Junior AI Specialist

Fortinet, Inc.; Burnaby; On-site; CAD 79,000 - 97,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Critical illness, disability, and life insurance

Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan with company match

Competitive Paid Time Off

Job summary

A cybersecurity firm is seeking a Junior AI Cybersecurity Specialist in Burnaby, Canada, to employ machine learning in threat detection. Responsibilities include developing AI tools for automating security processes, collaborating with experts, and analyzing emerging threats. Required qualifications include a Bachelor's or Master's degree in relevant fields and experience with key programming languages and ML frameworks. A comprehensive benefits package is offered along with a competitive salary ranging from $79,000 to $97,000 annually.

Qualifications

• 0-2 years of related experience.
• Strong knowledge of network protocols, encryption, and endpoint security.
• Solid understanding of data science.
• Deep understanding of how artificial intelligence works.

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy machine learning models to identify anomalies and malware.
• Secure AI/ML pipelines against various attacks.
• Develop AI-driven security automation.
• Analyze emerging threats and create IoCs.
• Collaborate with Data Scientists and DevOps.

Skills

Python

Java

SQL

AWS

Azure

GCP

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Scikit-learn

Docker

Kubernetes

Spark

Flink

Hadoop

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Data Science, or related field

Job description

The FortiGuard IoC team is looking for a junior AI Cybersecurity Specialist who is passionate about using AI to defend against threat actors.

You will be at the forefront of an arms race: using machine learning to detect advanced threats and building various AI tools to automate threat processes.

Responsibilities

• Threat Detection: Design and deploy machine learning models to identify anomalies, malware, and zero‑day threats within enterprise networks and cloud environments.
• AI Security (Adversarial ML): Secure internal AI/ML pipelines against poisoning, evasion, and model inversion attacks.
• Automation: Develop AI‑driven security automation to reduce response times and mitigate false positives in the IoC Research Team.
• Threat Intelligence: Analyze emerging threats and create IoCs.
• Collaboration: Work closely with Data Scientists, DevOps, and SOC analysts to add AI‑driven solutions (chatbots, AI agents, and Agentic RAG) to improve team productivity.
• Infrastructure: Develop AI workflows and maintain AI development environments.
• API Utilization: Connect applications to Large Language Models (LLMs) like GPT, Claude, or LLaMA, and perform LLM fine‑tuning.
• Model Integration: Wrap machine learning models behind REST or GraphQL APIs to make them accessible, allowing software to send data (like text or images) and receive intelligent results.
• Agentic Workflows: Develop specialized APIs for AI agents, allowing them to interact with tools such as databases, internet search, or third‑party software (Model Context Protocol).

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Data Science, or related field.
• Experience: 0‑2 years of related experience.
• Technical Skills:
  • Proficiency in Python, Java, SQL, and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
  • Experience with ML frameworks (TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit‑learn) and data processing frameworks (Spark, Flink, Hadoop).
  • Strong knowledge of network protocols, encryption, and endpoint security.
  • Familiarity with Docker and Kubernetes.
  • Solid understanding of data science.
  • Deep understanding of how artificial intelligence works.
• Mindset:
  • Great communication skills and a team player.
  • Attention to detail.
  • Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
  • Curious and proactive.

The Canada base salary range for this full‑time position is expected to be between $79,000 - $97,000 annually. Wage ranges are based on various factors including the labour market, job type, and job level. Exact salary offers will be determined by factors such as the candidate’s subject knowledge, skill level, qualifications, and experience.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, including 100% company‑paid medical, dental, and vision coverage, Health Spending Account, Personal Spending Account, and Employee & Family Assistance Plan (EFAP).
• Critical illness, disability, and life insurance.
• Group Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) with company match.
• Competitive Paid Time Off and flexible leave policies, including paid health days.

About Us

Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT) secures the largest enterprise, service provider, and government organizations around the world. Fortinet empowers its customers with intelligent, seamless protection across the expanding attack surface and the power to take on ever‑increasing performance requirements of the borderless network - today and into the future. Only the Fortinet Security Fabric architecture can deliver security without compromise to address the most critical security challenges, whether in networked, application, cloud or mobile environments. Fortinet ranks number one in the most security appliances shipped worldwide and more than 500,000 customers trust Fortinet to protect their businesses.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all qualified individuals with disabilities. If you require assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail].

Fortinet is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity in our company, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age, military/veteran status or any other applicable legally protected characteristics in the location in which the candidate is applying.