Senior Manager - Application Security Research

American Express is seeking a highly technical Senior Manager of Application Security Research to strengthen application security research, vulnerability discovery, and threat analysis capabilities. This onsite role in Phoenix, AZ helps protect the organization against sophisticated cyber threats by turning deep research into practical security intelligence, improved detections, and actionable protections across applications and emerging technologies.

Responsibilities

• Lead and actively contribute to advanced security research to identify, analyze, and mitigate vulnerabilities across applications, software components, APIs, AI/ML, and emerging technologies.
• Translate technical discoveries into actionable security intelligence.
• Partner with the Fusion Center, Security Operations Center (SOC), Cyber Threat Intelligence, Incident Response, and engineering teams to identify emerging threats.
• Develop indicators of compromise (IoCs) and use findings to strengthen security posture.
• Improve detection capabilities based on research outputs and threat insights.
• Proactively protect American Express against sophisticated cyber threats.
• Investigate complex security challenges independently while guiding others.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Cybersecurity, and/or comparable experience; advanced degree preferred.
• Knowledge of regulatory compliance and security standards.
• Knowledge of Identity & Access Management.
• Knowledge of Security Architecture Management.
• Knowledge of Security Governance and Operations.
• Knowledge of Security Testing & Remediation.
• Knowledge of Cloud Security Management.
• Knowledge of Data Privacy & Protection (DPP, GDPR).
• Knowledge of AI-enabled cybersecurity operations platforms, automated threat detection techniques, and AI-assisted security analytics capabilities.
• Understanding of AI security risks, responsible AI governance principles, and operational implications of AI-enabled technologies in cybersecurity environments.
• Experience in cybersecurity operations and application security.
• Experience with Technical Writing and Documentation Development.
• Experience with SCA/SAST/DAST/MAST/API Security.
• Experience in network security, including firewalls, VPNs, and network segmentation.
• Experience with vulnerability scanning tools such as Nessus, Qualys, and Rapid7, plus remediation processes.
• Experience with penetration testing using industry-standard tools including Burp Suite, Wireshark, Metasploit, and SQL map for monitoring and compliance.
• Experience in incident response, including forensic analysis, malware analysis, and threat hunting.
• Experience securing cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud, and implementing cloud security best practices.
• Experience applying regulatory requirements and standards including PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, and NIST to cybersecurity operations.
• Experience in Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery.
• At least one security-related certification preferred: GCPN, GWEB, GMOB, GOAA, GPEN, GWAT, GXPN, GREM, CEH, C|ASE .NET, C|ASE Java, OSCP, OSWA, OSWE, CSSLP, other.
• Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the United States is required, and the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.

Technologies

• SCA, SAST, DAST, MAST, API Security
• Nessus, Qualys, Rapid7
• Burp Suite, Wireshark, Metasploit, SQL map
• AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
• PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, NIST, GDPR, DPP
• GCPN, GWEB, GMOB, GOAA, GPEN, GWAT, GXPN, GREM, CEH, C|ASE .NET, C|ASE Java, OSCP, OSWA, OSWE, CSSLP

Salary: USD 123,000 - 215,250 per year.