Research Engineer / Scientist (Cybersecurity)

TL;DR

Research Engineer / Scientist (Cybersecurity): Developing systems, tools, and frameworks for AI-empowered cybersecurity with an accent on autonomous vulnerability discovery, malware detection, and pentesting. Focus on designing experiments to elicit and evaluate autonomous AI cyber capabilities and informing policy through technical demonstrations.

Location: Hybrid in San Francisco, CA. Visa sponsorship is available.

Salary: $350,000–$850,000 USD

Company

hirify.global is a public benefit corporation focused on creating reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems for safety and societal benefit.

What you will do

• Develop systems and frameworks for AI-empowered cybersecurity, including autonomous vulnerability discovery and malware detection.
• Design and run experiments to evaluate autonomous AI cyber capabilities in realistic scenarios.
• Build infrastructure for enabling AI systems to operate in security environments.
• Translate technical findings into compelling demonstrations for policymakers and the public.
• Collaborate with external experts in cybersecurity, national security, and AI safety.
• For Senior candidates: Set research strategy, define problems, and own the technical roadmap.

Requirements

• Deep expertise in cybersecurity or security research.
• Experience with technical research using LLM-based agents or autonomous systems.
• Strong software engineering skills, particularly in Python.
• Ability to own entire problems end-to-end, including technical and non-technical components.
• Driven to find solutions to complex, high-stakes problems with real-world impact.
• Work from San Francisco, CA (hybrid) with visa sponsorship available.

Nice to have

• Experience with offensive security research, vulnerability research, or exploit development.
• Research or professional experience applying LLMs to security problems.
• Track record in competitive CTFs, bug bounties, or other security competitions.
• Experience building security tools or automation.
• Familiarity with AI safety research and threat modeling for advanced AI systems.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on a single cohesive team on large-scale research efforts focused on steerable, trustworthy AI.
• Collaborative environment with frequent research discussions.
• Competitive compensation and benefits with optional equity donation matching.
• Generous vacation and parental leave, flexible working hours.
• Lovely office space in San Francisco, CA.