Senior Application Security Engineer

New York City Office of Technology & Innovation; New York (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

New York City Office of Technology & Innovation in Brooklyn seeks a Senior Application Security Engineer to lead security assessments across the City’s software portfolio. You will operate advanced scanning platforms, perform deep manual validation, and mentor colleagues to raise our secure coding standards.

The role emphasizes translating findings into concrete remediation guidance, shaping long-term security practices, and delivering high-quality reports to stakeholders in a 24/7 operations

Qualifications

• At least 8 years of experience in cybersecurity, focusing on application security, vulnerability assessments or penetration testing.
• Domain specialist in application security vulnerabilities, testing methodologies, and enterprise testing platforms.
• Expertise in manual deep-dive validation testing to confirm risk and business impact.
• Ability to explain complex vulnerabilities to developers with code-level remediation guidance.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring or leading others in assessment methodologies and security workflows.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD, APIs, container security, and cloud-native architectures.
• Excellent analytical and communication skills bridging technical teams and management.

Responsibilities

• Operate, configure, and optimize enterprise-level SAST/DAST/SCA platforms.
• Perform advanced manual testing and exploit reproduction to validate findings.
• Translate vulnerability findings into actionable remediation requirements and coding guidance.
• Identify recurring vulnerability patterns and systemic weaknesses to shape secure coding practices.
• Serve as lead technical resource and mentor for scans and assessments.
• Generate defensible, high-quality technical reports and executive summaries.
• Handle special projects and initiatives as assigned.

Skills

Cybersecurity

Application security

Mentoring

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SAST

DAST

SCA

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

The Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) leverages technology to drive opportunity, improve public safety, and help government run better across New York City. From delivering affordable broadband to protecting against cybersecurity threats and building digital government services, OTI is at the forefront of how the city delivers for New Yorkers in the 21st century. Follow us on social media @NYCOfficeofTech, and visit www.nyc.gov/oti to learn more.

At OTI, we offer great benefits, and the chance to work on projects that have a meaningful impact on millions of people. You'll have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and collaborate with other passionate professionals who share your drive and commitment to making a difference through technology.

Job Description

The Application Security program defines, promotes, assures, and measures the security of business applications and data, empowering city agencies to build and operate secure-by-design software.

As a senior technical member of the team, the Senior Application Security Engineer serves as an expert-level specialist and lead resource for the Software Security Assurance Program (SSAP). The selected candidate will be responsible for identifying, validating, and providing definitive remediation guidance for vulnerabilities across the City’s application portfolio. This role focuses on operating and optimizing security scanning platforms, performing deep-dive manual validation, and serving as a key technical resource and mentor to guide other team members performing assessments.

Responsibilities will include:

• Operate, configure, and optimize enterprise-level static, dynamic, and software composition testing platforms (SAST/DAST/SCA);
• Perform advanced manual testing and exploit reproduction to validate automated findings and uncover complex logic flaws;
• Partner with development teams across city agencies to translate vulnerability findings into actionable, design-level remediation requirements and coding guidance;
• Identify recurring vulnerability patterns and systemic security weaknesses to help shape long-term secure coding practices;
• Serve as the lead technical resource and mentor for internal team members performing scans and learning to execute full security assessments;
• Generate defensible, high-quality technical reports and executive summaries on application vulnerability statuses.
• Handle special projects and initiatives as assigned.

HOURS/SHIFT

Day - Due to the necessary technical duties of this position in a 24/7 operation, candidate may be required to work various shifts such as weekends and/or nights/evenings.

WORK LOCATION

Brooklyn, NY

APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OVERSIGHT APPROVAL

OTI participates in E-Verify

IT SECURITY SPECIALIST - 95622

Minimum Qualifications

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college and four years of satisfactory full-time experience related to projects and policies required by the particular position; or,

Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" above.

Preferred Skills

The successful candidate should possess the following: - At least 8 years of experience in cybersecurity, specializing in application security, vulnerability assessments, or penetration testing - Domain specialist in application security vulnerabilities, security testing methodologies, and enterprise testing platforms - Expertise in manual deep-dive validation testing to confirm technical risk and business impact - Proven experience explaining complex technical vulnerabilities to developers and providing specific, code-level remediation guidance - Demonstrated experience serving as a mentor or technical lead, assisting others in adopting assessment methodologies and security workflows - Strong understanding of modern software development pipelines (CI/CD), APIs, container security, and cloud-native application architectures - Excellent analytical and communication skills, with the ability to bridge the gap between technical teams and management.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at https://studentaid.gov/pslf/.

Residency Requirement

New York City Residency is not required for this position

Additional Information

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.