Principal AI Security Engineer

Zip Co; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 203,000 - 254,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

401k match

Medical insurance

Job summary

Zip Co is seeking a Principal AI Security Engineer to direct security for AI applications, autonomous agents, and AI-enabled engineering workflows. This hands-on role requires building scalable security controls, securing LLMs, and enabling safe innovation at scale.

You will collaborate with engineering and security teams to implement secure-by-default patterns, test AI security, and guide architectural decisions across the platform.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated Staff or Principal-level technical leadership in security engineering, application security, or cloud security.
• Hands-on work with LLM/agent systems in production.
• Familiarity with OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications, MITRE ATLAS, and NIST AI RMF.
• Strong understanding of LLM architectures, agentic systems, RAG, and modern AI development frameworks.
• Experience building AI security evaluations, red-teaming capabilities, model security gateways, and securing AI systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical direction for securing AI applications, autonomous agents, and AI-enabled engineering workflows.
• Architect and build scalable security controls for LLM applications, RAG systems, and agentic AI platforms.
• Develop AI security testing, automation, and secure-by-default practices to enable safe innovation at scale.
• Collaborate with engineering, platform, and security teams to implement scalable security controls.

Skills

Security leadership

Hands-on security

LLM/security

AI security testing

Cloud security

OpenAI APIs

Azure AI / GCP

Kubernetes

CI/CD security

LangChain

Tools

LangChain

LangGraph

Semantic Kernel

OpenAI APIs

Azure AI

Google Vertex AI

Terraform

Kubernetes

CI/CD security

Job description

• Lead the technical direction for securing AI applications, autonomous agents, and AI-enabled engineering workflows at Zip.

• Architect and build scalable security controls for LLM applications, RAG systems, and agentic AI platforms.

• Develop AI security testing, automation, and secure-by-default engineering practices to enable safe innovation at scale.

• Remote-first opportunity for US-based employees, with the option to work in person from our Manhattan office.

Start your adventure with Zip

Join Zip's Security team and help shape how we securely build and operate AI-powered systems. AI is transforming how we develop software, operate our platforms, and deliver products. As our Principal AI Security Engineer, you'll lead the technical direction for securing AI applications, autonomous agents, and AI-enabled engineering workflows.

This is a hands‑on engineering role for someone who has built and secured AI solutions in production. You'll work directly with engineering, platform, and security teams to design and implement scalable security controls that enable innovation without introducing unnecessary risk.

We're looking for a builder who can establish architectural direction, write code, and turn complex AI security challenges into practical engineering solutions.

Interesting problems you'll get to solve

Architect and secure AI systems

• Define and implement security architecture for LLM applications, RAG, autonomous agents, and AI-powered products.
• Engineer protections against prompt injection, data exfiltration, insecure tool execution, excessive agency, and other AI-specific threats.
• Establish secure patterns for model access, NHI access, authorization, secrets management, and sensitive data protection.
• Design security boundaries for AI agents interacting with enterprise systems, APIs, databases, and cloud infrastructure.

Build security into AI-first engineering

• Establish secure‑by‑default patterns that allow developers to adopt AI without bypassing security controls.
• Develop secure harnesses and guardrails for AI coding assistants, autonomous development agents, and AI-generated software.
• Secure MCP servers, agent tool integrations, and AI-enabled development workflows.
• Build reusable security components, APIs, and automation that integrate directly into engineering platforms and CI/CD pipelines.

Engineer AI security testing and automation

• Build automated security testing and evaluation capabilities for AI applications and agents.
• Develop approaches for AI red teaming, prompt injection testing, and security regression testing.
• Implement monitoring and detection for suspicious AI behavior, unauthorized tool execution, and sensitive data exposure.
• Post incidence response - agent misalignment (exceeds authority, unauthorized action).
• Partnering with the Agentic Platform team on controls to prevent recurrence.
• Leverage AI to automate security engineering activities, including threat modeling, vulnerability analysis, and remediation.

Lead AI security architecture

• Establish Zip's technical direction and engineering standards for AI security.
• Partner with engineering teams to take secure AI solutions from architecture through production.
• Design risk-tiering logic aligned with Zip's 5-level AI automation classification.
• Co‑own the security evaluation framework for new AI models and third‑party tools. Evaluate emerging AI technologies and security capabilities, making pragmatic build‑versus‑buy decisions.
• Mentor engineers and influence technical decisions across security, platform engineering, and software development.

What you'll bring to the team

• Demonstrated Staff or Principal‑level technical leadership in security engineering, application security, or cloud security..
• Deep security engineering experience plus demonstrable hands‑on work with LLM/agent systems (production, open source, internal platforms, or published research).
• Intimate familiarity with OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications, MITRE ATLAS, and NIST AI RMF.
• Strong understanding of LLM architectures, agentic systems, RAG, and modern AI development frameworks.
• Experience building AI security evaluations, red‑teaming capabilities, model security gateways, as well as securing AI systems against prompt injection, data leakage, tool abuse, and unauthorized access.
• Strong software engineering skills, including proficiency in Python or another modern programming language.
• Experience with cloud‑native architectures, APIs, containers, IAM, and modern software delivery practices.
• Ability to design and implement security controls, automation, and reusable engineering components.
• Experience threat modeling complex systems and translating security requirements into practical solutions.
• Strong technical leadership skills with the ability to influence architecture and engineering decisions across teams.
• A builder's mindset focused on automation, scalability, and secure‑by‑default engineering.

Highly regarded

• Experience with LangChain, LangGraph, Semantic Kernel, OpenAI APIs, Azure AI, Google Vertex AI, or similar technologies.
• Experience securing MCP servers, autonomous coding agents, or agentic workflows.
• Familiarity with OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications, MITRE ATLAS, and NIST AI RMF.
• Experience with Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Terraform, Kubernetes, and CI/CD security.
• Experience in financial services, payments, or other regulated environments.

What success looks like

• Zip has a scalable security architecture for AI applications, autonomous agents, and AI‑enabled engineering.
• Engineering teams can securely build and deploy AI solutions using reusable security controls and established architectural patterns.
• AI security testing, monitoring, and enforcement are integrated into development and production workflows.
• Security automation reduces manual effort while improving visibility and protection across AI systems.
• AI security enables engineering teams to innovate quickly without compromising security, privacy, or reliability.

What you’ll get in return

Zip is a place where you’ll get out what you put in. The newness of our sector means we need to move at pace and embrace change, and our promise to you when you join the team is that you’ll feel empowered and trusted to make big things happen quickly.

We want you to feel welcome and as though you have the support to be yourself, and care for yourself at work. Because it’s important to us that you make the most of the opportunities you’ll get to grow your skills and your career, and be surrounded by smart, friendly people and leaders that have your back.

We think these are just some of the best things about being a Zipster. We will also offer you:

• Flexible working culture
• Incentive programs
• Unlimited PTO
• Generous paid parental leave
• Leading family support policies
• Company‑sponsored 401k match
• Learning and wellness subscription stipend
• Beautiful Union Square office with a casual dress code
• Industry‑leading, employer‑sponsored insurance for you and your dependents, with several 100% Zip‑covered choices available

Zip is committed to a straightforward and transparent pay structure. The actual base salary will be determined by various individualized factors, including job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, location, internal equity, as well as other objective business considerations.

The annual base Pay Range for this position is $203,000-$254,000 This range reflects our US national compensation band (USN). Additional premium percentages may apply based on our tiered premium strategy.

Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or commission awards, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits.

*Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

If hired, employees will be in an 'at‑will position' and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation or benefit program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.

Be a part of a team that reflects the diversity of our customers

We pride ourselves on being a workplace that provides equal opportunities to people of all ages, cultural backgrounds, sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, veteran status, and everything else that makes you unique.

Equally, we’re committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are accessible and inclusive. Please let us know If there are any adjustments that need to be made to ensure you have a fair and equitable experience.

And finally…get to know us

Zip Co Limited (ASX: ZIP) is a digital financial services company, offering innovative, people‑centered products. Operating in two core markets - Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) and the US, Zip offers access to point‑of‑sale credit and digital payment services, connecting millions of customers with its global network of tens of thousands of merchants. We’re proud to be a values‑led business and our values - Customer First, Own it, Stronger Together and Change the Game - guide us in everything we do.