Senior Manager, Application Security

pThis position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Senior Manager, Application Security based in Belgium. /p pLead the development of a dedicated application security function within a fast-growing, fully remote technology environment. In this senior leadership role, you will combine hands-on application security expertise with people management, strategic planning, and cross-functional collaboration. You will establish security standards, strengthen vulnerability management, and embed secure development practices across engineering teams. Alongside application security, you will guide experienced IT and compliance professionals, aligning their work with broader business priorities and enterprise security expectations. You will also represent security and compliance to senior leadership, customers, and external stakeholders. This opportunity offers significant autonomy to shape an AI-first security program while helping the organization scale securely and maintain customer trust. /p h3Accountabilities: /h3 pAs Senior Manager, Application Security, you will establish and lead the application security strategy while providing direction across IT operations and compliance. You will remain technically engaged in security initiatives while building a scalable program that supports engineering excellence, customer confidence, and business growth. /p ul lipDefine and own the application security roadmap, including vulnerability management, threat modeling, security reviews, and remediation processes for new features and architectural changes. /p /li lipConduct hands-on security reviews, triage vulnerabilities, collaborate with engineers on remediation, and progressively develop processes that allow the application security program to scale. /p /li lipEmbed security-by-default practices throughout the software development lifecycle, including secure development standards, dependency management, secrets hygiene, and automated security scanning integrated into CI/CD pipelines. /p /li lipDesign and implement an AI-first application security strategy, evaluating AI-assisted code analysis, vulnerability triage, remediation agents, and automated testing while establishing appropriate validation and oversight. /p /li lipPartner with engineering teams to ensure security practices strengthen development capabilities rather than create unnecessary delivery bottlenecks. /p /li lipOversee third-party and vendor security assessments, ensuring external providers meet appropriate security standards when handling sensitive customer information. /p /li lipEstablish zero-trust security principles and collaborate with cloud platform leadership on network security, identity and access management, security logging, and alerting. /p /li lipLead application-layer security incident response and coordinate with infrastructure teams on incidents involving cloud platforms or underlying systems. /p /li lipManage and support the Compliance Lead and IT team, providing strategic direction, prioritization, organizational context, and professional development while respecting their operational expertise. /p /li lipAlign application security, IT operations, and compliance under a unified strategy with shared standards, risk frameworks, and coordinated roadmaps. /p /li lipOversee cross-functional priorities involving access reviews, identity governance, endpoint security, employee onboarding and offboarding, and the connection between application security controls and compliance evidence. /p /li lipPartner with compliance leadership to assess future frameworks and enterprise requirements, prioritize IT investments, and support continued compliance maturity beyond existing SOC 2 Type II certification. /p /li lipRepresent security posture, compliance status, and IT health to engineering leadership, enterprise customers, prospects, and auditors. /p /li lipOwn the security questionnaire and due diligence process, communicating technical controls, risk assessments, and remediation plans clearly to external stakeholders. /p /li lipProvide leadership with actionable recommendations on security risks, compliance priorities, and operational improvements rather than routine status updates. /p /li /ul h3Requirements: /h3 pThe ideal candidate is an experienced application security practitioner who has successfully built or matured security programs and developed the leadership skills needed to guide experienced specialists. You should be comfortable working directly with engineers, making strategic decisions, and translating complex security topics into clear business priorities. /p ul lipAt least 7 years of security experience, including substantial hands-on application security experience. /p /li lipDemonstrated success building or significantly maturing an application security program, including security reviews, threat modeling, vulnerability management, and penetration testing