Research Lead, AI Cyber Testing & Evaluation

RAND Corporation; Boston (MA); Hybrid; USD 146,200 - 261,400; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Life and disability insurance

Savings plan

Paid time-off

Job summary

RAND Corporation's Center on AI, Security, and Technology (CAST) seeks a Research Lead to oversee high-impact research and policy analysis in AI cyber testing. You will manage budgets, lead cross-functional teams, and guide projects spanning technical evaluation and policy briefs.

The role focuses on benchmarking autonomous operations and evaluating AI model defenses in multi-stage attack scenarios. The position is a two-year appointment with renewal options and potential for longer-term

Qualifications

• 6+ years of technical experience in security engineering or related fields.
• 6+ years of technical management experience, including budgets and mentoring.
• Ability to lead complex projects to completion.
• Proficiency in Python, Java, C/C++ or similar languages.
• Experience with red team operations or defensive cyber capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Manage significant research budgets and personnel for complex projects.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams of policy researchers, engineers, and scientists.
• Develop benchmarks and evaluate AI model performance across attack lifecycles.

Skills

Security engineering

Software engineering

Leadership

Python

Threat modeling

English communication

Team collaboration

Education

PhD or Masters preferred in Cybersecurity/CS/Engineering

BS with 8+ years relevant experience

Tools

MS Office

Python

Java/C/C++

Job description

RAND Corporation's Center on AI, Security, and Technology (CAST) seeks a Research Lead to oversee high-impact research and policy analysis in AI cyber testing. You will manage budgets, lead cross-functional teams, and guide projects spanning technical evaluation and policy briefs.

The role focuses on benchmarking autonomous operations and evaluating AI model defenses in multi-stage attack scenarios. The position is a two-year appointment with renewal options and potential for longer-term