Security Expert - SAP SuccessFactors

We help the world run better
At SAP, we keep it simple: you bring your best to us, and we'll bring out the best in you. We're builders touching over 20 industries and 80% of global commerce, and we need your unique talents to help shape what's next. The work is challenging – but it matters. You'll find a place where you can be yourself, prioritize your wellbeing, and truly belong. What's in it for you? Constant learning, skill growth, great benefits, and a team that wants you to grow and succeed. 

Please note: This is a hybrid role based from our Palo Alto, CA office. There is no relocation support available for the position.

Meet your team

SAP SuccessFactors is a leading cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) suite designed to help organizations manage their workforce effectively and efficiently. This comprehensive suite covers a wide range of HR processes, from payroll and employee records to talent management and analytics, all delivered through the scalability and accessibility of the cloud.

With SAP SuccessFactors, businesses can streamline their HR operations, improve employee engagement, and make data-driven decisions to enhance overall organizational performance. The platform integrates seamlessly with existing SAP systems and other third-party applications, providing a unified solution for managing HR processes across the entire enterprise.

By leveraging SAP SuccessFactors, organizations can transform their HR departments into strategic partners that drive business success through effective workforce management and development. Its user-friendly interface and robust analytics empower HR professionals to make informed decisions that align with organizational goals and foster a productive work environment.

As businesses continue to adapt to changing market dynamics and digital transformation, SAP SuccessFactors remains a pivotal tool in shaping a responsive and agile workforce strategy that meets both current and future challenges.

What you'll do

• Support the modernization of a legacy Java-based platform into a cloud-native and AI-native architecture
• Assist in building and improving shared platform capabilities across data, roles, permissions, security, infrastructure, and service communication
• Contribute to platform services involving API gateways, service mesh, feature flags, secrets management, and service discovery
• Support engineering work across platform capabilities such as Vault, Consul, database frameworks, messaging systems, and integration services
• Assist with event-driven and messaging patterns using technologies such as Kafka
• Help support platform readiness for modern AI workloads, including infrastructure patterns related to GPUs, agents, and MCP-connected services
• Contribute to integration efforts with enterprise data platforms
• Assist in improving access control, security patterns, configuration management, and platform reliability
• Help create internal tooling, documentation, and reusable frameworks that improve the developer experience
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including infrastructure, security, data, and application engineering
• Define and own the security solutions for SAP SuccessFactors Applications Foundation, designing end-to-end solutions for auditing and incident response that meet high-volume SaaS requirements including security, scalability, availability, and compliance.
• Lead the design and development of audit trail systems, security event logging pipelines, and incident detection and response frameworks across the platform.
• Efficient handling of security incident, escalation, timely resolution, incident root cause investigation and short/long term solutions.
• Engage with Product Managers, Engineering Managers, the CTO office, and cross-functional teams to align security architecture with the overall product vision and roadmap.
• Drive the technical direction for auditing and incident response capabilities; lead architecture reviews, design sessions, and provide expert guidance on open design questions.
• Own the development, testing, implementation, maintenance, and operational aspects of security audit and incident response solutions.
• Thoroughly document security architecture, technical designs, audit frameworks, and incident response playbooks to facilitate maintenance and future development.
• Evaluate and introduce emerging security technologies and best practices relevant to auditing, forensics, and incident management.
• Spend approximately 70–80% of your time on hands-on coding and leverage AI tools for productivity improvement.

What you bring

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Information Security, or a related field, with solid CS fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, databases, distributed systems).
• 10+ years of hands-on software development experience, including 5+ years of Java development on large-scale distributed systems.
• Proven track record designing security architecture for cloud SaaS platforms, with deep expertise in auditing, security event management, and incident response.
• Strong expertise in security domains: IAM, key management, data encryption, audit logging, SIEM integration, and forensic data capture.
• Demonstrated expertise in at least three of the following: API gateways, messaging (Kafka), Redis, Elasticsearch, JVM, Spring Framework, Tomcat, microservices architecture, and CI/CD.
• Deep understanding of 'shift-left' application security methodology; experience with vulnerability management tools and threat modeling frameworks (e.g., STRIDE).
• Familiarity with security and compliance standards (e.g., SOC2, ISO 27001, GDPR, PCI-DSS) and their implications on audit and incident response design.
• Strong understanding of object-oriented programming, design patterns, and application security principles.
• Solid foundation in relational databases and SQL; experience with distributed data stores used for audit and log retention.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies, TDD, and DevOps practices with an inherent sense of end-to-end ownership.
• Excellent problem-solving, communication, and interpersonal skills; ability to influence and collaborate across teams and leadership levels.
• Professional proficiency in English (written and verbal).
• Certifications such as CISSP, CISM, GSEC, or CEH are strongly desired.

Bring out your best
SAP innovations help more than four hundred thousand customers worldwide work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively. Originally known for leadership in enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, SAP has evolved to become a market leader in end-to-end business application software and related services for database, analytics, intelligent technologies, and experience management. As a cloud company with two hundred million users and more than one hundred thousand employees worldwide, we are purpose-driven and future-focused, with a highly collaborative team ethic and commitment to personal development. Whether connecting global industries, people, or platforms, we help ensure every challenge gets the solution it deserves. At SAP, you can bring out your best.  

We win with inclusion
SAP’s culture of inclusion, focus on health and well-being, and flexible working models help ensure that everyone – regardless of background – feels included and can run at their best. At SAP, we believe we are made stronger by the unique capabilities and qualities that each person brings to our company, and we invest in our employees to inspire confidence and help everyone realize their full potential. We ultimately believe in unleashing all talent and creating a better world.

SAP is committed to the values of Equal Employment Opportunity and provides accessibility accommodations to applicants with physical and/or mental disabilities. If you are interested in applying for employment with SAP and are in need of accommodation or special assistance to navigate our website or to complete your application, please send an e-mail with your request to Recruiting Operations Team: Careers@sap.com.

For SAP employees: Only permanent roles are eligible for the SAP Employee Referral Program, according to the eligibility rules set in the SAP Referral Policy. Specific conditions may apply for roles in Vocational Training.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their age, race, religion, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, et al), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, protected veteran status, or disability.

Compensation Range Transparency: SAP believes the value of pay transparency contributes towards an honest and supportive culture and is a significant step toward demonstrating SAP’s commitment to pay equity. SAP provides the annualized compensation range inclusive of base salary and variable incentive target for the career level applicable to the posted role. The targeted annual combined range for this position is 198200-420000USD. The actual amount to be offered to the successful candidate will be within that range, dependent upon the key aspects of each case which may include education, skills, experience, scope of the role, location, etc. as determined through the selection process. Any SAP variable incentive includes a targeted dollar amount and any actual payout amount is dependent on company and personal performance. Please reference this link for a summary of SAP benefits and eligibility requirements: SAP North America Benefits.

AI Usage in the Recruitment Process

For information on the responsible use of AI in our recruitment process, please refer to our Guidelines for Ethical Usage of AI in the Recruiting Process.

Please note that any violation of these guidelines may result in disqualification from the hiring process.

Requisition ID: 451251  | Work Area: Software-Design and Development  | Expected Travel: 0 - 10%  | Career Status: Professional  | Employment Type: Regular Full Time   | Additional Locations:  #LI-Hybrid