AI Security Researcher

About  Harmonic SecurityHarmonic Security lets teams adopt AI tools safely by protecting sensitive data in real time with minimal effort. It gives enterprises full control and stops leaks so that their teams can innovate confidently.We are led by cybersecurity experts and backed by top investors including N47, Ten Eleven Ventures, and In-Q-Tel.As organizations accelerate their adoption of generative and agentic AI, the security landscape is shifting faster than ever before. Harmonic is building the research, insights, and technology foundations that help enterprises understand and mitigate AI risk—creating an opportunity for this role to shape the emerging field of AI security from the ground up.About the TeamHarmonic’s Security & TechOps team owns the systems, tooling, and research that keep Harmonic secure, trusted, and moving fast. We work across the entire lifecycle of how the company operates-from how we build software, to how we detect threats, to how we prove our security posture to customers, to how employees use the technology that powers their work.We focus on enabling speed without sacrificing safety. That means creating secure-by-default engineering practices, building automation and detections that reduce manual work, researching emerging AI security risks, running assurance programmes like SOC 2 and ISO 27001, and shaping the internal platforms that help teams work efficiently and securely.We’re a hands-on, engineering-first group. We avoid box-ticking and heavy processes in favour of practical solutions, strong automation, and constant improvement. We collaborate closely across functions, operate with high ownership, and support each other through rapid growth. Our shared goal is to build the trust, systems, and capabilities that let Harmonic innovate confidently and at scale.About the RoleHarmonic’s Security team is breaking new ground in understanding the security risks that come with Generative and Agentic AI.Our mission is to equip security leaders and practitioners with clear, actionable insights on securing AI systems. This work should shape how the industry thinks about AI security, and our findings make their way onto the stages of the world’s top security and AI conferences.As we embark on this mission, we’re looking for a founding AI Security Researcher to build and lead Harmonic’s AI Security Research program from the ground up. You’ll define our research agenda, uncover real-world security risks in AI tools and platforms, and help shape how enterprises can adopt AI safely. This role blends hands-on technical research with public thought leadership - from identifying vulnerabilities in emerging AI systems to creating guides, publishing insights, and representing Harmonic at major industry events. You’ll also play a key role in informing our product strategy, ensuring Harmonic stays ahead of evolving AI security threats and opportunities.What You’ll DoLead AI Security Research: Design and drive a greenfield research program focused on securing the use of AI systems and tools.Thought Leadership: Develop practitioner guides and actionable content on securing AI technologies (e.g., “How to secure ChatGPT Enterprise”).Public Engagement: Represent Harmonic at industry conferences (e.g., RSA, BlackHat, DEFCON) through talks, panels, and research presentations.Threat Intelligence: Research emerging AI threats and threat actors, assessing their impact on our customers and the broader ecosystem.Internal SME: Partner with Product Security to identify and mitigate AI-related risks across Harmonic’s products and infrastructure.What Success Looks Like (6–12 months)Design, build, and operate a dedicated AI security research environment, enabling safe testing of generative and agentic AI systems and reproducible research workflows.Publish and present new, original research at a major security or AI conference (e.g., Black Hat USA, DEF CON, BSides, or equivalent) that offers actionable insights for practitioners and security leaders.Establish a consistent content pipeline, producing high-quality research write-ups, blogs, demos, or practitioner guides that clearly explain risks, attack paths, and defensive strategies.Develop recognisable external presence, securing initial press coverage or analyst mentions that highlight Harmonic’s leadership in AI security.Contribute research that shapes internal product direction, informing detection capabilities, product security priorities, or policy decisions based on real-world risk findings.RequirementsWhat You BringDeep Technical Curiosity: 3-5 years of experience in cybersecurity or applied ML/AI security research, with a strong interest in how AI systems fail and can be attacked.AI Security Expertise: Hands-on experience assessing or red-teaming LLMs, generative AI tools, or AI-integrated SaaS products; familiarity with adversarial ML, model extraction, prompt injection, or data poisoning.Security Research Skills: Proven ability to design and execute independent research- identifying vulnerabilities, publishing technical findings, and proposing mitigations.Communication & Storytelling: Excellent written and verbal skills for translating complex research into accessible content - whether blog posts, practitioner guides, or conference talks.Public Presence: A strong desire to build a profile for presenting or contributing to security or AI conferences (e.g., Black Hat, DEF CON, RSA)You Might Be a Fit If You…You’re comfortable figuring things out from scratch and don’t wait for detailed instructions to start making progress.You’re naturally curious - you like to dig into how AI systems actually work and break, and you keep up with new developments just because you find them interesting.You like solving hard, undefined problems and can turn ideas into experiments or results quickly.You enjoy working with others, sharing what you learn, and helping teammates succeed.You take pride in clear, honest communication - whether explaining a technical finding or giving feedback.You get energy from teaching others, writing, or speaking publicly about your work.You care about impact more than titles or process - you just want to enable other to use AI securely.BenefitsWhy Join UsThis isn’t just a job; it’s an opportunity to be part of a team that is redefining cybersecurity. We believe today’s talent is tomorrow’s success, and we’re committed to creating an environment where you can do the best work of your life.Competitive pay and meaningful equity with a direct stake in Harmonic’s successWe are open to this role being based out of our SF or London office. Depending:SF: Comprehensive benefits including health, dental, vision, 401k matching, and flexible time offUK: Comprehensive benefits, pension plan, generous PTO, and flexible hybrid workA small, passionate team that values transparency, creativity, and learningThoughtful leadership that cares deeply about growth, impact, and peopleAnnual global offsites (past trips include Lisbon and Nashville)The chance to directly shape both our product and our culture as we build a category-defining companyCompany ValuesFlourish in the Unknown: We relish being thrown into new, unfamiliar situations that require initiative and rapid decision-making.We orient ourselves quickly and deliver results with minimal guidance.Never Full: We never hesitate to raise our hands and take on challenges to assist those in need. We hunger for opportunities to learn and do more.Perfect Harmony: We have a genuine willingness to assist and support one another to create cohesion and unity. We foster success through collaboration and honest sharing of feedback and ideas, enabling everyone to grow and produce their best work.