AI Security & Control Researcher

Location: In-person work from the London or San Francisco office, with some work-from-home arrangements.

Salary: $204,000–$385,000 in San Francisco; £136,000–£258,000 in London.

Company

hirify.global studies AI loss-of-control risks, develops scheming detection and control methods, and builds Watcher, a security product for coding-agent deployments.

What you will do

• Develop threat models for coding agents treated as potentially compromised or malicious insiders.
• Map attack progressions and maintain concrete, testable coding-agent security levels for Watcher.
• Maintain the failure-mode library and track research on coding-agent security, AI security, prompt injection, deception, and supply-chain attacks.
• Design realistic attack trajectories and exploits for monitor development, training, and backtesting.
• Adjudicate flagged agent trajectories and distinguish genuine attacks from unusual but benign workflows.
• Red-team Watcher monitors and policies, document findings, and build adversarial test suites with technical research staff.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of hands-on technical security experience, excluding purely GRC or compliance work.
• Direct experience with security research, threat modeling, or offensive security.
• Ability to read code, understand infrastructure, and evaluate technical controls.
• Ability to work independently on ambiguous, open-ended research questions in a small, fast-moving team.
• Strong written communication for threat models, security levels, and failure-mode documentation.
• Ability to work in person from the London or San Francisco office.

Nice to have

• Experience with AI/ML systems security, LLM security, or AI control research.
• Detection engineering, SOC, or incident analysis experience.
• Insider-threat programs, red teaming, offensive security, or formal AI safety research experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Individual-contributor role with significant influence over the role's direction and potential future management responsibilities.
• Flexible working hours and some work-from-home arrangements.
• Unlimited vacation and sick leave, plus up to six months of paid parental leave.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance, with retirement savings and employer matching.
• Paid work trips, including retreats, business trips, and relevant conferences, plus a $1,000 annual professional development budget.
• Visa sponsorship in both the UK and US, with relocation support and visa-fee coverage where applicable.

Hiring process

• Screening interview, followed by a three-hour take-home test.
• Three technical interviews and a final interview with the CEO.
• No general LeetCode-style coding interview; AI tools may be used for the take-home assignment.