Director, Software Engineering - Security - TripActions

Navan is looking for a visionary Director of Software Engineering to lead the development of our core security infrastructure and product-wide protection strategies. As we pivot toward a future defined by AI-driven natural language interfaces, you will be the primary architect of a platform that balances rapid innovation with world-class defense-in-depth.

You will lead a high-impact team of 3 product security engineers focused on application security and 5 software engineers focused on building the foundational services (AuthN/AuthZ, Encryption, and fraud prevention that power the Navan ecosystem. You aren't just an advisor; you are an owner. You will drive a culture of execution and quality, ensuring security is not a bottleneck, but a built-in feature of everything we build.

What You’ll Do

• Leading and Scaling: Manage a specialized team of 8–10 software and security engineers, driving a culture of high-velocity execution and technical excellence.
• Hands-on Technical Leadership: Act as a player-coach who maintains deep technical credibility. You are a hands-on leader who isn't afraid to get into the code or perform deep architectural reviews when the team is tackling its toughest challenges.
• Architect Core Services: Oversee the design and implementation of highly scalable security frameworks for authentication, authorization, and encryption, including cutting-edge transitions to Passkeys and AI identities.
• Product Partnership: Collaborate closely with Product Management to define, prioritize, and deliver on the strategic security roadmap, balancing service stability with high-impact feature innovation.
• AI & Emerging Tech: Secure the next generation of Navan products, specifically focusing on the security implications of LLM-integrated natural language interfaces and AI-driven workflows.
• Operational Excellence: Partner with customer-facing organizations (Support, Customer Success) to improve service delivery, address vulnerabilities, and ensure "Security by Design" results in better customer outcomes.
• Lead security incidents, investigate and identify root cause, drive technical choices and remediation when needed. Work closely with teams across the company including engineering, product, Sales, customer success, finance and legal.

What We’re Looking For 

• BS/MS in Computer Science or a related engineering/technical field.
• 12+ years of progressive experience in technical engineering roles, with at least 4 years in a leadership capacity managing high-performing software teams.
• Engineering Depth: Deep expertise in the full stack, specifically with Java / Spring Framework, distributed systems, and Cloud Infrastructure (AWS or GCP).
• Comfortable writing and fixing Java code - while you are a team leader, you will be expected to contribute code when needed.
• Bonus points: Identity & Access Specialist: In-depth knowledge of modern authentication (SAML, JWT, OIDC, Passkeys) and complex multi-tenant authorization frameworks.
• Bonus points: Proven experience operating within an Agile/CI/CD lifecycle, integrating "Security as Code" (SAST, DAST, SCA) directly into the developer workflow.
• Executive Presence: Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical risks into business impact for executive stakeholders.