Principal Engineer - AI Red Team (Threat Research and Adversarial AI)
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Location:San Jose, California, US
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Alternate LocationAnywhere in the US
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Area of InterestSecurity
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Compensation Range227100 USD - 323500 USD
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Job TypeProfessional
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Technology InterestAI or Artificial Intelligence, Security, Software Development
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Job Id1441250
The application window is expected to close on: June 30th, 5 PM ET 2025
Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Meet the Team
The Cisco AI Software & Platform Group incubates and delivers Generative AI based solutions to reinvent Cisco's existing Products and how customers interact with them. Our Group is also introducing new offerings that help customers roll out Generative AI at scale while doing so responsibly. Ultimately, we are doing so through internal platforms that unlock the benefits of this technology for Cisco teams and partners across our Security, Enterprise Networking, Collaboration and Splunk portfolios.
https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/products/security/ai-defense/index.html
Your Impact
Cisco is seeking a Principal Engineer - AI Red Team to join our cutting-edge AI and Security organization. This role is pivotal in advancing the safety, reliability, and security of AI systems at Cisco. As the lead of AI Red Team, you will identify, assess, and mitigate risks across our AI and machine learning (ML) products and services. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, you will simulate adversarial tactics, ensure system resiliency, and help shape the future of secure AI technologies.
• Lead an advanced red team focused on adversarial testing of AI/ML systems, identifying vulnerabilities across application, infrastructure, and cloud environments.
• Develop and execute sophisticated adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to emulate real-world threats targeting AI models and systems.
• Partner with product teams to analyze and mitigate risks in generative AI and language models, ensuring robust safeguards against adversarial manipulation.
• Prototype and deploy tools to automate vulnerability discovery and adversarial emulation, scaling impact across Cisco’s AI platforms.
• Collaborate with blue teams and security engineers to improve detection, investigation, and incident response capabilities for AI-specific threats.
• Drive technical investigations, analyzing AI safety risks and producing actionable insights to enhance system reliability and trustworthiness.
• Design and implement frameworks for secure data pipelines, ensuring quality, scalability, and compliance with customer and regulatory requirements.
• Engage with customers, diverse stakeholders, including engineering, product, and operations teams, to create actionable solutions for secure AI deployment.
• Stay at the forefront of AI safety research, adversarial machine learning, and threat intelligence, leveraging insights to guide Cisco’s AI strategy.
• Advocate for security best practices across the organization, providing clear communication on the impact of identified risks to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Minimum Qualifications
• 5+ years of experience in cybersecurity, red teaming, penetration testing, or identifying security vulnerabilities in complex systems or similar background.
• Hands-on experience with adversarial testing of AI/ML systems or deep interest in AI safety and adversarial machine learning.
• Strong proficiency in programming languages such as Python, with the ability to develop tools for vulnerability assessment and automation.
Preferred Qualifications
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related discipline.
• Experience in designing and securing AI/ML pipelines, with expertise in data taxonomy, labeling, and safety mechanisms.
• Familiarity with adversarial machine learning research and hands-on experimentation with AI models.
• Experience in building and managing red team operations or conducting security assessments for AI-driven platforms.
• Strong entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for identifying and addressing emerging security challenges in frontier AI technologies.
• Ability to develop and scale analytics frameworks for data-driven decision-making in AI safety and adversarial testing.
• Knowledge of regulatory and compliance standards for AI and data security.
Why Cisco
The Internet of Everything is a phenomenon driving new opportunities for Cisco and it's redefining our customers' businesses worldwide. We are pioneers and have been since the early days of connectivity. Today, we are building teams that are expanding our technology solutions in the mobile, cloud, security, IT, and big data spaces, including software and consulting services. As Cisco delivers the network that powers the Internet, we are connecting the unconnected. Imagine creating unprecedented disruption. Your groundbreaking ideas will impact everything from retail, healthcare, and entertainment, to public and private sectors, and far beyond. Collaborate with like-minded innovators in a fun and flexible culture that has earned Cisco global recognition as a Great Place to work. With roughly 10 billion connected things in the world now and over 50 billion estimated in the future, your career has exponential possibilities at Cisco.
Day to day, we focus on the give and take. We give our best, give our egos a break, and give of ourselves (because giving back is built into our DNA.) We take accountability, bold steps, and take difference to heart. Because without diversity of thought and a dedication to equality for all, there is no moving forward. So, you have colorful hair? Don’t care. Tattoos? Show off your ink. Like polka dots? That’s cool. Pop culture geek? Many of us are. A passion for technology and world changing? Be you, with us!
We offer extensive employee benefits including unlimited PTO, 10 paid volunteering days, paid birthday off, 401k match with NO vesting, generous health/dental/vision benefits and much more.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
#wearecisco
#CiscoAIJobs
The application window is expected to close on: June 30th, 5 PM ET 2025
Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Meet the Team
The Cisco AI Software & Platform Group incubates and delivers Generative AI based solutions to reinvent Cisco's existing Products and how customers interact with them. Our Group is also introducing new offerings that help customers roll out Generative AI at scale while doing so responsibly. Ultimately, we are doing so through internal platforms that unlock the benefits of this technology for Cisco teams and partners across our Security, Enterprise Networking, Collaboration and Splunk portfolios.
https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/products/security/ai-defense/index.html
Your Impact
Cisco is seeking a Principal Engineer - AI Red Team to join our cutting-edge AI and Security organization. This role is pivotal in advancing the safety, reliability, and security of AI systems at Cisco. As the lead of AI Red Team, you will identify, assess, and mitigate risks across our AI and machine learning (ML) products and services. Collaborating with cross-functional teams, you will simulate adversarial tactics, ensure system resiliency, and help shape the future of secure AI technologies.
• Lead an advanced red team focused on adversarial testing of AI/ML systems, identifying vulnerabilities across application, infrastructure, and cloud environments.
• Develop and execute sophisticated adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to emulate real-world threats targeting AI models and systems.
• Partner with product teams to analyze and mitigate risks in generative AI and language models, ensuring robust safeguards against adversarial manipulation.
• Prototype and deploy tools to automate vulnerability discovery and adversarial emulation, scaling impact across Cisco’s AI platforms.
• Collaborate with blue teams and security engineers to improve detection, investigation, and incident response capabilities for AI-specific threats.
• Drive technical investigations, analyzing AI safety risks and producing actionable insights to enhance system reliability and trustworthiness.
• Design and implement frameworks for secure data pipelines, ensuring quality, scalability, and compliance with customer and regulatory requirements.
• Engage with customers, diverse stakeholders, including engineering, product, and operations teams, to create actionable solutions for secure AI deployment.
• Stay at the forefront of AI safety research, adversarial machine learning, and threat intelligence, leveraging insights to guide Cisco’s AI strategy.
• Advocate for security best practices across the organization, providing clear communication on the impact of identified risks to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Minimum Qualifications
• 5+ years of experience in cybersecurity, red teaming, penetration testing, or identifying security vulnerabilities in complex systems or similar background.
• Hands-on experience with adversarial testing of AI/ML systems or deep interest in AI safety and adversarial machine learning.
• Strong proficiency in programming languages such as Python, with the ability to develop tools for vulnerability assessment and automation.
Preferred Qualifications
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related discipline.
• Experience in designing and securing AI/ML pipelines, with expertise in data taxonomy, labeling, and safety mechanisms.
• Familiarity with adversarial machine learning research and hands-on experimentation with AI models.
• Experience in building and managing red team operations or conducting security assessments for AI-driven platforms.
• Strong entrepreneurial mindset with a passion for identifying and addressing emerging security challenges in frontier AI technologies.
• Ability to develop and scale analytics frameworks for data-driven decision-making in AI safety and adversarial testing.
• Knowledge of regulatory and compliance standards for AI and data security.
Why Cisco
The Internet of Everything is a phenomenon driving new opportunities for Cisco and it's redefining our customers' businesses worldwide. We are pioneers and have been since the early days of connectivity. Today, we are building teams that are expanding our technology solutions in the mobile, cloud, security, IT, and big data spaces, including software and consulting services. As Cisco delivers the network that powers the Internet, we are connecting the unconnected. Imagine creating unprecedented disruption. Your groundbreaking ideas will impact everything from retail, healthcare, and entertainment, to public and private sectors, and far beyond. Collaborate with like-minded innovators in a fun and flexible culture that has earned Cisco global recognition as a Great Place to work. With roughly 10 billion connected things in the world now and over 50 billion estimated in the future, your career has exponential possibilities at Cisco.
Day to day, we focus on the give and take. We give our best, give our egos a break, and give of ourselves (because giving back is built into our DNA.) We take accountability, bold steps, and take difference to heart. Because without diversity of thought and a dedication to equality for all, there is no moving forward. So, you have colorful hair? Don’t care. Tattoos? Show off your ink. Like polka dots? That’s cool. Pop culture geek? Many of us are. A passion for technology and world changing? Be you, with us!
We offer extensive employee benefits including unlimited PTO, 10 paid volunteering days, paid birthday off, 401k match with NO vesting, generous health/dental/vision benefits and much more.
We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodation.
#wearecisco
#CiscoAIJobs
When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.
Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco’s flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco’s Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.
Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:
.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;
1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;
1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.
For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.
