Lead Adversarial AI Engineer

The MITRE Corporation

$174K — $261K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years of AI experience with relevant Bachelor's; 6+ years with Master's; or 3+ years with a PhD; or equivalent work/education.
  • Advanced understanding of AI/ML theory and ability to assess system vulnerabilities.
  • Hands-on experience in agentic AI, deep reinforcement learning, or generative AI.
  • Experience in AI security topics such as red teaming and adversarial AI.
  • Familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK.
  • Capacity to communicate complex AI concepts to non-technical audiences.
  • Proven leadership skills within interdisciplinary teams.
  • Active TS/SCI security clearance with willingness to complete a polygraph.

Responsibilities

  • Lead cross-functional teams to analyze AI adversarial threats and identify vulnerabilities.
  • Collaborate with military and intelligence agencies to align on needs and technologies.
  • Drive innovation in AI capabilities addressing cyber challenges.
  • Prepare briefings and white papers to explain technical concepts to diverse audiences.
  • Mentor and guide team members in technical initiatives.

Benefits

  • Hybrid work model offering flexibility between remote and on-site work.
  • Opportunities for professional development in advanced AI techniques.
  • Collaboration with leading experts across government, industry, and academia.
  • Engagement with pressing real-world challenges in AI assurance.
Full Job Description
Department Summary:

MITRE's Trustworthy & Secure AI (TSAI) Department consists of a diverse team united by a passion and a sense of urgency to harness trustworthy and assured artificial intelligence (AI) to help solve problems in the public interest. The TSAI Department supports our sponsors' missions by delivering capabilities for securing and increasing trust in AI-enabled systems, including data driven AI risk awareness and mitigation, AI red teaming, and trusted tools and techniques for applying AI in high consequence environments. The TSAI Department works across government, industry, and academia to provide, assess, and shape trustworthy and secure AI systems to address complex mission needs for our sponsors. Our work provides opportunities to address real-world challenges in the rapidly developing field of AI assurance, and to research and prototype new methods to address mission needs. We are looking for highly motivated, adaptive, and self-directed candidates to perform research, development, engineering, evaluation, and integration of secure AI systems.

Roles & Responsibilities:

The position involves assessing threats to AI systems, research and development of defenses and mitigations against adversarial AI tactics and techniques, and integrating AI solutions into government systems. Specific responsibilities will include:
  • Provide technical leadership on cross-functional teams performing AI adversarial threat analysis to identify and characterize vulnerabilities in real-world national security systems
  • Work across military and intelligence community sponsors to understand shared needs and technologies
  • Provide thought leadership supporting the innovation of new AI capabilities applied to cyber operational challenges
  • Convey complex ideas to non-technical audiences through briefings and/or white papers
  • Lead, mentor, and collaborate with technical staff


Basic Qualifications:
  • Typically requires a minimum of 8 years of experience in artificial intelligence with a Bachelor's degree in a relevant field; or 6 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 3 years' experience; or equivalent combination of AI-related education and work experience.
  • Advanced understanding of foundational AI/ML theory, with demonstrated ability to reason about AI system behavior, vulnerabilities, and evaluation
  • Hands-on experience with one or more of the following technical areas: agentic AI, deep reinforcement learning, computer vision, generative AI
  • Hands-on experience with one or more of the following AI security topics: AI red teaming, AI T&E, adversarial AI, AI-enhanced cybersecurity, AI strategy and governance
  • Familiarity with cybersecurity frameworks and models such as MITRE ATT&CK
  • Ability to translate technical AI and cyber concepts into operationally relevant insights, recommendations, and actions for mission stakeholders
  • Proven ability to lead interdisciplinary teams and engage senior mission stakeholders across technical and operational domains
  • Active IC or DOD TS/SCI security clearance
  • Ability and willingness to successfully complete a full-scope polygraph within 12 months from the date of hire
  • Per the U.S. Government's eligibility requirements, you must be a U.S Citizen to be considered for a security clearance
  • This position requires a minimum of 50% hybrid on-site


Preferred Qualifications:
  • Advanced degree in computer science, engineering, or related disciplines
  • Track record of successful deployment of AI/ML systems or components that have been used by customers or stakeholders outside of a lab/experimental setting
  • Demonstrated experience in offensive and/or defensive cyber operations, including the ability to understand adversary behavior, identify vulnerabilities, develop response options, and support mission-relevant cyber activities
  • Knowledge of military cyber operations, including an understanding of how cyber capabilities are applied in support of operational objectives
  • Experience generating or analyzing intelligence reporting data
  • Active IC or DOD TS/SCI security clearance with FS poly


This requisition requires the candidate to have a minimum of the following clearance(s):
Top Secret/SCI

This requisition requires the hired candidate to have or obtain, within one year from the date of hire, the following clearance(s):
Top Secret/SCI/Polygraph

Salary compensation range and midpoint:
$174,000 - $217,500 - $261,000 Annual

Work Location Type:
Hybrid

Benefits information may be found here.

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