Practice Director - Application Security

The Practice Director - Application Security leads the growth, performance, and ongoing development of AHEAD’s Application Security practice. This leader is accountable for building executive client relationships, creating and advancing sales opportunities, shaping services and go-to-market strategy, and developing a high-performing team. The role partners closely with AHEAD sales teams and other practices to bring clients integrated security solutions that address business and technology risk. 

The position is weighted approximately 70% toward sales and practice management and 30% toward delivery leadership. The Director brings deep expertise in application security, DevSecOps, cloud-native security, and secure software delivery, and applies that expertise to advise clients, differentiate AHEAD’s offerings, and ensure successful outcomes on selected strategic engagements. 

• 70% — Sales and practice management: Revenue growth, pipeline development, client relationships, solution and proposal development, service portfolio and go-to-market leadership, team development, and practice operations. 

• 30% — Delivery leadership: Executive client advisory, engagement oversight, delivery quality, risk management, and selective hands-on or lead delivery for strategic engagements. 

The successful candidate brings credible, current expertise across Application Security and related cloud security disciplines, including: 

• Application security program strategy and maturity, secure SDLC, DevSecOps, and secure coding practices. 

• Application and API threat modeling, architecture and design review, and risk-based vulnerability prioritization. 

• Application Security Posture Management and the use of SAST, DAST, SCA, secrets detection, and related tooling to prioritize and coordinate remediation. 

• API security, including common REST and GraphQL risks, authentication and authorization patterns, and relevant OWASP guidance. 

• CI/CD and software supply-chain security, including dependency and open-source risk, SBOM practices, artifact integrity, and provenance. 

• Cloud-native application security and the relationship between code, infrastructure-as-code, containers, Kubernetes, runtime context, and cloud posture. 

• Security frameworks and maturity models relevant to application security, such as OWASP SAMM and DSOMM, and the ability to map technical controls to governance and compliance needs. 

• Relevant application security platforms and the broader security ecosystem, with the ability to evaluate technology in the context of client outcomes rather than a single vendor. 

• 15+ years of consulting or commensurate professional experience in information security, application security, cloud security, or a related field. 

• Significant leadership experience in a practice, program, business development, or consulting leadership role, including responsibility for developing people and influencing business outcomes. 

• Demonstrated success building client relationships and growing consulting opportunities, including leading discovery, solution shaping, scoping, proposal development, and executive presentations. 

• Experience developing or scaling professional services, security capabilities, or go-to-market offerings. 

• Demonstrated experience establishing, assessing, or maturing application security and DevSecOps programs. 

• Strong understanding of application and API security concepts, modern software delivery, cloud-native architectures, and the tools and practices used to secure them. 

• Ability to lead complex client engagements, manage executive stakeholders, and guide teams through ambiguity, competing priorities, and delivery risks. 

• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, facilitation, and relationship-building skills; comfortable communicating with technical practitioners and executive audiences. 

• Strong business acumen, strategic judgment, and ability to connect security investments to client objectives and measurable outcomes. 

• Undergraduate degree in Computer Science, Business Management, or a related field preferred, but not required. 

• Industry-recognized security certifications are preferred, such as CISSP, CCSP, CSSLP, or relevant GIAC certifications. 

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, assessing responses, or to capture recordings and create transcriptions or summaries during interviews. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans.

 

If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please refer to the Candidate Privacy Notice or contact us at privacy@ahead.com. 

 

You may opt-out of the review or analysis of your application and resume by AI tools by using the General Application. Please include the role you wish to apply for in the Additional Information field. You may also choose to opt-out of recording and transcription at any time, including after joining an interview.  Candidates will not be penalized for choosing to opt-out.