Lead AI Security Engineer

Posted 9 Days Ago
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McLean, VA, USA
In-Office
150K-275K Annually
Senior level
Software
Appian is a software company that automates business processes with a low-code automation platform.
The Role
Build and deploy autonomous and semi-autonomous AI agents for an Agentic SOC, integrating SIEM, EDR, XDR, and threat intelligence systems. Translate SOC playbooks into agentic pipelines, optimize RAG workflows and LLM performance, and design human-in-the-loop escalation. Secure LLM architectures against prompt injection, data poisoning, tool abuse, and OWASP Top 10 for LLM risks. Develop scalable AI security solutions using cloud platforms and collaborate with analysts and threat hunters.
Summary Generated by Built In

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

Tools and Resources 

  • 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. 
  • 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.
  • Community: We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led 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.

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.

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 appian.com. 

Follow Appian: LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. 

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 [email protected]. Please note that only inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to from this email address.

Appian's Applicant & Candidate Privacy Notice  

Skills Required

  • 4+ years of professional software engineering experience, including at least 1.5+ years building applications powered by Large Language Models
  • 5+ years of experience programming with Python
  • 2+ years deploying scalable and responsible AI solutions on AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure
  • Strong software engineering foundation and practical security domain knowledge
  • Strong foundation in engineering and mathematics, with expertise in software and AI
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, AI, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field plus 4+ years developing AI and ML algorithms or technologies
  • Alternatively, a Master's degree in a related field plus 2+ years developing AI and ML algorithms or technologies
  • Experience building multi-agent or complex orchestration systems with LangChain, LlamaIndex, AutoGen, CrewAI, or Semantic Kernel
  • Experience with production vector databases such as Pinecone, Qdrant, Milvus, or Weaviate
  • Experience integrating cybersecurity platforms through REST APIs or webhooks, including Splunk, CrowdStrike, Microsoft Sentinel, or Palo Alto XSOAR
  • Experience deploying and scaling AI workloads in containerized cloud environments using Kubernetes, EKS, or AKS
  • Understanding of LoRA and QLoRA fine-tuning for domain-specific open-source models such as Llama 3 or Mistral
  • Ability to apply emerging AI research and security techniques in production

Appian Corporation Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Appian Corporation and has not been reviewed or approved by Appian Corporation.

  • Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as fully employer-paid for medical with dental and vision included, alongside mental health support such as no-cost therapy/coaching and Headspace. Feedback suggests care navigation and wellness reimbursements further strengthen day-to-day healthcare access.
  • Parental & Family Support — Family support includes 12 weeks paid parental leave for all parents plus 4 weeks recovery for birth mothers, a $5,000 family-forming stipend, and backup care via Bright Horizons. These offerings are portrayed as comprehensive and supportive of different family paths.
  • Affordable Benefits — Medical premiums are covered 100% by the employer in the U.S., reducing out-of-pocket costs for core coverage. HSA and FSA options and other tax-advantaged accounts add to affordability for routine and dependent care needs.

Appian Corporation Insights

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The Company
HQ: McLean, VA
2,100 Employees
Year Founded: 1999

What We Do

Appian helps organizations build apps and workflows rapidly, with a low-code automation platform. Combining people, technologies, and data in a single workflow, Appian can help companies maximize their resources and improve business results. Many of the world’s largest organizations use Appian applications to improve customer experience, achieve operational excellence, and simplify global risk management and compliance.

Why Work With Us

Appian was founded on the belief that talented and passionate people, given the power and autonomy to excel, will deliver amazing impact. We have worked thoughtfully to create an inclusive, agile and collaborative work environment where employees feel challenged, and all voices are heard.

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