Founding AI Scientist - Security for AI

Deca Talent; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Deca Talent is partnering with an early-stage AI security startup to hire a Founding AI Scientist / ML Research Engineer who will span research and engineering, turning modern ML/LLMs into production-ready systems.

This role focuses on building LLM/ML solutions for security applications, designing robust evaluation frameworks, and guiding the technical direction of the AI platform with real enterprise data.

Qualifications

• Strong experience with LLMs and modern machine learning.
• Hands-on experience with model evaluations / LLM evals.
• Strong ML engineering capabilities alongside research experience.
• Experience turning research into production-ready systems.
• Ability to work independently and own significant technical problems.

Responsibilities

• Developing LLM and ML systems for AI security applications.
• Designing and building rigorous model evaluation / eval frameworks.
• Researching new approaches to reasoning, classification and decision-making with LLMs.
• Working with real-world enterprise data, identity, access and behavioral signals.
• Helping shape the technical direction of the AI platform at an early-stage company.

Skills

LLMs

ML Research

Model evaluations

ML engineering

Production systems

Research to production

Tools

Eval frameworks

Job description

Founding AI Scientist / ML Research Engineer

I’m partnering with a well-funded, early-stage AI security startup that is building a new category of infrastructure for controlling how AI assistants and autonomous agents interact with enterprise data. The company has recently shipped its MVP and is now working with early design partners as it moves into its next stage of commercialization.

They’re looking for an AI Scientist / ML Research Engineer who can operate across research and engineering - someone who can take modern ML/LLM research, turn it into working systems, and ultimately ship it into production.

What you’ll work on:

• Developing LLM and ML systems for AI security applications
• Designing and building rigorous model evaluation / eval frameworks
• Researching new approaches to reasoning, classification and decision-making with LLMs
• Working with real-world enterprise data, identity, access and behavioral signals
• Helping shape the technical direction of the AI platform at an early-stage company

What they’re looking for:

• Strong experience with LLMs and modern machine learning
• Hands-on experience with model evaluations / LLM evals
• Strong ML engineering capabilities alongside research experience
• Comfortable building production-quality systems, not just prototypes
• Able to work independently and take ownership of significant technical problems
• Experience moving research into real-world products

Nice to have:

• AI safety experience
• Experience at an AI research or safety lab
• Background in AI security, trust & safety, or related areas

Please click apply if you'd like to hear more.