Security Researcher

Job ID: 200046267Posted: 2026-08-06Location: United States, Washington, RedmondSalary: USD $102,100 - $202,200 per yearEmployment type: Full-TimeWork site: 3 days / week in-officeRole type: Individual ContributorTravel: Less than 25%Profession: Research, Applied, & Data SciencesDiscipline: Applied SciencesCompany: MicrosoftOverviewAre you a red teamer who is looking to break into the AI field? Do you want to find AI failures in Microsoft’s largest AI systems and models impacting millions of users? Join Microsoft’s AI Red Team where you'll emulate work alongside security experts to test for security and safety failures. We are looking for a Security Researcher with demonstrated cybersecurity and agents testing experience for our team. Our mission is to innovate cutting edge AI testing techniques while stress testing the highest risk AI models, products, and systems. We help our customers, AI makers, expand and strengthen AI security defenses by red teaming prior to launch, coaching developers on how to mitigate when we find in testing environments to make AI safer for all. This work is sprint based, working with AI Safety, Security, and Product Development teams, to run operations that aim to find safety and security risks that inform internal key business decisions. In this role, you will red team AI frontier and foundational models plus applications across Microsoft’s AI portfolio including Bing Copilot, Security Copilot, Github Copilot, Office Copilot and Windows Copilot. Our team is an interdisciplinary group of red teamers, adversarial Machine Learning (ML) researchers, Safety & Responsible AI experts and software developers. Our scope is high visibility, with customers ranging from the Office of the CTO to lead AI model builders. We look for creative problem solvers, customer-obsessed coaches, high adaptability, task oriented applied researchers, who like to explore AI question with hands on experimentation. More about our approach to AI Red Teaming:Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.ResponsibilitiesDiscover and exploit GenAI security vulnerabilities end-to-end in order to assess AI systems and modelsManage product group stakeholders as priority recipients and collaborators for operational sprintsDrive clarity on communication and reporting for red teaming peers when working with product groupsDevelop methodologies and techniques to scale and accelerate AI Red Teaming in new and emerging threat areasWork alongside traditional offensive security engineers, adversarial ML experts, developers to land responsible AI operationsEmbody our culture and valuesQualificationsRequired/minimum qualificationsBachelor's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 2+ years related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field AND 1+ year(s) related experience (e.g., statistics, predictive analytics, research) OR Doctorate in Statistics, Econometrics, Computer Science, Electrical or Computer Engineering, or related field OR equivalent experience.Other RequirementsAbility to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings: Microsoft Cloud Background Check:- This position will be required to pass the Microsoft background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.Additional or preferred qualificationsDoctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 5+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection OR equivalent experience.Penetration testing qualifications; GPEN/GXPN, GWAPT, OSCP/OSCE, CRT/CCT/CCSASParticipation in bug bounties/CTFs Experience of using common penetration testing tools; Kali Linux, Burpsuite, Nmap, Nessus, etcFamiliarity with one or more programming languages from: Python, C#, C/C++, PowerShellPrior knowledge of Generative AI not required, though experience testing agents is preferred, while basic familiarity with AI or willingness to learn is desired Applied Sciences IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $102,100 - $202,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $133,800 - $219,200 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.