Application Engineer Jobs in Minnesota
Application Engineer jobs in Minnesota concentrate in industrial automation, medical devices, and enterprise software, with sustained demand from manufacturers and technology firms that treat the Twin Cities as a regional headquarters. Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester anchor most of the hiring, where companies like Honeywell, 3M, and Ecolab maintain large engineering operations. The most in-demand specialties are process automation, systems integration, and embedded hardware support. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Pay is based on several factors which vary based on position. These include labor markets and in some instances may include education, work experience and certifications. In addition to your pay, Target cares about and invests in you as a team member, so that you can take care of yourself and your family. Target offers eligible team members and their dependents comprehensive health benefits and programs, which may include medical, vision, dental, life insurance and more, to help you and your family take care of your whole selves. Other benefits for eligible team members include 401(k), employee discount, short term disability, long term disability, paid sick leave, paid national holidays, and paid vacation. Find competitive benefits from financial and education to well-being and beyond at https://corporate.target.com/careers/benefits.
JOIN TARGET AS A PRINCIPAL ENGINEER - APPLICATION SECURITY
About us:
Working at Target means helping all families discover the joy of everyday life. We bring that vision to life through our values and culture. Learn more about Target here.
About the Role:
We are seeking a Principal Application Security Engineer to provide technical leadership for our enterprise Application Security program. This role is responsible for advancing secure development practices, integrating security into the software development lifecycle, and partnering with engineering teams to reduce application risk through scalable security solutions.
The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise with strategic thinking, enables developers, scales security through automation, and influences engineering organizations without direct authority.
Application Security Expertise
- Provide technical leadership across Secure Software Development Lifecycle (SSDLC), Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), Software Composition Analysis (SCA), Threat Modeling, and Penetration Testing.
- Guide engineering teams in vulnerability remediation and secure coding best practices.
- Evaluate emerging application security technologies, emerging risks, and recommend pragmatic, risk-based improvements to application security capabilities.
- Partner with Security Architecture to ensure application security practices align with enterprise security standards and design principles.
Software Engineering and Automation
- Design and build automation that integrates security seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines.
- Develop tooling, APIs, and automation to improve developer experience and reduce manual effort.
- Partner with platform engineering teams to implement security controls within modern development workflows.
- Identify and implement opportunities to leverage AI and generative AI technologies to improve application security processes, automate repetitive tasks, enhance developer enablement, and accelerate vulnerability detection and remediation while ensuring responsible and secure use of AI.
Security Strategy and Program Leadership
- Help define the technical roadmap for the Application Security program.
- Develop strategies that scale security across a large engineering organization through automation, standardization, and self-service capabilities.
- Champion developer enablement by creating security guidance, reusable frameworks, documentation, and training.
- Establish and track metrics that measure program effectiveness and continuously improve security maturity.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Influence technical decisions through collaboration and technical leadership rather than organizational authority.
- Communicate security risks and recommendations effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
- Mentor engineers and promote security best practices across the organization.
Problem Solving and Technical Leadership
- Solve complex application security challenges involving modern software architectures and cloud-native platforms.
- Drive continuous improvement across security tooling, developer workflows, and vulnerability management processes.
- Provide technical leadership during the investigation and remediation of significant application security issues.
Core responsibilities of this job are described within this job description.
Job duties may change at any time due to business needs.
About You:
- BS/MS in Computer Science, Information Security, Engineering or equivalent industry work experience
- 10+ years of experience in software engineering, application security or related security engineering roles
- Demonstrated expertise across SSDLC, SAST, DAST, SCA, Threat Modeling, and Penetration Testing
- Strong software development experience in one or more modern programming languages
- Experience integrating security into modern CI/CD pipelines and DevSecOps workflows
- Proven experience building and scaling Application Security programs across large engineering organizations
- Experience leveraging AI and Generative AI technologies to improve engineering productivity, security operations, or software development workflows
- Demonstrated ability to evaluate, implement, and govern AI-enabled solutions while considering security, privacy, and organizational risk
- Excellent communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills
- Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across multiple teams
- Experience securing cloud-native applications in AWS, Azure or Google Cloud
- Experience with Kubernetes, containers, APIs, and microservices architectures
- Experience developing custom security tooling or automation
- Knowledge of modern software supply chain security practices
- Industry certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, GIAC, OSCP, or cloud security certifications a plus
This position will operate as a Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement based on Target’s needs. A Hybrid/Flex for Your Day work arrangement means the team member’s core role will need to be performed both onsite at the Target HQ MN location the role is assigned to and virtually, depending upon what your role, team and tasks require for that day. Work duties cannot be performed outside of the country of the primary work location, unless otherwise prescribed by Target. Click here if you are curious to learn more about Minnesota.
Benefits Eligibility
Please paste this url into your preferred browser to learn about benefits eligibility for this role: https://tgt.biz/BenefitsForYou_FAmericans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
In compliance with state and federal laws, Target will make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please reach out to candidate.accommodations@HRHelp.Target.com. Non-accommodation-related requests, such as application follow-ups or technical issues, will not be addressed through this channel.
Application deadline is : 09/10/2026See All 24 Application Engineer Jobs in Minnesota
Find roles in Minnesota that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Application Engineer JobsApplication Engineer Jobs by City in Minnesota
Where Minnesota roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Application Engineer Job Market in Minnesota
A snapshot from current Minnesota openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing
- Electronics & Hardware
What Minnesota Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in application engineer jobs across Minnesota.
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or a closely related technical field
- Hands-on experience with automation platforms, industrial control systems, or enterprise software applications
- Ability to read and interpret technical specifications, schematics, and system architecture documents
- Strong customer-facing communication skills for site visits, demos, and post-sale technical support
- Proficiency with CAD tools, simulation software, or the product suite the employer sells
- Willingness to travel regionally to customer sites for installation, training, and troubleshooting
Application Engineer Jobs in Minnesota: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a application engineer in Minnesota?
Most application engineer roles in Minnesota require a bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, computer, or systems engineering from an accredited program. Minnesota does not mandate a state-issued license for this title, but employers in regulated sectors such as medical devices frequently expect candidates to work toward a Professional Engineer credential through the Minnesota Board of Architecture, Engineering, Land Surveying, Landscape Architecture, Geoscience, and Interior Design. Relevant product certifications from major vendors strengthen applications considerably.
Which companies hire application engineers in Minnesota?
Companies currently hiring application engineers in Minnesota include Danfoss, CVS Health, and Daikin Applied, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. Minnesota's concentration of medical device, industrial automation, and enterprise technology firms means hiring cycles tend to be consistent rather than seasonal.
Which Minnesota cities have the most application engineer jobs?
Minneapolis, Eden Prairie, and Saint Paul lead Minnesota for application engineer openings. The Twin Cities metro drives the majority of postings because of its density of manufacturing headquarters, technology campuses, and medical device companies, while Rochester's concentration of healthcare and precision manufacturing employers adds a distinct cluster of openings outside the metro core.
Are there remote application engineer jobs in Minnesota?
Yes, but they're less common than in purely desk-based roles, since application engineers are regularly expected on customer sites. About 73% of application engineer openings tied to Minnesota are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with the remote share tilting toward software-focused or pre-sales roles where customer interaction happens primarily through video and documentation rather than on-site installation or commissioning.
How can I get hired as a application engineer in Minnesota with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a co-op or internship with a Minnesota manufacturer or technology firm during your final year of an engineering program, which many companies at the Honeywell or Stratasys scale treat as a direct pipeline for full-time offers. Entry-level titles like field service engineer, technical sales engineer, or product support specialist at mid-size automation and medical device firms in the Twin Cities frequently transition into application engineer roles within one to two years. Building a portfolio of hands-on lab or project work and earning a vendor certification in a dominant product line, such as a Rockwell Automation or Siemens controls credential, gives candidates without direct experience a concrete edge.
Where can I find and apply to application engineer jobs in Minnesota?
You can find and apply to application engineer jobs in Minnesota on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings from employers hiring in the state right now. Search the roles that fit your background and apply directly to the ones that match your experience and location preferences.
See All 24 Application Engineer Jobs in Minnesota
Find roles in Minnesota that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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