Pearson
Director of Engineering – Security & Compliance Engineering
Pearson, Des Moines, Iowa, United States, 50319
Director of Engineering – Security & Compliance Engineering
Location: USA (Hybrid/Remote flexibility)
Reports to: VP, Head of Engineering – PSG
About Pearson Software Group (PSG) Pearson Software Group powers Pearson’s Higher Education and PPG product lines, delivering world‑class learning platforms at scale (e.g., MyLab, Mastering, Pearson+, Exam Prep). PSG supports 5,000+ colleagues and millions of learners globally.
Role Overview The Director of Security & Compliance Engineering (S&C) is a hands‑on technical leader who embeds security into the SDLC, partnering with engineering to drive secure‑by‑design architecture, DevSecOps automation, and developer enablement. The role leads the PSG‑SC program to reduce risk, harden platforms, and streamline audits through engineering‑first practices and evidence from delivery systems.
Key Responsibilities
Architect and institutionalize secure SDLC practices (threat modeling, secure coding, dependency hygiene, automated testing, release gating).
Own DevSecOps integration across CI/CD (SAST/DAST/IAST, secrets scanning, SBOM, container/image hardening, IaC policy checks).
Drive “shift‑left” security through reusable CI/CD templates, policy‑as‑code, and golden paths.
Partner with platform/SRE to enforce WAF, API AuthN/AuthZ, mTLS, and runtime protections via guardrails—not gates.
Technical Enablement & Developer Experience
Publish “paved road” toolchains, reference architectures, and code libraries with secure defaults.
Stand up sandboxed environments (e.g., GitPod) and secure‑by‑default scaffolds to accelerate teams.
Deliver targeted training for engineers (OWASP, secrets, auth, threat modeling) tied to real code and pipelines.
SDLC Governance & Compliance
Lead SOC 2 Type 2, HECVAT, and institutional reviews using automated evidence from pipelines and platforms.
Define OKRs and SLAs for vulnerability remediation, secrets rotation, agent coverage, and audit readiness; publish executive dashboards.
Align compliance asks with product/engineering roadmaps; triage by business risk and customer impact.
Risk Management & Incident Response
Own vulnerability management (Qualys/Snyk/OSS posture), secrets lifecycle and key rotation, and perimeter/API security.
Continuously monitor control health; ensure clear ownership, escalation paths, and exception processes.
Improve MTTD/MTTR by integrating detections with engineering telemetry and runbooks.
Operational Excellence
Optimize run costs for security tooling and tests; ensure renewals/SOWs are timely and value‑based.
Report posture, compliance status, and maturity trends; drive continuous improvement and transparency.
Champion a blameless, learning culture that balances speed and safety.
Qualifications Required
10+ years in software engineering or DevSecOps; 5+ years leading secure SDLC at scale (cloud‑first; AWS preferred).
Expertise in CI/CD automation, SAST/DAST/IAST, SBOM/OSS governance, secrets management, and API/perimeter security.
Hands‑on experience integrating controls into developer workflows (policy‑as‑code, pipelines, pre‑commit/pre‑merge checks).
Proven delivery of SOC 2 Type 2/HECVAT using automated, system‑of‑record evidence.
Executive communication; OKR setting; budget ownership; ability to influence product/engineering/security.
Preferred
Certifications: CISSP, CISM, CCSP, AWS, or relevant DevSecOps credentials.
Experience in EdTech or regulated SaaS; institution‑facing security reviews.
Track record of automating compliance (evidence collection, control verification, reporting).
Compensation The minimum full‑time salary range is
$170,000 – $195,000 . This position is eligible to participate in an annual incentive program.
Application Window Applications will be accepted through until
31 Devember 2025 . This window may be extended depending on business needs.
Equal Opportunity Employer Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E‑Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law.
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Reports to: VP, Head of Engineering – PSG
About Pearson Software Group (PSG) Pearson Software Group powers Pearson’s Higher Education and PPG product lines, delivering world‑class learning platforms at scale (e.g., MyLab, Mastering, Pearson+, Exam Prep). PSG supports 5,000+ colleagues and millions of learners globally.
Role Overview The Director of Security & Compliance Engineering (S&C) is a hands‑on technical leader who embeds security into the SDLC, partnering with engineering to drive secure‑by‑design architecture, DevSecOps automation, and developer enablement. The role leads the PSG‑SC program to reduce risk, harden platforms, and streamline audits through engineering‑first practices and evidence from delivery systems.
Key Responsibilities
Architect and institutionalize secure SDLC practices (threat modeling, secure coding, dependency hygiene, automated testing, release gating).
Own DevSecOps integration across CI/CD (SAST/DAST/IAST, secrets scanning, SBOM, container/image hardening, IaC policy checks).
Drive “shift‑left” security through reusable CI/CD templates, policy‑as‑code, and golden paths.
Partner with platform/SRE to enforce WAF, API AuthN/AuthZ, mTLS, and runtime protections via guardrails—not gates.
Technical Enablement & Developer Experience
Publish “paved road” toolchains, reference architectures, and code libraries with secure defaults.
Stand up sandboxed environments (e.g., GitPod) and secure‑by‑default scaffolds to accelerate teams.
Deliver targeted training for engineers (OWASP, secrets, auth, threat modeling) tied to real code and pipelines.
SDLC Governance & Compliance
Lead SOC 2 Type 2, HECVAT, and institutional reviews using automated evidence from pipelines and platforms.
Define OKRs and SLAs for vulnerability remediation, secrets rotation, agent coverage, and audit readiness; publish executive dashboards.
Align compliance asks with product/engineering roadmaps; triage by business risk and customer impact.
Risk Management & Incident Response
Own vulnerability management (Qualys/Snyk/OSS posture), secrets lifecycle and key rotation, and perimeter/API security.
Continuously monitor control health; ensure clear ownership, escalation paths, and exception processes.
Improve MTTD/MTTR by integrating detections with engineering telemetry and runbooks.
Operational Excellence
Optimize run costs for security tooling and tests; ensure renewals/SOWs are timely and value‑based.
Report posture, compliance status, and maturity trends; drive continuous improvement and transparency.
Champion a blameless, learning culture that balances speed and safety.
Qualifications Required
10+ years in software engineering or DevSecOps; 5+ years leading secure SDLC at scale (cloud‑first; AWS preferred).
Expertise in CI/CD automation, SAST/DAST/IAST, SBOM/OSS governance, secrets management, and API/perimeter security.
Hands‑on experience integrating controls into developer workflows (policy‑as‑code, pipelines, pre‑commit/pre‑merge checks).
Proven delivery of SOC 2 Type 2/HECVAT using automated, system‑of‑record evidence.
Executive communication; OKR setting; budget ownership; ability to influence product/engineering/security.
Preferred
Certifications: CISSP, CISM, CCSP, AWS, or relevant DevSecOps credentials.
Experience in EdTech or regulated SaaS; institution‑facing security reviews.
Track record of automating compliance (evidence collection, control verification, reporting).
Compensation The minimum full‑time salary range is
$170,000 – $195,000 . This position is eligible to participate in an annual incentive program.
Application Window Applications will be accepted through until
31 Devember 2025 . This window may be extended depending on business needs.
Equal Opportunity Employer Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E‑Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law.
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