Head of Engineering — AI Cyber R&D Leader (NYC On-Site)

Zealot Labs, Inc.; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 230,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Zealot Labs, Inc. in New York City is seeking a visionary Lead for Cyber R&D who will own the technical direction of the engineering organization.

You will lead, grow, and mentor a world-class team building AI-driven cyber capabilities and exploit tooling. You will set engineering standards, prioritize work, and drive architecture decisions from firmware emulation to effects delivery, working directly with founders to translate strategy into execution.

Qualifications

• Proven technical leadership in cyber R&D, vulnerability research, Windows internals research, embedded R&D, or implant development.
• Background in offensive security research at organizations like NSA, USCYBERCOM, or defense contractors with similar mandates.
• Ability to recruit, retain, and develop elite technical talent in a competitive market.
• Strong judgment on technical risk, prioritization, and resource allocation.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction and execution of Zealot's engineering organization.
• Lead, grow, and manage a team of world-class security researchers and engineers building AI-driven cyber capabilities.
• Set engineering standards, priorities, and culture across the company.
• Drive architecture decisions across the platform, from firmware emulation to exploitation to effects delivery.
• Work directly with founders to translate strategic objectives into engineering reality.
• Proven technical leadership in cyber R&D, vulnerability research, Windows internals research, embedded R&D, or implant development.
• Background in offensive security research at organizations like NSA, USCYBERCOM, or defense contractors with similar mandates.
• Deep technical credibility, your team respects you because you've done the work, not because of your title.
• Ability to recruit, retain, and develop elite technical talent in a competitive market.
• Strong judgment on technical risk, prioritization, and resource allocation.

Skills

Technical leadership

Cyber R&D

Vulnerability research

Windows internals

Embedded R&D

Offensive security

Team building

Job description

Zealot Labs, Inc. in New York City is seeking a visionary Lead for Cyber R&D who will own the technical direction of the engineering organization.

You will lead, grow, and mentor a world-class team building AI-driven cyber capabilities and exploit tooling. You will set engineering standards, prioritize work, and drive architecture decisions from firmware emulation to effects delivery, working directly with founders to translate strategy into execution.