Senior Vice President- Application Security

Moody; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 228,000 - 333,000; Full time

Job summary

Moody's is seeking a Senior Vice President- Application Security to lead enterprise security strategy, posture management, and global teams, aligning security with business objectives across Moody's products and platforms.

You will drive VMDR, CSPM, SSPM programs, advance secure-by-design practices, and partner with engineering, risk, and executives to translate risk into actionable decisions. This role is based in Charlotte, NC, and offers incentives.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive cybersecurity experience with leadership in Application Security, Product Security, or related disciplines
• Deep expertise in secure software development lifecycle, threat modeling, secure architecture, and OWASP Top 10
• Strong software engineering background with ability to review production code and influence engineering
• Proven experience scaling DevSecOps and AI-enabled security capabilities
• Knowledge of cloud-native architectures, microservices, containers, APIs, and SaaS platforms
• Demonstrated success building and leading global teams and driving security transformation
• Executive communication and stakeholder management skills for senior leaders, clients, auditors, and boards
• Experience leading VMDR, CSPM, SSPM programs is a plus

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise application security strategy, posture management, and secure software delivery.
• Define, own, and evolve the enterprise Application Security roadmap and operating model.
• Build and develop a global team across Application Security, Product Security, and DevSecOps.
• Embed security throughout the SDLC with secure-by-design practices.
• Drive threat modeling, secure coding standards, automated testing, and software supply chain controls.
• Oversee VMDR program with risk prioritization, remediation governance, and metrics.
• Guide CSPM and SSPM with baselines, guardrails, monitoring, and remediation.
• Consolidate findings into a unified enterprise risk view and partner with stakeholders.

Skills

Cybersecurity leadership

Application Security

Secure SDLC

Threat modeling

Cloud security

DevSecOps

Executive communication

VMDR

AI in security

Team building

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering

Advanced degree or certifications (CISSP, CSSLP, CISM, GWAPT, OSCP)

Tools

CI/CD tools

SAST/DAST/IAST

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms

Threat modeling tools

Job description

Let's begin! Senior Vice President- Application Security (14066)

At Moody's, we unite the brightest minds to turn today’s risks into tomorrow’s opportunities. We do this by striving to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome to be who they are—with the freedom to exchange ideas, think innovatively, and listen to each other and customers in meaningful ways. Moody’s is transforming how the world sees risk. As a global leader in ratings and integrated risk assessment, we’re advancing AI to move from insight to action—enabling intelligence that not only understands complexity but responds to it. We decode risk to unlock opportunity, helping our clients navigate uncertainty with clarity, speed, and confidence.

Skills and Competencies

• 15+ years of progressive cybersecurity experience, including significant leadership experience in Application Security, Product Security, or related security disciplines
• Deep expertise in secure software development lifecycle practices, threat modeling, secure architecture and design reviews, secure coding standards, OWASP Top 10, CWE, and modern application security programs
• Strong software engineering background with the ability to review and assess production code and influence engineering organizations as a trusted technical leader
• Proven experience implementing and scaling DevSecOps practices, including security automation, AI-enabled security capabilities, SAST, DAST, IAST, SCA, CI/CD security integration, and software supply chain security controls; experience leveraging AI to enhance security operations, risk identification, and engineering efficiency is preferred
• Strong knowledge of modern technology architectures including cloud-native environments, microservices, containers, Kubernetes, APIs, and SaaS platforms
• Demonstrated success building and leading high-performing global teams, driving enterprise-wide security transformation, and influencing outcomes across multiple levels of leadership
• Exceptional executive communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to translate complex technical risks into actionable business decisions for senior leaders, clients, auditors, regulators, and boards
• Experience leading Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response (VMDR), Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM), and SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) programs within large, complex, or regulated organizations is a plus

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Security, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
• Advanced degree (Master's degree or MBA) and/or relevant certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, CISM, GWAPT, or OSCP are a plus

Responsibilities

Lead enterprise application security strategy and posture management capabilities to enable secure, resilient, and scalable software delivery.

• Define, own, and evolve the enterprise Application Security strategy, roadmap, and operating model in alignment with business objectives and the broader cybersecurity program
• Build, lead, and develop a global organization of Application Security, Product Security, and DevSecOps professionals, fostering innovation, accountability, and continuous learning
• Embed security throughout the software development lifecycle by establishing secure-by-design and secure-by-default practices across engineering teams
• Drive adoption of threat modeling, secure coding standards, secure design reviews, automated security testing, and software supply chain security controls
• Provide strategic oversight for the enterprise Vulnerability Management, Detection and Response (VMDR) program, including risk-based prioritization, remediation governance, penetration testing, and security metrics reporting
• Guide Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) and SaaS Security Posture Management (SSPM) capabilities in partnership with platform and engineering teams, supporting security baselines, guardrails, continuous monitoring, and remediation strategies
• Consolidate application, cloud, and SaaS security findings into a unified view of enterprise risk, enabling data-driven prioritization and decision-making
• Partner with Engineering, Product, Infrastructure, Risk, Legal, Privacy, Compliance, and executive stakeholders to strengthen security posture, regulatory readiness, and shared ownership of cyber risk

About the Team

The Cybersecurity Services Group (CSG) drives cybersecurity strategy and innovation across Moody's, enabling the business to deliver trusted products and services in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. By joining our team, you will help define the future of application security, lead transformative security initiatives at enterprise scale, and empower global teams to build secure, resilient, and innovative technology solutions.

For US-based roles only: the anticipated hiring base salary range for this position is $228,000 - $333,150.00, depending on factors such as experience, education, level, skills, and location. This range is based on a full-time position. In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for incentive compensation. Moody’s also offers a competitive benefits package, including not but limited to medical, dental, vision, parental leave, paid time off, a 401(k) plan with employee and company contribution opportunities, life, disability, and accident insurance, a discounted employee stock purchase plan, and tuition reimbursement.

Moody’s is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender, age, religion or creed, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, marital or familial status,sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Moody’s also provides reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities or based on a sincerely held religious belief in accordance with applicable laws. If you need to inquire about a reasonable accommodation, or need assistance with completing the application process, please email [e-mail] . This contact information is for accommodation requests only, and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications

For San Francisco positions, qualified applicants with criminal histories will be considered for employment consistent with the requirements of the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.

This position may be considered a promotional opportunity, pursuant to the Colorado Equal Pay for Equal Work Act.

Candidates for Moody's Corporation may be asked to disclose securities holdings pursuant to Moody’s Policy for Securities Trading and the requirements of the position. Employment is contingent upon compliance with the Policy, including remediation of positions in those holdings as necessary.