Senior Software Engineer - AI for Security, Data/Application

ByteDance; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 156,000 - 387,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) plan with company match

Paid parental leave

Paid holidays

Wellbeing benefits

Job summary

ByteDance is seeking an experienced professional to join the Security Engineering team in San Jose, California. The role involves building AI security datasets, conducting performance research on large language models (LLMs), and developing security data evaluation standards. Candidates should have strong programming skills, experience with NLP and machine learning technologies, and a collaborative mindset. Benefits include medical and dental insurance, a 401(k) plan, and paid personal time off.

Qualifications

• Excellent programming skills in Python, Java, or C++.
• Solid understanding of machine learning technologies.
• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop AI security datasets for security scenarios.
• Conduct research on LLM performance in security tasks.
• Propose interpretability-based standards for LLMs.

Skills

Programming skills

Data structures and algorithms

NLP technologies

Problem-solving skills

Collaboration skills

Job description

Team Overview

The Security Engineering team is a research and development (R&D) team that operates within the broader Security Organization. Their core responsibility is to construct, implement, and sustain secure infrastructures, platforms, and technologies, while supporting cross‑functional teams across ByteDance. The team's ultimate objective is to serve and safeguard ByteDance products and infrastructures on a global scale.

Responsibilities

• Build and refine AI security datasets: Design and develop comprehensive, in‑depth, and challenging datasets for AI‑for‑Security across different security scenarios.
• Explore model consistency and performance prediction in security contexts: Conduct deep research on LLM performance during training on security tasks and assess the performance limits of models in security applications.
• Develop security data and evaluation standards from an interpretability perspective: Propose interpretability‑based standards grounded in model mechanisms to assess transparency and reliability of LLMs in security decision‑making and remediation.
• Red Teaming and model optimization: Perform Red Teaming from an evaluation perspective to systematically identify weaknesses of LLMs in security contexts and propose targeted optimization strategies.
• Build RAG evaluation systems: Design end‑to‑end evaluation metrics and benchmarks for security‑specific RAG systems, create automated evaluation workflows, and develop interpretability and traceability tools for RAG systems.

Minimum Qualifications

• Strong coding and algorithm foundation: Excellent programming skills, strong knowledge of data structures and algorithms, and proficiency in at least one mainstream programming language (e.g., Python, Java, C++).
• Familiarity with AI‑related tech stack: Solid understanding of NLP, CV, ML technologies, with in‑depth knowledge of LLM‑related stacks (e.g., Reward Model, GRPO/PPO/DPO, SFT/RFT, CT, PE).
• Excellent problem‑solving skills: Strong analytical and problem‑solving capabilities with the ability to independently explore innovative solutions.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills: Ability to work closely with team members, explore new technologies collaboratively, and drive technological advancements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Published research papers in mainstream conferences/journals in CV/NLP/Security domain.
• Experience with security‑related models (e.g., vulnerability detection models, malicious code analysis models).
• Leading impactful projects or publishing significant papers in the LLM or AI security domain.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary range: $156,000 – $387,600 annually (may vary based on qualifications, skills, and location). The total package may include discretionary bonuses, incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits (vary by location): Medical, dental, and vision insurance; 401(k) plan with company match; paid parental leave; short‑term and long‑term disability coverage; life insurance; wellbeing benefits. Employees receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year, and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure). The company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.

Los Angeles County (Unincorporated) Applicants

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with federal, state, and local laws. Positions involving the following duties may require a conditional offer or withdrawal:

• Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
• Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems;
• Exercising sound judgment.