams.

Skills

SSDLC

SAST

DAST

SCA

Threat Modeling

Penetration Testing

Security Automation

CI/CD Pipelines

Cloud Security

Security Metrics

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science / Information Security / Engineering

Tools

Kubernetes

Containers

APIs

Microservices

Job description

The pay range is $168,000.00 - $303,000.00 Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family.

Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves.Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation.Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.

JOIN TARGET AS A PRINCIPAL ENGINEER - APPLICATION SECURITY

About us:

Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture.Learn more about Target here.

About the Role:

We are seeking a Principal Application Security Engineer to provide technical leadership for our enterprise Application Security program. This role is responsible for advancing secure development practices, integrating security into the software development lifecycle, and partnering with engineering teams to reduce application risk through scalable security solutions. The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strategic thinking, enables developers, scales security through automation, and influences engineering organizations without direct authority.

Application Security Expertise

• Provide technical leadership across Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC), Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Software Composition Analysis (SCA), Threat Modeling, and Penetration Testing.
• Guide engineering teams in vulnerability remediation and secure coding best practices.
• Evaluate emerging application security technologies, emerging risks, and recommend pragmatic, risk-based improvements to application security capabilities.
• Partner with Security Architecture to ensure application security practices align with enterprise security standards and design principles.

Software Engineering and Automation

• Design and build automation that integrates security seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines.
• Develop tooling, APIs, and automation to improve developer experience and reduce manual effort.
• Partner with platform engineering teams to implement security controls within modern development workflows.
• Identify and implement opportunities to leverage AI and generative AI technologies to improve application security processes, automate repetitive tasks, enhance developer enablement, and accelerate vulnerability detection and remediation while ensuring responsible and secure use of AI.

Security Strategy and Program Leadership

• Help define the technical roadmap for the Application Security program.
• Develop strategies that scale security across a large engineering organization through automation, standardization, and self-service capabilities.
• Champion developer enablement by creating security guidance, reusable frameworks, documentation, and training.
• Establish and track metrics that measure program effectiveness and continuously improve security maturity.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Influence technical decisions through collaboration and technical leadership rather than organizational authority.
• Communicate security risks and recommendations effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Mentor engineers and promote security best practices across the organization.

Problem Solving and Technical Leadership

• Solve complex application security challenges involving modern software architectures and cloud-native platforms.
• Drive continuous improvement across security tooling, developer workflows, and vulnerability management processes.
• Provide technical leadership during the investigation and remediation of significant application security issues.

About You:

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Information Security, Engineering or equivalent industry work experience
• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, application security or related security engineering roles
• Demonstrated expertise across SSDLC, SAST, DAST, SCA, Threat Modeling, and Penetration Testing
• Strong software development experience in one or more modern programming languages
• Experience integrating security into modern CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps workflows
• Proven experience building and scaling Application Security programs across large engineering organizations
• Experience leveraging AI and Generative AI technologies to improve engineering productivity, security operations, or software development workflows
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate, implement, and govern AI-enabled solutions while considering security, privacy, and organizational risk
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams
• Experience securing cloud-native applications in AWS, Azure or Google Cloud
• Experience with Kubernetes, containers, APIs, and microservices architectures
• Experience developing custom security tooling or automation
• Knowledge of modern software supply chain security practices
• Industry certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, GIAC, OSCP, or cloud security certifications a plus

This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Target’s needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member’s core role will need to be performed both onsite at the Target HQ MN location the role is assigned to and virtually, depending upon what your role, team and tasks require for that day. Work duties cannot be performed outside of the country of the primary work location, unless otherwise prescribed by Target.

Click here if you are curious to learn more about Minnesota.

Benefits Eligibility

Please paste this url into your preferred browser to learn about benefits eligibility for this role: https://tgt.biz/BenefitsForYou_F

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to [e-mail]. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.

Application deadline is : 09/24/2026

Target is one of the world’s most recognized brands and one of America’s leading retailers. We make Target our guests’ preferred shopping destination by offering outstanding value, inspiration, innovation and an exceptional guest experience that no other retailer can deliver. Target is committed to responsible corporate citizenship, ethical business practices, environmental stewardship and generous community support. Since 1946, we have given 5 percent of our profits back to our communities. Our goal is to work as one team to fulfill our unique brand promise to our guests, wherever and whenever they choose to shop. We'll contact you if you're selected for next steps. In the meantime, follow us at A Bullseye View for the latest news.

Our Benefits We care about and invest in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves. Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation. Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.