Lead AI Security Engineer

Here at Appian our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things together.

Lead AI Security Engineer (Agentic SOC)

Location McLean/Tysons VA On-site (5 days/week)

ABOUT THE TEAM

We are pioneering the next generation of cyber defense by building an Agentic Security Operations Center (SOC). Our mission is to move beyond reactive alerting by creating self-orchestrating context-aware AI systems capable of autonomous triage semantic correlation and proactive threat mitigation. In this role you will leverage emerging AI capabilities to reimagine how we defend our organization.

THE OPPORTUNITY

The AI SOC Engineering team is at the center of bringing our vision for AI-driven security to This is a squad of builders operating at the intersection of Generative AI software engineering and offensive/defensive security. We don t just write scripts we architect the intelligent fabric of our defensive posture. We build and deploy production-grade proprietary multi-agent systems that empower our human analysts to handle complex incident response with autonomous agents AI in responsible and scalable ways.

WHAT YOU LL DO

Build Deploy Agents Design test and deploy autonomous and semi-autonomous AI agents that integrate natively with our enterprise security stack (SIEM EDR XDR and Threat Intel feeds). Code the Playbooks Translate traditional human-centric SOC playbooks and analyst workflows into deterministic and heuristic agentic pipelines (using DAGs and multi-agent routing). Optimize RAG Pipelines Design optimize and maintain production-grade Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) workflows to inject real-time security context network topology and historical incident logs into agent prompts. LLM Performance Engineering Continuously evaluate benchmark and optimize LLM performance context window utilization latency and cost-efficiency across various models (OSS and commercial). Design Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) Collaborate deeply with Tier 3 Analysts and Threat Hunters to engineer seamless HITL handoff mechanisms ensuring agents safely escalate complex anomalies to humans. Secure the AI Implement robust security boundaries around our LLM architecture mitigating risks like prompt injection data poisoning model tool-abuse and addressing the OWASP Top 10 for LLMs.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

4+ years of professional software engineering experience with at least 1.5+ years explicitly dedicated to building applications powered by Large Language Models (LLMs) 5+ years of experience programming with Python 2+ years of experience deploying scalable and responsible AI solutions on cloud platforms (e.g. AWS Google Cloud Azure) You love to build systems You take pride in the quality of your code and possess a deep passion for applying AI to solve complex security challenges. Security-First Mindset You blend foundational software engineering with practical security domain knowledge. You understand that the best defenses are built on a bedrock of clean reliable and scalable engineering. Adaptability You thrive on bringing clarity to big undefined problems in the security space. You love asking questions digging deep to uncover the root of threats and articulating your findings concisely. Deeply Technical You possess a strong foundation in engineering and mathematics. Your expertise in software and AI enables you to design intelligent systems that can perform autonomous triage and semantic correlation. Resilient You are a trailblazer who can forge new paths to achieve security goals in an evolving threat landscape. Education Bachelor s degree in Computer Science AI Electrical Engineering Computer Engineering or related fields plus at least 4 years of experience developing AI and ML algorithms or technologies OR a Master s degree in a related field plus at least 2 years of experience

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Hands-on experience building multi-agent or complex orchestration systems using tools such as LangChain LlamaIndex AutoGen CrewAI or Semantic Kernel Proven experience working with production Vector Databases (e.g. Pinecone Qdrant Milvus or Weaviate) for semantic chunking embedding generation and metadata filtering. Experience interfacing with cybersecurity platforms via REST APIs/Webhooks (e.g. Splunk CrowdStrike Microsoft Sentinel Palo Alto XSOAR). Experience deploying and scaling AI workloads in containerized cloud environments (AWS Azure or GCP using Kubernetes/EKS/AKS) Understanding of fine-tuning methodologies (LoRA QLoRA) for smaller domain-specific open-source models (e.g. Llama 3 Mistral) tailored for security log analysis Passion for staying abreast of the latest AI research and security systems and an ability to judiciously apply novel techniques in production.
The base salary range represents a good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. Actual compensation will be dependent on a number of factors including but not limited to the candidate’s relevant work experience qualifications internal peer equity and market and business conditions that exist when extending an offer. A discretionary bonus may be awarded in recognition of individual and company performance.

In addition Appian provides generous benefits offerings that include a 401(k) plan with company match flexible time off paid parental leave medical dental and vision plans life insurance disability insurance wellness programs flexible spending accounts health savings account contributions an employee referral bonus program and learning and development resources. Certain positions may be eligible for equity awards.

Pay and benefits are subject to change at any time consistent with the terms of any applicable compensation commission bonus or benefit plans.

Base Salary Range $150,000 $275,000 USD

rgb(0 0 0) Tools and Resources

rgb(0 0 0) rgb(0 0 0) Training and Development During onboarding we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires. / rgb(0 0 0) rgb(0 0 0) Growth Opportunities Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University skills based training and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities. / rgb(0 0 0) rgb(0 0 0) Community We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led a rgb(0 0 0) affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social educational and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company.

strong rgb(0 0 0) Benefits

Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health wellbeing and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support life and disability insurance an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) a retirement/pension plan wellness dollars tuition reimbursement family-forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by country please ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to.

rgb(0 0 0) About Appian

Appian provides AI automation for the most important business processes at the world’s largest organizations. Our platform is known for its unique power reliability and scale. We’ve been automating processes for more than 25 years and have proven expertise in enterprise operations. For more information visit a appian.com.

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Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal state or local law.

Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process please contact us by email at a ReasonableAccommodations@appian.com. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

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