Staff Application Security Architect - Cloud-Native

IBM Computing; Armonk (NY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Software is seeking a Staff Application Security Engineer to shape and advance the application security strategy across on-prem and cloud platforms. You will lead the design and evolution of security architecture, embedding security throughout the product lifecycle from design to deployment and operations.

You will partner with Engineering and Product leadership to mitigate systemic risks, drive secure-by-design practices, and build scalable security tooling.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands-on application security experience in large-scale, distributed systems.
• Comprehensive knowledge of security fundamentals for modern web apps and cloud-native platforms.
• Ability to partner with Engineering and Product leadership to embed security into core architecture.
• Experience leading investigations and response to application security incidents with preventive improvements.
• Proven track record evolving SDLC to embed security by default, including secure CI/CD pipelines and automated guardrails.
• Experience in Go, Python, or Java for designing scalable security automation frameworks.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives in distributed environments.
• A data-driven decision-maker balancing security requirements with engineering trade-offs.
• Ability to raise the organization’s security bar through architectural reviews and guidance.
• Desire to apply AI and LLMs to automate complex security workflows.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Engineering, Product, and Platform teams to identify security risks early and influence secure-by-design practices.
• Define and standardize threat modeling and security design standards for distributed systems.
• Serve as SME for product security implementation reviews, including secure code reviews and API security testing.
• Architect and drive security automation roadmaps to scale security operations.
• Lead deployment of automation frameworks integrating security into cloud-native deployment pipelines.
• Identify new vulnerability classes and lead research initiatives to stay ahead of threats.
• Deploy advanced technology controls to maximize observability and harden attack surfaces across the ecosystem.

Skills

Security architecture

Cloud-native security

Security automation

CI/CD security

Go

Python

Java

Security design reviews

Cross-functional leadership

Job description

IBM Software is seeking a Staff Application Security Engineer to shape and advance the application security strategy across on-prem and cloud platforms. You will lead the design and evolution of security architecture, embedding security throughout the product lifecycle from design to deployment and operations.

You will partner with Engineering and Product leadership to mitigate systemic risks, drive secure-by-design practices, and build scalable security tooling.