Application Security Engineer
Embed security into the software development lifecycle - design reviews, code audits, vuln triage.
This UK application security engineer career guide covers what the role involves day to day, typical salary at each stage, the usual entry route, the skills employers expect, and related careers worth comparing.
Quick facts
- Starting salary
- £50,000 - £70,000
- Mid-career salary
- £80,000 - £120,000
- Senior salary
- £140,000 - £200,000+
- Work environment
- Office or remote, desk-based
- Time to entry
- 1 - 3 years
- Degree required
- Helpful, not always required
- Category
- AI, Data and Automation
What a Application Security Engineer does
Embed security into the software development lifecycle - design reviews, code audits, vuln triage.
- SAST / DAST - Run code and runtime scanning at scale.
- Threat Modelling - Embed threat modelling into product teams.
- Secure SDLC - Run security champions and shift-left programmes.
- API Security - Specialise in REST / GraphQL / mTLS security.
How to become a Application Security Engineer
- Look up Application Security Engineer roles on LinkedIn or Indeed and read 5 real job ads
- Talk to someone already working as a Application Security Engineer - even a 15-minute call helps
- Find one beginner course or qualification used by people in this role
- Build one small piece of evidence you've explored this (project, shadowing, short course)
- Apply to one entry-level role or related opportunity within the next month
Key skills
- Secure coding
- OWASP
- Threat modelling
- SAST/DAST
- Developer empathy