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Principal Application Security Engineer
Location
United States
Posted
88 days ago
Salary
$190.6K - $263.9K / year
Seniority
Lead
Job Description
Principal Application Security Engineer
Upstart
• Define and drive Upstart’s application security strategy, aligning secure-by-design principles with business priorities, regulatory expectations, and our AI-driven product roadmap. • Lead cross-functional security architecture reviews for critical initiatives, influencing engineering, platform, data, and infrastructure decisions to reduce systemic risk early in the SDLC. • Establish and scale a robust threat modeling program for high-risk systems, including customer-facing applications, lending workflows, and ML/AI pipelines, translating findings into durable engineering standards and controls. • Design and standardize application security guardrails across the SDLC, including secure coding practices, automated testing (SAST/DAST/SCA), CI/CD protections, and secrets management. • Partner with Infrastructure and Cloud teams to strengthen the security posture of cloud-native and distributed systems, ensuring defense-in-depth across application and infrastructure layers. • Identify and reduce internal and external attack surface through automation and platform-level solutions, prioritizing long-term risk reduction over point-in-time remediation. • Serve as a senior technical authority during high-severity incidents, driving root cause analysis and durable architectural improvements. • Elevate security maturity across the organization by mentoring engineers, influencing leadership through clear risk metrics, and fostering a culture where security enables innovation.
Job Requirements
- 9+ years of experience in security engineering, with at least 5 years focused on application security
- Demonstrated experience leading security architecture reviews and threat modeling for complex, customer-facing production systems
- Experience in Java, Python or Ruby development.
- Experience designing and implementing application security controls across the SDLC, including secure coding standards, API Security, SAST/DAST/SCA, CI/CD security, and secrets management
- Demonstrable track record as an influential leader, delivering security solutions with multiple stakeholder groups
- Experience managing multiple and simultaneous, significant information security initiatives and programs
- Experience developing code and building services to enhance unique security operational needs
- Experience with advanced threat modeling techniques and risk assessment
- Preferred qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience spanning across multiple security and engineering domains in a cloud-native and/or distributed systems environment
- Experience building or scaling an application security program, including defining metrics, maturity models, and risk-based prioritization frameworks
- Familiarity with security considerations in modern frontend frameworks, APIs (REST/GraphQL), and microservices architectures.
- Experience partnering with Legal, Risk, Compliance, and Audit teams to operationalize security controls in regulated environments
- Security certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, AWS Security Specialty, or equivalent practical expertise.
Benefits
- Competitive compensation, including base pay, bonus opportunities, and annual equity grants that vest quarterly
- Generous 401(k) plan with Upstart matching $2 for every $1 contributed, up to $15,000 per year
- Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) with discounted stock purchase options for eligible employees
- Affordable medical, dental, and vision coverage, with multiple plan options - Upstart covers 90% to 100% of the cost depending on the plans you choose
- Health Savings Account contributions from Upstart for eligible plans
- Income protection benefits, including company-paid Basic Life, AD&D, and Short- and Long-Term Disability coverage, with options to purchase supplemental coverage
- Paid time off, sick and safe time, and company holidays
- Paid family and parental leave to support caregiving and major life moments
- Family-centered benefits through Carrot and Cleo, supporting fertility, parenthood, and caregiving
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offering mental health support and life-centered resources
- Financial wellness resources, including access to financial planning tools and a financial concierge service
- Annual wellness allowance to support your physical and emotional well-being and personal development, based on what matters most to you
- Annual productivity allowance to invest in relevant tools and resources you need to do your best work, no matter where you work from
- Connection and community through team events and onsites, all-company updates, and employee resource groups (ERGs)
- Onsite perks, including catered lunches and fully stocked micro-kitchens when working from one of our four offices, located in the Bay Area, Austin, Columbus, and New York City (opening Summer 2026!).
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