Practice Director - Application Security
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 30, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 29, 2026. AHEAD scores B on the Alion truth index.
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, creatingand 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 approximately70% toward sales and practice managementand30% toward delivery leadership. The Director brings deep expertisein application security, DevSecOps, cloud-native security, and secure software delivery, and applies that expertiseto advise clients, differentiate AHEAD’s offerings, and ensure successful outcomes on selected strategic engagements.
Role Allocation
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.
Key Responsibilities
Build and execute the Application Security practice growth strategy, translating market needs and AHEAD priorities into a focused portfolio of services and go-to-market plans.
Develop trusted relationships with client executives and technology leaders; identifybusiness priorities, security challenges, and opportunities to expand AHEAD’s impact.
Partner with sales specialists to qualify, shape, and advance opportunities from discovery through proposal, negotiation, and transition to delivery.
Lead client discovery, visioning, and solution-design sessions; communicate the business value, approach, scope, outcomes, assumptions, and investment for proposed services.
Own or contribute to opportunity plans, pipeline development, forecasts, and practice growth objectivesin coordination with AHEAD sales and practice leadership.
Create, refine, and commercialize differentiated Application Security offerings, including new services related to AI Application Security and AI-DLC, as well as program assessments and roadmaps, secure SDLC and DevSecOpsenablement, application and API security, threat modeling, ASPM, and software supply-chain security.
Drive new partnerships with industry-leading AI development and security technology partners.
Identifyopportunities to combine Application Security services with cloud, infrastructure, data, AI, and other AHEAD capabilities to deliver integrated client outcomes.
Guide service positioning, packaging, repeatability, and supporting sales materials; ensure offerings remainaligned with client needs and current technology and market trends.
Build and develop the practice team through hiring, talent development, coaching, mentoring, and succession planning; foster collaboration across delivery and sales teams.
Direct practice capacity and resource planning in partnership with delivery leaders, balancing team capability, client demand, utilization, and quality.
Establish a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, knowledge sharing, and strong client service. Support consistent operating practices and financial performance for the practice.
Represent AHEAD through executive briefings, industry events, partnerand client engagements, and thought leadership.
Provide executive oversight and delivery leadership for selected strategic or complex Application Security engagements, ensuring work meets agreed scope, quality, schedule, and business outcomes.
Lead or adviseclient strategy, roadmap, architecture, and planning workshops covering application security, secure software delivery, cloud-native applications, APIs, and risk prioritization.
Guide teams delivering application security program assessments and maturity improvements, secure SDLC controls, threat modeling, DevSecOpsenablement, application and API security reviews, and remediation planning.
Ensure recommendations are practical and risk-based, translating technical findings into prioritized actions and clear business implications for technical teams and executive stakeholders.
Monitor engagement health, milestones, dependencies, risks, and client expectations; intervene to resolve issues and maintaindelivery quality.
Review key deliverables and executive presentations, andcoach engagement leaders and practitioners in client communication and delivery excellence.
Maintain a selective client-delivery role to stay close to client needs, validateservice approaches, and bring delivery insight back into the practice portfolio.
Sales and Practice Management - 70%
Delivery Leadership - 30%
Technical and Market Expertise
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, secretsdetection, and related tooling to prioritize and coordinate remediation.
API security, including common REST and GraphQLrisks, authenticationand authorization patterns, and relevant OWASP guidance.
CI/CD and software supply-chainsecurity, 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 applicationsecurity platforms and the broader security ecosystem, with the ability to evaluate technology in the context of client outcomes rather than a single vendor.
The successful candidate brings credible, current expertiseacross Application Security and related cloud security disciplines, including:
Qualifications
15+ years of consulting or commensurateprofessional experience in information security, application security, cloud security, or a relatedfield.
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 DevSecOpsprograms.
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 objectivesand 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.