Director, AI Engineering

Job Description

Role Summary

The Director, Cyber AI Engineering is a senior technical leader responsible for architecting and delivering production-grade AI systems that power autonomous cyber defense and enterprise security automation.

Reporting to the Director of Cyber AI & Automation, this role leads the design and implementation of scalable AI decision engines, behavioral analytics systems, and agent-based automation integrated directly into enterprise security platforms.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. The Director will design systems, guide engineering execution, and ensure AI capabilities are production-ready, governed, and safely integrated into enforcement workflows.

Core Responsibilities

AI Systems Architecture

• Design scalable AI architectures capable of ingesting and reasoning over high-volume enterprise telemetry.
• Lead engineering of behavioral analytics, anomaly detection, and risk scoring models.
• Define technical patterns for AI integration into enforcement platforms.

Autonomous Decisioning & Enforcement Integration

• Architect AI decision engines that drive conditional actions (e.g., isolation logic, adaptive controls, escalation workflows).
• Ensure safe deployment through guardrails, kill switches, rollback mechanisms, and critical system protections.
• Collaborate with Platform Engineering to operationalize AI outputs in Defender XDR, Sentinel, and related systems.

Advanced Data & Model Engineering

• Guide large-scale data fusion across identity, endpoint, cloud, and threat intelligence telemetry.
• Establish model evaluation, validation, and performance monitoring frameworks.
• Optimize systems for performance, scalability, and resilience at enterprise scale.

Agentic AI & Automation Systems

• Lead development of multi-agent AI systems for operational optimization and workflow automation.
• Establish standards for prompt engineering, reasoning reliability, and agent evaluation.
• Translate complex operational challenges into structured AI solutions.

Technical Leadership

• Serve as senior technical authority within the Cyber AI Engineering vertical.
• Mentor AI and data engineers in production systems design.
• Contribute to roadmap definition and technical prioritization.
• Communicate system design and risk tradeoffs to senior stakeholders as needed.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in AI engineering, data science systems, or large-scale analytics platforms.
• Proven experience architecting and deploying production AI systems.
• Strong expertise in Python and distributed data systems.
• Experience designing high-scale data pipelines and cloud-native architectures.
• Deep understanding of anomaly detection, behavioral modeling, or dynamic risk scoring.
• Experience leading technical teams and complex system integration efforts.
• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline (MS required; PhD strongly preferred).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in cybersecurity analytics or cyber risk platforms.
• Experience with Microsoft Defender XDR, Sentinel, or similar enterprise security platforms.
• Experience integrating AI outputs into automated enforcement systems.
• Background in systems engineering, operations research, or large-scale network analytics.
• Experience operating in regulated or mission-critical environments.

What Success Looks Like

Within 6 months:

• AI architecture patterns established for scalable, production-ready systems.
• At least one AI decision engine integrated into a live enterprise workflow.
• Model evaluation and governance framework implemented.

Within 12 months:

• Measurable reduction in manual operational effort driven by AI automation.
• Deployment of enterprise-scale behavioral analytics or risk scoring systems.
• Recognized as the technical backbone of Cyber AI Engineering delivery.

Required Skills:
Accountability, AI Architecture, Applied Engineering, Communication, Computer Science, Cybersecurity Analytics, Data Engineering, Data Science, Design Applications, Information Security, Machine Learning (ML), Mechatronics, Operational Resilience, Operations Research, Platform Engineering, Production Management, Project Prioritization, Software Development, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), System Designs, System Integration, Systems Engineering, Technical Leadership, Testing

Preferred Skills:

Current Employees apply HERE

Current Contingent Workers apply HERE

US and Puerto Rico Residents Only:

Our company is committed to inclusion, ensuring that candidates can engage in a hiring process that exhibits their true capabilities. Please click here if you need an accommodation during the application or hiring process.

As an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, we provide equal opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.--As a federal contractor, we comply with all affirmative action requirements for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.- For more information about personal rights under the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment laws, visit:

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We are proud to be a company that embraces the value of bringing together, talented, and committed people with diverse experiences, perspectives, skills and backgrounds. The fastest way to breakthrough innovation is when people with diverse ideas, broad experiences, backgrounds, and skills come together in an inclusive environment. We encourage our colleagues to respectfully challenge one another's thinking and approach problems collectively.

Learn more about your rights, including under California, Colorado and other US State Acts

U.S. Hybrid Work Model

Effective September 5, 2023, employees in office-based positions in the U.S. will be working a Hybrid work consisting of three total days on-site per week, Monday - Thursday, although the specific days may vary by site or organization, with Friday designated as a remote-working day, unless business critical tasks require an on-site presence.This Hybrid work model does not apply to, and daily in-person attendance is required for, field-based positions; facility-based, manufacturing-based, or research-based positions where the work to be performed is located at a Company site; positions covered by a collective-bargaining agreement (unless the agreement provides for hybrid work); or any other position for which the Company has determined the job requirements cannot be reasonably met working remotely. Please note, this Hybrid work model guidance also does not apply to roles that have been designated as "remote".

The salary range for this role is
$173,200.00 - $272,600.00

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. An employee's position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, government requirements, and business or organizational needs.

The successful candidate will be eligible for annual bonus and long-term incentive, if applicable.

We offer a comprehensive package of benefits.- Available benefits include medical, dental, vision healthcare and other insurance benefits (for employee and family), retirement benefits, including 401(k), paid holidays, vacation, and compassionate and sick days. More information about benefits is available at .

You can apply for this role through (or via the Workday Jobs Hub if you are a current employee). The application deadline for this position is stated on this posting.

San Francisco Residents Only: -We will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment in compliance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Los Angeles Residents Only: -We will consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws, including the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance

Search Firm Representatives Please Read Carefully-
Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ, USA, also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, NJ, USA, does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All CVs / resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at our company without a valid written search agreement in place for this position will be deemed the sole property of our company. -No fee will be paid in the event a candidate is hired by our company as a result of an agency referral where no pre-existing agreement is in place. Where agency agreements are in place, introductions are position specific. Please, no phone calls or emails.-

Employee Status:
Regular

Relocation:
No relocation

VISA Sponsorship:
No

Travel Requirements:
10%

Flexible Work Arrangements:
Remote

Shift:
1st - Day

Valid Driving License:
No

Hazardous Material(s):
N/A

Job Posting End Date:
03/28/2026
*A job posting is effective until 11:59:59PM on the day BEFORE -the listed job posting end date. Please ensure you apply to a job posting no later than the day BEFORE the job posting end date.

Requisition ID: R389987