Job description
We are looking for an Application Security Engineer to own the end-to-end security posture of our product platform - spanning mobile applications, REST APIs, microservices, cloud infrastructure, and third-party integrations. In this role, the Application Security Engineer will be involved into the product and engineering lifecycle early, shaping secure design decisions before code is written, and validating them through rigorous assessment.
What you will be expected to do
- Own application security responsibility for assigned business functions by performing threat modeling, architecture reviews, penetration testing, secure coding programs, and vulnerability management.
- Perform manual penetration testing and vulnerability assessments on web applications, APIs, and android mobile applications.
- Perform security reviews for AI‐native products, models, pipelines, and inference services.
- Onboard applications into the SSDLC program and be a security point of contact for the application product.
- Own security incident response for product-layer issues, define remediation plans, and track fixes through to closure.
- Integrate and tune SAST/DAST/IAST/SCA tools in CI/CD, create custom rules where needed and actively triage false positives.
- Review and harden cloud infrastructure - Kubernetes RBAC, pod security, network policies, Istio service mesh, Keycloak/OIDC configurations, and IAM across AWS, DigitalOcean, GCP, and Firebase.
- Communicate vulnerabilities and risk clearly to developers, product managers, and leadership - in language that drives actionable results.
- Conduct application security training for engineers, product managers etc.
You might be a strong candidate if you have/are
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cyber Security, or any related fields.
- At least 2 years of hands-on application security experience, ideally in product‐based or SaaS companies working directly with engineering teams.
- Good understanding of OWASP Top 10, API Security Top 10, and common authorization flaws including BOLA, BFLA, and privilege escalation.
- Experience in manually testing web apps, APIs, and Android apps, manual code reviews (beyond just running tools).
- Familiarity with OAuth2, OIDC, JWT, and typical misconfigurations in providers such as Keycloak and Firebase.
- Experience integrating and tuning SAST/DAST (and optionally SCA/IAST) tools within CI/CD pipelines.
- Exposure to cloud‐native security: Kubernetes, containers, service mesh (Istio mTLS and policies), and IAM concepts across at least one major cloud provider.
- Experience with Cloudflare WAF, perimeter security scanning, and/or red‐team testing is a plus.
- Familiarity with AI/LLM security risks (e.g., OWASP LLM Top 10).
- Practical experience implementing guardrails, prompt validation, output filtering, or other safety controls in production AI features, or assessing insecure use of third‐party AI APIs.
- Ability to script/automate (e.g., Python, Bash) to streamline testing, data collection, and reporting.
- Interest in or experience with building AI based security tools that improve coverage or reduce manual toil.
What Sun King offers
- Professional growth in a dynamic, rapidly expanding, high-social-impact industry
- An open-minded, collaborative culture made up of enthusiastic colleagues who are driven by the challenge of innovation towards profound impact on people and the planet.
- A truly multicultural experience: you will have the chance to work with and learn from people from different geographies, nationalities, and backgrounds.
- Structured, tailored learning and development programs that help you become a better leader, manager, and professional through the Sun King Center for Leadership.
About this role
About Sun King
Company Overview
Sun King
HeadquartersNairobi, Kenya
Founded2007
SizeApproximately 34,000 employees globally (source: linkedin.com).
What They Do
Sun King specializes in off-grid solar energy solutions, evolving from basic solar lanterns to comprehensive home and business systems that include pay-as-you-go financing options. Their product range includes solar lanterns, solar home systems (SHS), solar inverters, and energy storage solutions utilizing lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) batteries, which boast a lifespan of over 10 years and more than 2,500 cycles (source: cbinsights.com). The company targets the 1.8 billion people globally who lack reliable grid access, providing affordable alternatives to kerosene and diesel for low-income households, small businesses, schools, and health centers across Africa and Asia (source: sunking.com). Sun King's proprietary EasyBuy technology allows customers to pay for their solar products in installments, making clean energy accessible to a broader audience (source: sunking.com). With a strong competitive position as the world's largest off-grid solar company by distribution scale, Sun King differentiates itself through its extensive field agent network and innovative product offerings (source: citigroup.com).
Projects & Track Record
Sun King has made significant strides in expanding solar access, having powered over 82 million people historically, with 18 million Kenyans benefiting from their products over the past decade. Notably, one in five Kenyans currently uses Sun King's solar solutions, and the company has seen its user base in Nigeria triple within the last year (source: physics.illinois.edu). The company has partnered with Imagine Worldwide to install solar systems in every primary school in Malawi, managing the entire value chain from manufacturing to installation (source: sunking.com). Additionally, a recent $156 million securitization deal closed in 2025 aims to provide solar access to 1.4 million Kenyan households and businesses through distributed rooftop systems (source: citigroup.com). The company is also expanding its manufacturing capabilities with a new 10,000-square-meter facility in Tatu City, Kenya, which will initially produce 700,000 solar units annually (source: expogr.com).
Recent Developments
In the past two years, Sun King has successfully closed a landmark $156 million local currency securitization with Citi and partners, aimed at delivering solar solutions to 1.4 million Kenyans, thereby supporting the country's electrification goals (source: citigroup.com). The company also inaugurated its first African manufacturing plant on December 1, 2025, in Tatu City, Kenya, which will produce solar products including TVs and smartphones, creating hundreds of jobs and an initial capacity of 700,000 units annually (source: pvknowhow.com). Earlier, a $260 million financing round provided $100 million specifically for the expansion into larger AC systems and appliances, further solidifying Sun King's market position (source: physics.illinois.edu). The company has maintained consistent profitability while scaling operations and rebranding fully to Sun King (source: physics.illinois.edu).
Working There
Sun King offers a variety of roles across different departments, including sales, operations, customer service, training, risk management, and research/procurement. The company employs over 34,000 field agents who are involved in sales, installation, and service, with a focus on hiring at their Nairobi headquarters and the new Tatu City manufacturing facility (source: sunking.com). The company culture emphasizes grassroots distribution and innovation tailored to off-grid needs, while also ensuring job stability and local economic impact through job creation and supply chain localization (source: physics.illinois.edu). Documented employee benefits include flexible financing options, comprehensive warranties on products, professional installation, after-sales support, and free maintenance checks, all contributing to a supportive work environment (source: sunking.com).
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