Principal AI Engineer

Microsoft Security aspires to make the world a safer place through end-to-end security solutions. NEXT, the incubation and research arm of Microsoft Security AI (MSECAI), is building next-generation AI-native security products. In just 18 months, they've driven the science behind Microsoft Security Copilot and delivered both foundational and specialized models.

As a Principal AI Engineer, you'll lead the multi-year strategy and roadmap for AI-first security experiences and platforms. You'll drive zero-to-one incubation and one-to-many scale-out initiatives, provide technical leadership across architecture, data, and model layers, and orchestrate cross-discipline teams to deliver responsible AI features.

The role requires deep expertise in ML/AI systems, including LLMs/GenAI, retrieval/RAG, and experimentation platforms. You'll define evaluation metrics, improve model quality, and ensure responsible AI implementation with privacy and security guardrails. The position offers competitive compensation ($139,900 - $274,800 base salary range, higher in SF/NYC) and comprehensive benefits.

Key responsibilities include defining vision and strategy, leading R&D through MVP to GA, providing hands-on technical leadership, and engaging directly with enterprise customers. You'll work in a culture that blends ambition and scientific rigor with curiosity, humility, and customer obsession, protecting millions of customers through innovative security solutions.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical skills with leadership ability, can navigate ambiguity, and has experience shipping cloud services at scale. This is an opportunity to shape the future of AI-driven security while working with world-class scientists and engineers in Microsoft's collaborative, growth-minded culture.