Application & Development Security Lead in London, United Kingdom

WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. 

We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. 
 
We work with the world's most valuable brands and have global reach across 100+ markets, with deep local expertise.
 
Our people are the key to our success. We're committed to fostering a culture of creativity, belonging and continuous learning, attracting and developing the brightest talent, and providing exciting career opportunities that help our people grow. 
 
For more information, visit WPP.com.
 

Why we're hiring:

We're looking for an  Application & Development Security Lead to help shape and strengthen secure software development governance across one of the world's largest technology and creative ecosystems. Working within WPP's Digital Security & Risk Management team, you'll partner with engineering, product and platform teams to govern secure-by-design ways of working, improve software security governance, and provide oversight across modern development environments.

This role isn't about writing code day-to-day. Instead, you'll influence governance of how secure software is built, deployed and maintained across cloud-native platforms, APIs, AI-enabled applications and global engineering teams. 

This is an opportunity to influence software security governance at global scale, helping shape how security supports innovation across one of the world's largest and most diverse technology environments. You'll work alongside talented security and engineering professionals while helping build secure, resilient products and platforms for the future.

What you'll be doing:

• Define and evolve secure software development standards, guardrails and governance practices.
• Partner with engineering and product teams to embed security into development lifecycles and delivery processes.
• Improve visibility and management of software security risks, including vulnerabilities, insecure coding trends and dependency risks.
• Strengthen governance of software supply chains, open-source dependencies and Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) practices.
• Support the development of secure CI/CD pipelines through controls such as code scanning, secrets detection and release governance.
• Help shape WPP's approach to securing AI-enabled applications, including areas such as prompt injection resilience, agent controls and data protection.
• Provide insight, reporting and challenge to ensure software security risks are understood, prioritised and effectively managed.
• Drive continuous improvements in software security maturity across the organisation.

What you'll need:

• Experience in application security, software security, DevSecOps, software assurance or technical security governance.

• Strong understanding of Secure SDLC, application security and modern software development practices.

• Knowledge of CI/CD security, cloud-native environments and software supply chain risk.

• Experience working closely with engineering teams to improve security outcomes.

• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence technical and non-technical audiences.

• A pragmatic approach to balancing security, risk and delivery.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure or Google Cloud.
• Knowledge of SAST, DAST, SCA or software security tools.
• Experience with AI-enabled applications and emerging software security challenges.
• Security certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP or equivalent.

Who you are:

You're open : We are inclusive and collaborative; we encourage the free exchange of ideas; we respect and celebrate diverse views. We are open-minded: to new ideas, new partnerships, new ways of working.

You're optimistic : We believe in the power of creativity, technology and talent to create brighter futures or our people, our clients and our communities. We approach all that we do with conviction: to try the new and to seek the unexpected.

You're extraordinary: we are stronger together: through collaboration we achieve the amazing. We are creative leaders and pioneers of our industry; we provide extraordinary every day.

What we'll give you:

Passionate, inspired people – We aim to create a culture in which people can do extraordinary work.

Scale and opportunity – We offer the opportunity to create, influence and complete projects at a scale that is unparalleled in the industry.

Challenging and stimulating work – Unique work and the opportunity to join a group of creative problem solvers. Are you up for the challenge?

#LI-Hybrid 

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.

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