AI Cyber Testing Lead - Security & Policy (Hybrid)

RAND Corporation; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); Hybrid; USD 146,200 - 261,400; Full time

Job summary

RAND Corporation in the United States is seeking a Research Lead to manage significant research budgets and lead multidisciplinary teams focused on AI, cyber testing, and policy analysis. The role involves building benchmarks, evaluating AI models across attack lifecycles, and delivering technical analyses and policy briefs to government and industry leaders.

The position is a two-year term with potential renewal and opportunities for longer-term employment.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of technical experience in security engineering, software engineering, firmware engineering, hardware engineering, or related fields.
• 6+ years of technical management experience, including leading cross‑functional teams, managing project budgets, and mentoring and developing team members.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully lead complex projects to completion.
• Proficiency in Python, Java, C/C++, or other popular programming languages.
• Experience with red team operations or offensive cyber capabilities development.
• Ability to develop rigorous and comprehensive threat models and identify potential system vulnerabilities.
• Strong ability to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.
• Fluency with MS Office suite.

Responsibilities

• Manage significant research budgets and personnel, overseeing complex technical research and policy analysis projects.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams of policy researchers, engineers, and scientists.
• Build systems to evaluate AI models across the full attack lifecycle and related benchmarks.
• Communicate findings through detailed technical analyses, evaluation frameworks, and policy briefs.

Skills

Technical leadership

Threat modeling

Programming: Python/Java/C/C++

Red team experience

English communication

Collaboration

MS Office

Education

PhD in computer science or related field

Master's degree in relevant field

Bachelor's degree in relevant field

Job description

RAND Corporation in the United States is seeking a Research Lead to manage significant research budgets and lead multidisciplinary teams focused on AI, cyber testing, and policy analysis. The role involves building benchmarks, evaluating AI models across attack lifecycles, and delivering technical analyses and policy briefs to government and industry leaders.

The position is a two-year term with potential renewal and opportunities for longer-term employment.