Job Title:
Application Security SpecialistLocation:
Irving, TX/ Iselin, NJ/ Charlotte, NC - Hybrid RoleFTC/FTE RoleJob Description: Look for someone who has Application Security experience, has worked closely with software developers, conducted threat modeling and secure coding activities, integrated security tools into CI/CD pipelines, and ideally built or led a Security Champions Program or Community of Practice. Leadership, enablement, training, and influencing engineering teams are more important than deep penetration testing or network security experience.
Here are some key points that can help you spot a difference between a good candidate for this role:
Must-Have Experience AreasYou can confirm the candidate has experience in at least 4-5 areas of these:
AreaRequired Application Security
Yes
Threat Modeling
Yes
Secure Coding
Yes
Developer Coaching
Yes
Security Testing Tools
Yes
CI/CD Security
Yes
Security Governance
Preferred
Security Champion Program
Strongly Preferred
Compliance Reporting
Preferred
Metrics & Dashboards
Preferred
1. Must-Have Resume KeywordsA strong resume should contain several of these terms:Application Security• Application Security (AppSec)
• Secure SDLC (SSDLC)
• Secure Development Lifecycle
• DevSecOps
• Secure Design
• Secure Coding
• Security Architecture
• Security Review
Threat Modeling & Developer Coaching
• Threat Modeling
• STRIDE
• Security Champions
• Developer Enablement
• Security Training
• Secure Coding Training
• Security Awareness
• Coaching Developers
• Security Workshops
CI/CD & Automation
• CI/CD Security
• DevSecOps
• Security Gates
• Pipeline Security
• Compliance Automation
• Security Controls
• Continuous Security Testing
Security Testing Tools
• SAST
• DAST
• SCA
• Static Analysis
• Dynamic Testing
• Software Composition Analysis
• Vulnerability Management
Governance & Metrics
• Security Metrics
• KPIs
• Dashboards
• Compliance Reporting
• Risk Management
• Risk Register
• Governance
• Security Controls
Collaboration
• Cross-Functional Leadership
• Stakeholder Management
• Program Management
• Change Management
• Community of Practice (CoP)
• Security Champion Program
2. Tools That Should Appear on Resume
Look for at least some of these:
SAST
• Checkmarx
• Veracode
• Fortify
• SonarQube
• Coverity
DAST
• Burp Suite
• AppScan
• WebInspect
SCA
• Black Duck
• Snyk
• Mend (WhiteSource)
CI/CD
• Jenkins
• GitHub Actions
• GitLab CI/CD
• Azure DevOps
Dashboards
• Power BI
• Grafana
• Splunk
Collaboration
• ServiceNow
• Confluence
• Jira
• Microsoft Teams
3. High-Value Phrases
These are the phrases that should immediately catch a your attention:
• "Built Security Champion Program"
• "Led Application Security Community of Practice"
• "Coached development teams on secure coding"
• "Conducted threat modeling sessions"
• "Integrated security controls into CI/CD pipelines"
• "Established AppSec KPIs and dashboards"
• "Drove security adoption across engineering teams"
• "Partnered with application owners to remediate vulnerabilities"
• "Performed secure code reviews"
• "Developed AppSec training curriculum"
• "Enabled security adoption across multiple business units"
• "Acted as liaison between development and security teams"
5. Red Flags (Reject or Lower Priority)Pure Infrastructure SecurityResume focused mainly on:
- Firewalls
- Network Security
- VPN
- IDS/IPS
- SOC Operations
Not a fit.Pure Vulnerability ManagementOnly:
- Nessus scans
- Patch management
- Server vulnerability remediation
Not enough AppSec depth.Pure Penetration TesterOnly:
- Ethical hacking
- Red teaming
- Bug bounty
May lack program leadership and developer enablement.Pure DevOps EngineerOnly:
- Kubernetes
- Terraform
- AWS deployment
Need AppSec ownership and security leadership.6. Certifications to PrioritizeStrong:
Good:
- GWAPT
- GWEB
- CASE
- Security+
Nice to Have:
