Demo

Director, Application Security

Zeta Global
San Francisco, CA Full Time
POSTED ON 7/18/2026
AVAILABLE BEFORE 1/8/2027

WHO WE ARE 

Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA) is the AI-Powered Marketing Cloud that leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and trillions of consumer signals to make it easier for marketers to acquire, grow, and retain customers more efficiently. Through the Zeta Marketing Platform (ZMP), our vision is to make sophisticated marketing simple by unifying identity, intelligence, and omnichannel activation into a single platform – powered by one of the industry’s largest proprietary databases and AI. Our enterprise customers across multiple verticals are empowered to personalize experiences with consumers at an individual level across every channel, delivering better results for marketing programs. Zeta was founded in 2007 by David A. Steinberg and John Sculley and is headquartered in New York City with offices around the world. To learn more, go to www.zetaglobal.com.

About the Role 

We’re looking for a Director of Application Security to architect and lead an AI-native, agent-driven Application Security function at Zeta.  

This is a hands-on, player/coach leadership role focused on shifting security decisively left—embedding security intelligence directly into the software development lifecycle, CI/CD pipelines, and AI-powered development workflows. 

Rather than operating as a traditional gate or review function, Application Security at Zeta is evolving into a continuous, autonomous capability: powered by policy-as-code, security agents, real-time risk signals, and deep integration with how engineers build software. 

Zeta is at the forefront of the AI-native transformation of marketing, having launched Athena by Zeta—a superintelligent, conversational AI agent deeply embedded in the Zeta Marketing Platform. As Zeta accelerates into this AI-driven, agentic future, security is foundational—not optional. 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES 

Leadership & Strategy (AI-Native Player/Coach) 

- Define and drive an AI-native Application Security vision and roadmap. 

- Design the operating model for agentic AppSec, including security copilots and policy-enforcing agents. 

- Act as a hands-on technical leader shaping secure architectures. 

- Build and mentor a modern Application Security team focused on leverage and automation. 

 

Agentic Threat Modeling & Continuous Validation 

- Evolve threat modeling into continuous, system-aware analysis. 

- Embed automated security reasoning into CI/CD and AI/ML pipelines. 

- Lead AI-specific adversarial testing (prompt injection, model abuse, data leakage). 

 

Shifting Security Left into the SDLC 

- Embed security agents directly into IDEs, PRs, and CI workflows. 

- Deliver in-context security guidance without slowing velocity. 

- Use continuous risk scoring to influence release decisions. 

 

AI & Emerging Threat Defense 

- Own AppSec strategy for AI systems, models, prompts, and agents. 

- Translate emerging AI risks into automated guardrails. 

 

Security Culture & Enablement 

- Foster an ambient, automated security culture. 

- Train engineers on secure AI-native system design. 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED 

- 5–10 years in AppSec, DevSecOps, or secure software development. 

- Strong knowledge of OWASP, cloud-native systems, and API security. 

- Familiarity with AI/ML security risks. 

- Excellent communication and leadership skills. 

 

WHY THIS ROLE 

This is a foundational opportunity to define what Application Security looks like in an AI-native enterprise—securing not just code, but decisions, agents, and intelligence at scale. 

BENEFITS & PERKS

  • Unlimited PTO
  • Excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • Employee Equity
  • Employee Discounts, Virtual Wellness Classes, and Pet Insurance And more!!

SALARY RANGE

The salary range for this role is $180,000 - $210,000, depending on location and experience. 

PEOPLE & CULTURE AT ZETA

Zeta considers applicants for employment without regard to, and does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s sex, race, color, religion, age, disability, status as a veteran, or national or ethnic origin; nor does Zeta discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.  

We’re committed to building a workplace culture of trust and belonging, so everyone feels invited to bring their whole selves to work. We provide a forum for employees to celebrate, support and advocate for one another. Learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion here:  https://zetaglobal.com/blog/a-look-into-zetas-ergs/ 

ZETA IN THE NEWS!

https://zetaglobal.com/press/?cat=press-releases 

Salary : $180,000 - $210,000

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution. Compensation Planning
Enhance your organization's compensation strategy with salary data sets that HR and team managers can use to pay your staff right. Surveys & Data Sets

What is the career path for a Director, Application Security?

Sign up to receive alerts about other jobs on the Director, Application Security career path by checking the boxes next to the positions that interest you.
Income Estimation: 
$228,678 - $310,400
Income Estimation: 
$282,790 - $435,557
Income Estimation: 
$161,209 - $233,553
Income Estimation: 
$220,784 - $286,649
Employees: Get a Salary Increase
View Core, Job Family, and Industry Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles Skills Library

Job openings at Zeta Global

  • Zeta Global York, NY
  • WHO WE ARE Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA) is the AI-Powered Marketing Cloud that leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and trillions of consumer signal... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Zeta Global Dallas, TX
  • WHO WE ARE Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA) is the AI-Powered Marketing Cloud that leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and trillions of consumer signal... more
  • 1 Day Ago

  • Zeta Global Detroit, MI
  • WHO WE ARE Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA) is the AI-Powered Marketing Cloud that leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and trillions of consumer signal... more
  • 3 Days Ago

  • Zeta Global Miami, FL
  • WHO WE ARE Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA) is the AI-Powered Marketing Cloud that leverages advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and trillions of consumer signal... more
  • 3 Days Ago


Not the job you're looking for? Here are some other Director, Application Security jobs in the San Francisco, CA area that may be a better fit.

  • Fieldwire by Hilti San Francisco, CA
  • Who We’re Looking For We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Director, Information Security to join our team at Fieldwire, a leading provider of C... more
  • 11 Days Ago

  • Opal Security San Francisco, CA
  • About Opal Security At Opal, we’re building modern identity governance for the AI era—intelligent access management that empowers enterprises to move fast ... more
  • 7 Days Ago

AI Assistant is available now!

Feel free to start your new journey!