Principal Engineer - Application Security (AI security, Pen Testing, DevSecOps)

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We are seeking a Principal Application Security Engineer to provide technical leadership for our enterprise Application Security program. This role is responsible for advancing secure development practices, integrating security into the software development lifecycle, and partnering with engineering teams to reduce application risk through scalable security solutions. The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strategic thinking, enables developers, scales security through automation, and influences engineering organizations without direct authority.

Provide technical leadership across Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC), Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Software Composition Analysis (SCA), Threat Modeling, and Penetration Testing.

Guide engineering teams in vulnerability remediation and secure coding best practices.

Evaluate emerging application security technologies, emerging risks, and recommend pragmatic, risk-based improvements to application security capabilities.

Partner with Security Architecture to ensure application security practices align with enterprise security standards and design principles.

Design and build automation that integrates security seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines.

Develop tooling, APIs, and automation to improve developer experience and reduce manual effort.

Partner with platform engineering teams to implement security controls within modern development workflows.

Identify and implement opportunities to leverage AI and generative AI technologies to improve application security processes, automate repetitive tasks, enhance developer enablement, and accelerate vulnerability detection and remediation while ensuring responsible and secure use of AI.

Help define the technical roadmap for the Application Security program.

Develop strategies that scale security across a large engineering organization through automation, standardization, and self-service capabilities.

Champion developer enablement by creating security guidance, reusable frameworks, documentation, and training.

Establish and track metrics that measure program effectiveness and continuously improve security maturity.

Influence technical decisions through collaboration and technical leadership rather than organizational authority.

Communicate security risks and recommendations effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.

Mentor engineers and promote security best practices across the organization.

Solve complex application security challenges involving modern software architectures and cloud-native platforms.

Drive continuous improvement across security tooling, developer workflows, and vulnerability management processes.

Provide technical leadership during the investigation and remediation of significant application security issues.

Core responsibilities of this job are described within this job description.

Job duties may change at any time due to business needs.

BS/MS in Computer Science, Information Security, Engineering or equivalent industry work experience

10+ years of experience in software engineering, application security or related security engineering roles

Demonstrated expertise across SSDLC, SAST, DAST, SCA, Threat Modeling, and Penetration Testing

Strong software development experience in one or more modern programming languages

Experience integrating security into modern CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps workflows

Proven experience building and scaling Application Security programs across large engineering organizations

Experience leveraging AI and Generative AI technologies to improve engineering productivity, security operations, or software development workflows

Demonstrated ability to evaluate, implement, and govern AI-enabled solutions while considering security, privacy, and organizational risk

Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills

Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams

Experience securing cloud-native applications in AWS, Azure or Google Cloud

Experience with Kubernetes, containers, APIs, and microservices architectures

Experience developing custom security tooling or automation

Knowledge of modern software supply chain security practices

Industry certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, GIAC, OSCP, or cloud security certifications a plus

This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Target’s needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member’s core role will need to be performed both onsite at the Target HQ MN location the role is assigned to and virtually, depending upon what your role, team and tasks require for that day. Work duties cannot be performed outside of the country of the primary work location, unless otherwise prescribed by Target. Click here if you are curious to learn more about Minnesota.

Benefits Eligibility

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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to [email protected]. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.

Application deadline is: 10/29/2026