Research Engineer - AI Data Security

Huawei Technologies Canada Co., Ltd.; Southwestern Ontario; On-site; CAD 127,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Accommodation during recruitment

No AI screening of candidates

Job summary

Huawei Canada invites applications for a 12-month contract position as a Research Engineer. The role focuses on designing AI data security architectures for endpoint devices, prototyping privacy-preserving solutions, and collaborating with Huawei's global teams to transition research into commercial products.

Qualified candidates will hold a PhD or Master’s with extensive security experience, with expertise in authentication, authorization, cryptography, and AI security engineering.

Qualifications

• PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field (or Master’s with 3+ years of dedicated hands-on experience in related security fields).
• Deep understanding of system security and privacy protections, with expertise in identity/authentication/authorization, data loss prevention, or confidential computing.
• Experience in AI security engineering and protection mechanisms (safety benchmarking, data poisoning protection, robust learning, etc.).
• Demonstrated ability to design, architect, and develop security for complex AI systems or AI agent development.

Responsibilities

• Research and design AI data security architectures and privacy blueprints for endpoint devices.
• Prototype and build AI data security and privacy-preserving solutions for Huawei Endpoint products.
• Analyze global tech trends and regulatory shifts to fortify endpoint AI systems against data threats.
• Collaborate with global labs and product teams to integrate research prototypes into commercial products.

Skills

AI data security

Authentication & authorization

Cryptography concepts

Programming languages

Education

PhD in CS/CE

Master’s with 3+ years security experience

Job description

Huawei Canada has an immediate 12-month contract opening for a Research Engineer.

About the team:

The Huawei Digital Trust Lab is on a mission to enhance consumer, embedded and enterprise computing platforms by building security features from the ground up. We believe that everyone deserves to have a secure computing foundation to build upon. Our research lab collaborates with product and customer facing departments to understand the most challenging system and data security problems, analyzing and prototyping promising technologies, and delivering solutions to achieve the highest customer value.

Research focuses on key areas such as authentication & authorization, kernel & hardware security, data security, ai agent security, advancement of agentic ai for product security. The lab supports deep research and encourages publications in leading journals. Research outcomes are applied across various Huawei product lines, including mobile phones, smart devices, and communications technologies.

About the job:

• Research and design cutting‑edge AI data security architectures and privacy protection technology blueprints specifically tailored for endpoint devices (including desktops, laptops, and mobile devices), ensuring secure data lifecycles in next‑generation computing environments.
• Propose, prototype, and build innovative AI data security and privacy‑preserving solutions for Huawei Endpoint products, driving the transition of advanced security theories into high‑impact, production‑grade defenses.
• Investigate global technology developments, regulatory shifts, and emerging attack vectors across both academia and industry, producing actionable insights to continuously fortify endpoint AI systems against sophisticated data threats.
• Collaborate closely with global research labs and product engineering teams worldwide to optimize end‑to‑end security solutions, accelerating the integration of research prototypes into real‑world commercial products to deliver concrete business impact.

The total target annual compensation (based on 2,080 hours per year) ranges from $127,000-225,000 depending on education, experience, and demonstrated expertise.

About the ideal candidate:

• A PhD degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a closely related field (or a Master’s degree with 3+ years of dedicated, hands‑on experience in related security fields).
• Deep theoretical and practical understanding of advanced system‑level security and privacy protection technologies, with proven expertise in at least one of the following: identity and access control, authentication, authorization, data sanitization, data loss prevention (DLP), information flow control, or confidential computing.
• Deep technical insight into AI‑specific security engineering and protection mechanisms, with a solid track record in at least one of the following domains: safety alignment, safety benchmarking, data poisoning protection, robust learning, backdoor detection, prompt injection protection, RAG security, or memory security.
• Demonstrated experience in designing, architecting, and developing robust security and privacy protection solutions for complex AI systems; direct engineering experience in AI Agent development or agentic framework security is an asset.
• Strong foundations in fundamental cryptographic concepts, including symmetric‑key cryptography (block ciphers, MAC, and authenticated encryption) and public‑key cryptography (digital signatures, encryption, and key establishment).
• Proficiency in at least one of the following core programming languages: C/C++, Java, or Python.

Additional Information:

Huawei Canada is committed to a fair, inclusive, and accessible recruitment process. If you require accommodation during any stage of the hiring process, please let us know and we will work with you to meet your needs.

All applications for this position are reviewed directly by our hiring team, we do not use artificial intelligence tools to screen or select candidates.