Autonomous Vulnerability Research Lead (AI)

TL;DR

Autonomous Vulnerability Research Lead (AI): Building and leading a new team to develop an agentic vulnerability research platform with an accent on AI-powered discovery, exploit validation, and automated remediation. Focus on integrating frontier AI models with offensive security workflows to create a scalable, resilient security capability within a highly regulated financial environment.

Location: Must be based in the UK with a hybrid work pattern (at least 40% time in office in Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, or Manchester).

Salary: £92,701–£138,864 (varies by location).

Company

hirify.global is a major financial services provider committed to building the future of finance through innovation and sustainable business practices.

What you will do

• Build and lead the Autonomous Vulnerability Research team, defining strategy, roadmap, and operating models.
• Design and deliver an agentic vulnerability research harness and supporting platform services.
• Develop autonomous workflows for vulnerability discovery, validation, prioritization, and remediation.
• Integrate frontier AI models and security tooling into a scalable, production-ready research platform.
• Establish governance, observability, and safety controls to ensure credible and secure outcomes.
• Partner with Offensive Security, AI Security, and Architecture teams to operationalize research capabilities.

Requirements

• Must be based in the UK and able to work in a hybrid capacity.
• Proven experience leading engineering, security research, or offensive security teams.
• Deep knowledge of vulnerability research, penetration testing, or exploit development.
• Strong understanding of AI systems, LLMs, agentic architectures, and AI evaluation techniques.
• Proficiency in software engineering (Python, Go, Rust, or Java) and cloud-native architectures.
• Experience building new teams and capabilities from inception to production.

Nice to have

• MSc or PhD in Computer Science, Cyber Security, AI, or Machine Learning.
• Experience with AI red teaming, LLM security testing, or adversarial machine learning.
• Background in operating within highly regulated environments like financial services.
• Contributions to open-source security projects or vulnerability research.

Culture & Benefits

• Generous pension contribution of up to 15%.
• Annual performance-related bonus and share schemes.
• 30 days of holiday plus bank holidays.
• Comprehensive wellbeing initiatives and parental leave policies.
• Flexible working options including job share and hybrid attendance.