Senior Application Security Engineer

If you’re passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you’re committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:
 

Grade: Technical 409

Pay Range: $127,700.00 - $191,500.00

Job Description

About the Team 

You’ll collaborate on security-focused tools and services while helping shape security documentation and standards. 

As a Senior Application Security Engineer, you will play a critical role in strengthening WGU’s security posture by reviewing access requests, guiding vulnerability remediation, and contributing to security policies and standards. Your expertise will help ensure our applications and systems remain secure, resilient, and aligned with best practices.  

You will safeguard systems and applications by identifying, analyzing, and mitigating security vulnerabilities throughout the full software development lifecycle (SDLC).

What You’ll Do 

• Analyze source code to identify security flaws such as injection flaws and broken authentication. 

• Oversee vulnerability scanning of applications and APIs.  

• Perform threat modeling to identify potential attack vectors and security weaknesses during system design 

• Perform architecture reviews and create security documentation for new projects 

• Build, configure, and maintain application security tools (e.b., SAST, DAST, IAST, SCA) and integrate them into CI/CD pipelines 

• Collaborate with engineering teams to prioritize and fix security vulnerabilities. 

• Educate developers on secure coding practices and emerging threats. 

• Assess user access to software-related systems to ensure least-privilege access and provide appropriate risk mitigation. 

• Contribute to the development and improvement of security policies, standards, and procedures. 

• Identify gaps and help develop standards, guidelines, and procedures to strengthen WGU’s security framework. 

What You’ll Bring 

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience. 

• 5+ years of information security experience. 

• Meaningful experience in software development, including proficiency in languages such as Python, Java, JavaScript, Go, C/C++, etc.  

• Security Knowledge: In-depth knowledge of OWASP Top 10, web application security, API security, and secure architecture principles. 

• Strong understanding of SDLC processes

• Comfort with CLI and experience using open-source security tools (e.g., Kali, Nessus, Burp, NMap, Metasploit, Wireshark). 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify technical details for executive audiences. 

Bonus Points if You Have 

• Security certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, OSCP, CEH, or similar.

• Experience with cloud infrastructure security. 

• Familiarity with tools like Burp Suite, Snyk, Checkmarx, or similar SAST/DAST tools. 

Experience in Lieu of Education

Equivalent relevant experience may substitute for educational requirements at the hiring manager’s discretion.

What to Expect

At WGU, our mission drives everything we do, including how we hire. Our interview experience is designed to give qualified candidates the opportunity to show their best work throu