Developer-First Cyber Security Engineer for Secure Apps

Developer-First Cyber Security Engineer for Secure Apps

Full-Time 50000 - 70000 £ / year (est.) Home office (partial)
The Financial Times

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Enhance application security and collaborate with engineers to streamline secure practices.
  • Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company focused on cloud-native solutions.
  • Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible working options, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Other info: Dynamic team environment with a focus on innovation and career development.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact by integrating security into modern engineering workflows.
  • Qualifications: Experience in application security and strong communication skills are essential.

The predicted salary is between 50000 - 70000 £ per year.

Requirements:

  • You do not need to be a deep AWS or cloud security specialist, but some exposure to AWS, cloud security or infrastructure-as-code security would be useful.
  • We’re looking for someone with practical AppSec experience who wants to grow their impact - someone who enjoys working with engineers, improving tooling and helping security become part of normal delivery rather than a last-minute checkpoint.
  • Application security experience: practical experience identifying, explaining and helping remediate application security risks in modern engineering environments.
  • Developer-friendly security mindset: you enjoy working with engineers, explaining risks clearly and helping teams adopt secure practices without unnecessary friction.
  • Vulnerability management experience: experience triaging and tracking application vulnerabilities from sources such as SAST, dependency scanning, secret scanning, penetration tests, bug bounty reports or third-party advisories.
  • CI/CD and code security awareness: familiarity with security tooling in development workflows, such as SAST, software composition analysis, secret scanning or repository security controls.
  • Threat modelling awareness: experience participating in, supporting or facilitating lightweight threat-modelling sessions for applications, services or new features.
  • Automation mindset: ability to write scripts or small tools, ideally in Python, to reduce manual effort, improve visibility or make security workflows easier.
  • Cloud security awareness: Some exposure to AWS, cloud security or infrastructure-as-code security would be useful, but is not essential.
  • Growth mindset: willingness to keep developing across application security, cloud security, secure development and modern engineering practices.
  • Practical experience in application security.
  • Experience working with software engineers to explain and remediate security issues.
  • Familiarity with common web application security risks and secure coding practices.
  • Experience with vulnerability triage, prioritisation and remediation tracking.
  • Experience using or interpreting findings from tools such as SAST, software composition analysis, secret scanning or similar.
  • Experience participating in or supporting threat-modelling activities.
  • Ability to write scripts or small tools, ideally in Python, to automate tasks or improve visibility.
  • Strong communication and collaboration skills.
  • Familiarity with Agile or Scrum ways of working.
  • (Desirable) Exposure to AWS security, cloud security or infrastructure-as-code security.
  • (Desirable) Experience with Terraform or CloudFormation.
  • (Desirable) Experience with container or Kubernetes security.
  • (Desirable) Experience with bug bounty, penetration testing or security testing programmes.
  • (Desirable) Experience with Splunk or similar logging/SIEM platforms.
  • (Desirable) Exposure to AI security, such as LLM-enabled applications, AI-assisted development workflows or prompt/data leakage risks.
  • (Desirable) Experience building dashboards, metrics or reports to support vulnerability management.
  • (Desirable) Relevant security certifications or training, such as AWS security training, secure coding training, GIAC, ISC2, CREST or equivalent practical experience.

What the job involves:

  • We’re looking for a Cyber Security Engineer to help improve application security across the FT’s cloud-native technology estate. This is a hands-on role focused on making secure engineering easier for product, platform and software engineering teams.
  • Application security experience is essential for this role. You’ll help improve developer-friendly security guardrails across GitHub-based CI/CD pipelines, application repositories and engineering workflows.
  • This includes working with SAST, software composition analysis, secret scanning, vulnerability management and secure coding guidance so that security findings are clear, actionable and owned by the right teams.
  • You’ll work closely with engineers to support practical threat modelling, triage application vulnerabilities, improve security playbooks and help teams remediate issues in a pragmatic way.

Developer-First Cyber Security Engineer for Secure Apps employer: The Financial Times

As a Developer-First Cyber Security Engineer at our company, you will thrive in a collaborative and innovative environment that prioritises security as an integral part of the development process. We offer a supportive work culture that encourages continuous learning and growth, with opportunities to enhance your skills in application security and cloud technologies. Located in a vibrant tech hub, our team is dedicated to making secure engineering practices accessible and effective, ensuring that your contributions have a meaningful impact on our products and services.

The Financial Times

Contact Details:

The Financial Times Recruitment Team

StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫

We think this is how you could land Developer-First Cyber Security Engineer for Secure Apps

Tip Number 1

Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with folks in the industry. Attend meetups, webinars, or even local tech events. You never know who might be looking for someone just like you!

Tip Number 2

Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your application security projects, scripts, or any tools you've built. This is your chance to demonstrate your developer-friendly security mindset and practical experience.

Tip Number 3

Don’t shy away from interviews! Prepare to discuss your experiences with vulnerability management and threat modelling. Be ready to explain how you’ve worked with engineers to improve security practices without causing friction.

Tip Number 4

Apply through our website! We’re always on the lookout for passionate individuals who want to grow their impact in application security. Your next big opportunity could be just a click away!

We think you need these skills to ace Developer-First Cyber Security Engineer for Secure Apps

Application Security
Vulnerability Management
CI/CD Security Tooling
Threat Modelling
SAST
Software Composition Analysis
Secret Scanning

Some tips for your application 🫡

Show Your Practical Experience:When you're writing your application, make sure to highlight your hands-on experience in application security. We want to see how you've identified and remediated security risks in real-world scenarios, so don’t hold back on the details!

Communicate Clearly:Since we value strong communication skills, use your application to demonstrate how you explain complex security concepts to engineers. Share examples of how you've made security practices easier for teams without adding unnecessary friction.

Tailor Your Application:Make sure your application speaks directly to the job description. Mention your familiarity with tools like SAST and your experience with vulnerability management. This shows us that you understand what we're looking for and that you're a great fit!

Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from us!

How to prepare for a job interview at The Financial Times

Know Your AppSec Basics

Make sure you brush up on your application security fundamentals. Be ready to discuss common web application security risks and how you've helped teams remediate them in the past. This will show that you have practical experience and can communicate effectively with engineers.

Show Off Your Automation Skills

Since the role requires an automation mindset, be prepared to talk about any scripts or tools you've written, especially in Python. Share specific examples of how these have improved security workflows or reduced manual effort. This will demonstrate your hands-on approach and problem-solving skills.

Familiarise Yourself with CI/CD Tools

Get comfortable with security tooling in development workflows, like SAST and secret scanning. You might be asked how you would integrate these tools into existing pipelines, so think about practical scenarios where you've done this before or how you would approach it.

Emphasise Collaboration

This role is all about working closely with engineers, so highlight your communication and collaboration skills. Prepare examples of how you've successfully worked with teams to adopt secure practices without causing friction. This will show that you can bridge the gap between security and development.