The role
From Elastic's own posting.
Elastic, the Search AI Company, enables everyone to find the answers they need in real time, using all their data, at scale — unleashing the potential of businesses and people. The Elastic Search AI Platform, used by more than 50% of the Fortune 500, brings together the precision of search and the intelligence of AI to enable everyone to accelerate the results that matter. By taking advantage of all structured and unstructured data — securing and protecting private information more effectively — Elastic’s complete, cloud-based solutions for search, security, and observability help organizations deliver on the promise of AI.
What is The Role
As a Principal Security Research Engineer on the Threat Research and Detection Engineering (TRaDE) team, you'll play a key role in shaping the detection capabilities of Elastic Security. You'll work hands-on with detection engineering and threat research, focusing on enhancing our defenses, particularly in the areas of AI security. This position invites you to apply your solid security background and keen interest in offensive security validating detection methods, helping to create effective and reliable detection content that benefits the wider community.
What You Will Be Doing
Design and carry out security tests for GenAI applications, agentic systems, and LLM-backed products. These tests will check for various attack types. They include prompt injection, indirect injection, retrieval poisoning, tool misuse, sensitive data extraction, and unsafe delegation to with the core purpose of building security protections
Investigate new multi-domain threat vectors and attack methodologies to stay ahead of emerging risks and translating these into new security protections (e.g. detection rules)
Create and present findings to enhance team knowledge and community awareness
Apply AI-assisted techniques to expand coverage and accelerate validation. This may include developing new capabilities and Elastic AI workflows to streamline our threat research and detection engineering processes
What You Bring
You should have experience working with endpoint data and understand detection engineering GenAI pitfalls working with existing telemetry
You should have hands-on experience using LLM tools for security testing, research, or daily tasks. You need to understand how LLMs work. This includes context windows, tool use, RAG, and agentic chaining. Knowledge of AI testing tools or frameworks, such as Garak, PyRIT, PromptBench, Inspect AI, or similar (including personal research or experiments) is a plus.
You should have experience using AI-assisted development tools and modern AI/ML frameworks. These tools help you accelerate up feature development. They also help you debug complex systems and optimize existing codebases. You will generate telemetry, conduct threat research, and assist with detection engineering workflows.
Proven ability to seamlessly transition between different projects, codebases, or scrum teams based on dynamic business priorities.
You work autonomously and can drive decisions and results in a distributed team by leveraging asynchronous, direct, and transparent communication.
Previous successes in presenting findings and insights to technical audiences
Experience with Elastic Security Solution and proficiency in writing or validating detections using a query language (e.g. EQL, KQL, ESQL) is a bonus
Experience running penetration tests or vulnerability assessments on web applications, or APIs. Experience as a Red Team operator is also valuable. You should understand the OWASP Top 10 and have some exposure to the OWASP LLM Top 10 or MITRE ATLAS. Additionally, you need to be able to triage findings. You should communicate risks clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Compensation for this role is in the form of base salary. This role does not have a variable compensation component.
The typical starting salary range for new hires in this role is listed below. In select locations (including Seattle WA, Los Angeles CA, the San Francisco Bay Area CA, and the New York City Metro Area), an alternate range may apply as specified below.
These ranges represent the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the ranges may be modified in the future.
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, performance, and business or organizational needs.
Elastic believes that employees should have the opportunity to share in the value that we create together for our shareholders. Therefore, in addition to cash compensation, this role is currently eligible to participate in Elastic's stock program. Our total rewards package also includes a company-matched 401k with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings, along with a range of other benefits offered with a holistic emphasis on employee well-being.
The typical starting salary range for this role is:
$159,800 — $252,800 USD
The typical starting salary range for this role in the select locations listed above is:
$191,900 — $303,500 USD
Additional Information - We Take Care of Our People
As a distributed company, diversity drives our identity. Whether you’re looking to launch a new career or grow an existing one, Elastic is the type of company where you can balance great work with great life. Your age is only a number. It doesn’t matter if you’re just out of college or your children are; we need you for what you can do.
We strive to have parity of benefits across regions and while regulations differ from place to place, we believe taking care of our people is the right thing to do.
Competitive pay based on the work you do here and not your previous salary
Health coverage for you and your family in many locations
Ability to craft your calendar with flexible locations and schedules for many roles
Generous number of vacation days each year
Increase your impact - We match up to $2000 (or local currency equivalent) for financial donations and service
Up to 40 hours each year to use toward volunteer projects you love
Embracing parenthood with minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave
Different people approach problems differently. We need that. Elastic is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance or regulation.
We welcome individuals with disabilities and strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all individuals. To request an accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email candidate_accessibility@elastic.co . We will reply to your request within 24 business hours of submission.
Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws, view posters linked below: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Poster; Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision Poster; Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster and Know Your Rights (Poster)
Elasticsearch develops and distributes technology and information that is subject to U.S. and other countries’ export controls and licensing requirements for individuals who are located in or are nationals of the following sanctioned countries and regions: Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, or Russia, including the Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia (The Crimea region of Ukraine, The Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), The Luhansk People's Republic