Sr Software Engineer

ServiceNow, Inc.; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 129,000 - 219,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

401(k) Plan with company match

ESPP

Matching donations

Flexible time away

Family leave programs

Equity (where applicable)

Job summary

ServiceNow is hiring a Senior ML Engineer to build core components of an exploitability engine for security analysis. You will ship production ML turning raw security signals into ranked attack paths, taking scoped problems from design to production and growing ownership as the system matures.

You’ll own components like ingestion, graph construction, and the probability core, while ensuring correctness via tests, observability, and metrics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Hands-on experience building ML- or LLM-powered applications—RAG, embeddings, agents, or probabilistic or ML-driven scoring.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, and operate production ML components with strong engineering fundamentals.
• Contribute to design and code reviews, and help raise the quality bar on the team.
• Prototype quickly to evaluate new AI capabilities against real cybersecurity problems.
• Partner with product, security R&D, and SecOps to understand the problem behind the ticket.
• Apply AI safety, security, and guardrail practices to what you build.

Skills

Python

Java

Go

TypeScript

Distributed systems

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in CS/AI/ML

Tools

Claude Code

Codex

Cursor

Windsurf

Job description

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone—freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow— helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

Join us to put AI to work for people.

About the team

The Security and Risk Engineering organization builds scalable, AI-powered security solutions that reduce risk and protect ServiceNow and its customers. We value AI-first thinking, clean architecture, intuitive experiences, and a culture of continuous learning.

This is a zero-to-one incubation. We’re building a new class of exposure analysis that ranks security work by exploitability—where an attacker could realistically get in—rather than raw severity. The architecture is evolving, and this role helps define what good looks like.

The role

As a Senior ML Engineer, you build core components of a novel exploitability engine—shipping production ML that turns raw security signal into ranked, reachable attack paths. You take well-scoped problems from design to production and grow into deeper ownership as the system matures.

What you’ll own

• Well-scoped components of the engine—evidence ingestion and connectors, entity resolution, graph construction, or parts of the probability core—built to production quality.

• The correctness and reliability of what you ship: tests, evaluation, observability, and the metrics that show your component works.

• Turning ambiguous requirements into working code, with guidance on the calls that shape the wider system.

• The data and model plumbing that keeps the graph accurate—entity-resolution quality, evidence provenance, and decay.

What you’ll do

• Design, build, test, and operate production ML components with strong engineering fundamentals.

• Contribute to design and code reviews, and help raise the quality bar on the team.

• Prototype quickly to evaluate new AI capabilities against real cybersecurity problems.

• Partner with product, security R&D, and SecOps to understand the problem behind the ticket.

• Apply AI safety, security, and guardrail practices to what you build.

What you bring

• Solid software engineering fundamentals and experience operating production-quality software.

• Hands-on experience building ML- or LLM-powered applications—RAG, embeddings, agents, or probabilistic or ML-driven scoring.

• Experience taking a prototype to a reliable, maintainable production solution.

• Working knowledge of distributed systems, APIs, cloud-native development, and data or graph systems.

• Strong Python, and/or Java, Go, or TypeScript.

• Interest in security problems—vulnerability management, identity security, threat detection, or risk prioritization.

• Experience with AI-assisted development tools and coding agents such as Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, or Windsurf is a plus.

• Experience with AI evaluation, safety, or guardrails is a plus.

• 3+ years of software engineering experience, or equivalent practical experience.

• Experience designing and delivering production software systems.

• Experience building or integrating AI/ML-powered applications in a production or near-production environment.

• Modern AI experience: LLMs, RAG, embeddings, vector search, agentic workflows, model evaluation, or AI observability.

• Strong programming experience in Python and/or Java, Go, or a similar language.

• Cloud-native technologies, distributed systems, APIs, databases, and scalable architectures.

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

• Cybersecurity or security-product experience is a plus.

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $128,900 - $219,100, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here (https://careers.servicenow.com/life-at-servicenow#workpersonas) . To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

Equal Opportunity Employer

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [e-mail] for assistance.

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.

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