Director, Application Security

📋 Job Overview

We are searching for a Director of Application Security in Austin, TX (or willing to relocate) to lead company-wide application and product security initiatives. We are not looking for a traditional security leader focused on oversight or compliance. Instead, you will operate at the intersection of deep technical design and product strategy, with true ownership of security outcomes. If the ability and enablement to shape an emerging category at the intersection of AI, privacy and distributed computing invigorates you, this foundational opportunity is your calling.

🏢 About webAI

webAI is the first end-to-end private AI platform. Enterprises and Governments use webAI to bring AI to their data, powering specialized intelligence trained on their own knowledge and compounding in value with every use. Our approach is guided by a simple philosophy: AI should be specialized, sovereign, efficient, and sustainable. It should solve real problems, not just burn more compute. Our technology enables the development of powerful AI using limited amounts of data, challenging the underlying assumption that big data is the key to unlocking the full power of AI. We are offering a superior career opportunity to join a dynamic and fast-growing team that fosters an exciting and growth-oriented work culture; an opportunity where you can truly put your name on meaningful change for an entire civilization.

🎯 The Role

Lead company-wide application and product security initiatives, operating at the intersection of deep technical design and product strategy with true ownership of security outcomes.

✅ Key Responsibilities

• Establish the security model for decentralized, on-device AI systems as well as enterprise technology
• Define trust boundaries, identity frameworks, and data protection strategies
• Lead threat modeling for edge, distributed, and AI-driven environments
• Promote a culture to ensure security is embedded into system design, not layered on
• Integrate security into the software and ML lifecycle (SDLC + MLOps)
• Define safeguards and validation measures for model integrity, adversarial attacks, data poisoning, and emergent AI/ML threats
• Partner with engineering to build secure-by-default product capabilities
• Make security a core product feature, not just an internal function
• Own security across cloud, hybrid, and edge/on-device environments
• Establish controls to protect confidentiality, integrity, availability, and privacy for data, identity, access, networking, and distributed systems
• Secure deployments, firmware, and update mechanisms across all deployment models (device-level, on-premises, cloud, hybrid)
• Develop, operate, and maintain a cybersecurity risk assessment and vulnerability management program
• Mitigate supply chain and third-party risks and vulnerabilities

📌 Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in a professional, technical cybersecurity capacity
• 5+ years of experience in technical cybersecurity leadership roles
• Foundational secure software development experience is a big plus
• Deep background in product and platform security, beyond enterprise IT security
• Experience with cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, and modern architectures
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, edge computing, application / infrastructure security and adversarial thinking
• Depth with AI/ML security (e.g., model integrity, data poisoning, adversarial attacks)
• Deep technical literacy and ability to coach others on delivery best practices
• Strong communication skills—able to navigate technical and non-technical discussions
• Highly adaptable and comfortable working with evolving processes and priorities
• Ability to work with imperfect systems and incrementally improve them over time rather than striving for immediate perfection

⭐ Desirable Experience

• Any of CISSP, CSSLP, OSWE, GAIPS, etc

🎁 Benefits

• Competitive salary
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision benefits package
• 401(k) match (U.S.-based employees only)
• $200/month Health & Wellness stipend
• Continuing Education support
• $500/year Function Health subscription (U.S.-based employees only)
• Free parking for in-office employees
• Flexible Time Off (FTO)
• Parental leave for eligible employees
• Supplemental life insurance

🛂 Visa & Eligibility

webAI is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We adhere to these principles in all aspects of employment, including recruitment, hiring, training, compensation, promotion, benefits, social and recreational programs, and discipline. In addition, it is the policy of webAI to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified