Senior Vice President- Application Security

Moody's; New York (NY); On-site; USD 228,000 - 333,000; Full time

Job summary

Moody's is seeking a senior leader to shape enterprise application security strategy and posture management, enabling secure, resilient, and scalable software delivery aligned with business objectives.

You will build and develop a global organization of Application Security, Product Security, and DevSecOps professionals, promote secure-by-design practices, and advance VMDR, CSPM, and SSPM programs with cross-functional partners. Exceptional executive communication is essential.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive cybersecurity experience with leadership in app/product security.
• Deep expertise in secure SDLC, threat modeling, secure architecture, and OWASP Top 10.
• Strong software engineering background to review production code.
• Experience in DevSecOps, security automation, and AI-enabled security capabilities.
• Knowledge of cloud-native architectures, Kubernetes, APIs, and SaaS.
• Proven track record leading global teams and enterprise security transformation.
• Excellent executive communication and stakeholder management to translate risks for senior leaders.
• Experience with VMDR, CSPM, SSPM programs is 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.
• Build, lead, and develop a global organization of Application Security, Product Security, and DevSecOps professionals.
• 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 VMDR program, including risk-based prioritization, remediation governance, penetration testing, and security metrics reporting.
• Guide CSPM and SSPM capabilities in partnership with platform and engineering teams, supporting baselines and remediation.
• Consolidate findings into a unified view of enterprise risk for data-driven decisions.
• Partner with Engineering, Risk, Legal, Compliance, and executives to strengthen security posture.

Skills

15+ yrs cybersecurity

Secure SDLC

Software engineering

DevSecOps

AI-enabled security

Cloud & Kubernetes

Leadership

Stakeholder management

VMDR/CSPM/SSPM

Education

Bachelors in CS/Engineering/InfoSec

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

Tools

N/A

Job description

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.