Principal Engineer - AI Security

As a Principal Engineer in AI Security, you will define and lead Thrivent’s strategy for defending against emerging external AI-powered threats. This role focuses on protecting the enterprise from adversarial AI capabilities, including automated vulnerability discovery, exploitation, and AI-driven attack campaigns. You will operate at the intersection of cyber defense, artificial intelligence, and enterprise architecture, translating rapidly evolving external threats into practical, scalable protections across the organization. This role requires deep technical expertise, strong systems thinking, and the ability to influence security strategy at the highest levels.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES:

Designing Solutions

• Apply expert-level knowledge of AI-driven threats, cyber defense, and enterprise security architecture to define and drive outcomes that protect the organization from emerging AI-powered attack vectors.
• Create the enterprise strategy for defending against AI-enabled threats, including automated vulnerability discovery, exploitation, and adversarial AI techniques.
• Establish architecture for detection, prevention, and response capabilities specific to generative AI threat patterns.
• Define and implement security patterns and guardrails to enable safe and secure enterprise consumption of AI technologies.
• Drive integration of AI threat detection and controls into existing cyber defense tooling and platforms.
• Build threat models focused on generative AI attack patterns and emerging adversarial techniques.

Implementing Solutions

• Use independent, critical thinking to translate evolving AI threat intelligence into scalable engineering controls and defensive capabilities.
• Lead the development of detection and response mechanisms for AI-driven attacks across enterprise environments.
• Design and implement telemetry strategies to identify anomalous behavior indicative of AI-enabled threats.
• Partner with Cyber Defense teams to operationalize detections, response playbooks, and automation for AI-related incidents.
• Prototype and evaluate defensive applications of AI to enhance detection, response, and security operations.
• Develop architecturally significant components that advance the organization’s ability to defend against AI-driven adversaries.

Learning and Applying New Techniques

• Lead research initiatives focused on emerging AI threat capabilities, adversarial AI techniques, and evolving attack methodologies.
• Maintain deep expertise in industry frameworks such as OWASP LLM Top 10 and MITRE ATLAS.
• Continuously evaluate and introduce modern security technologies and approaches to address AI-era risks.
• Drive adoption of innovative defensive techniques across the organization to stay ahead of threat evolution.

Collaborating Within the Team

• Provide deep technical expertise in AI security to solve complex, high-impact problems and remove critical technical roadblocks.
• Partner with product owners and engineering teams to incorporate AI security requirements into technical designs and user stories.
• Act as a technical leader in system design across teams, ensuring AI security considerations are embedded into broader architecture decisions.
• Mentor engineers and elevate AI security capabilities within teams.

Collaborating Across Teams

• Partner closely with Cyber Defense, IAM, and Application Security teams to integrate AI threat protections across the security ecosystem.
• Promote adherence to enterprise security standards while extending them to address AI-specific risks.
• Broker design and implementation of AI security controls across product teams to support strategic priorities.
• Drive alignment across teams on detection engineering, telemetry, and response strategies for AI threats.

Collaborating Across the Organization

• Influence senior leadership on AI risk posture, threat landscape evolution, and required investments in defensive capabilities.
• Provide enterprise-wide guidance on AI security architecture, ensuring consistent and scalable protection strategies.
• Represent the organization externally on AI security topics when appropriate (industry forums, partnerships, etc.).
• Translate complex AI security risks into actionable insights for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Setting Product/Platform Technology Strategy

• Define enterprise-level capabilities required to defend against AI-powered threats.
• Shape the strategic direction for AI security across cyber defense, detection engineering, and secure AI adoption.
• Provide subject matter expertise to guide platform and security investments related to AI risk mitigation.

Defining Engineering Standards/Patterns

• Establish and promote engineering standards for AI security, including secure AI usage patterns and detection frameworks.
• Collaborate across teams to ensure consistent application of AI security controls and design patterns.
• Drive adoption of best practices for integrating AI threat protections into engineering workflows and platforms.

DevOps

• Provide technical leadership in identifying and responding to AI-driven security incidents and emerging threats.
• Introduce resilient and scalable technologies to improve detection and response capabilities for evolving attack patterns.
• Evaluate and implement enhancements to CI/CD and operational pipelines to incorporate AI security controls.
• Influence cross-functional teams to proactively address risks associated with AI-enabled development and deployment.

Selecting and Managing Technology Vendors

• Provide technical expertise in evaluating AI security tools, detection platforms, and emerging defensive technologies.
• Assess how vendor solutions align with enterprise strategy for defending against AI-driven threats.
• Contribute to selection criteria for platforms that enhance AI security posture and detection capabilities.

Coaching Engineers

• Mentor engineers in AI security concepts, threat modeling, and detection engineering.
• Provide guidance on best practices for securing AI-enabled systems and defending against adversarial AI techniques.
• Deliver training, workshops, and knowledge-sharing sessions to build AI security expertise across the organization.

Recruiting and Building Talent

• Engage in the broader AI and security community to strengthen organizational expertise and visibility in AI security.
• Support recruitment efforts to hire engineers with specialized skills in AI security and advanced cyber defense.
• Model Thrivent’s leadership competencies: Model the Way, Rally the Team, and Deliver Outcomes.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and strong security practices aligned to evolving AI risks.

QUALIFICATIONS & SKILLS:

Required:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or related technical field, or equivalent work experience
• 10+ years of experience in security engineering or related field
• Proven experience defining and executing enterprise security strategy
• Deep knowledge of modern threats, attack techniques, and detection engineering
• Experience with threat modeling, incident response, and security operations
• Demonstrated ability to influence both technical and executive stakeholders

Preferred:

• Experience working with AI/ML systems and security implications
• Knowledge of adversarial AI techniques and AI threat modeling
• Experience with XDR, SIEM, and detection engineering practices
• Familiarity with AI security frameworks (e.g., OWASP LLM Top 10, MITRE ATLAS)
• Financial services industry experience

Pay Transparency Thrivent’s long-term growth depends on attracting, rewarding, and retaining people who are committed to helping others thrive with purpose. We accomplish this by offering a wide variety of market competitive compensation programs to attract, reward, and retain top talent. The applicable salary or hourly wage range for this full-time role is $161,436.00 - $218,415.00 per year, which factors in various geographic regions. The base pay actually offered will be determined by a variety of factors including, but not limited to, location, relevant experience, skills, and knowledge, business needs, market demand, and other factors Thrivent deems important. Thrivent is unique in our commitment to helping people to be wise with money and live balanced and generous lives. That extends to our benefits. The following benefits may be offered: various bonuses (including, for example, annual or long-term incentives); medical, dental, and vision insurance; health savings account; flexible spending account; 401k; pension; life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance; disability insurance; supplemental protection insurance; 20 days of Paid Time Off each year; Sick and Safe Time; 10 paid company holidays; Volunteer Time Off; paid parental leave; EAP; well-being benefits, and other employee benefits. Eligibility for receipt of these benefits is subject to the applicable plan/policy documents. Thrivent’s plans/policies are subject to change at any time at Thrivent’s discretion.

Thrivent provides Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, marital status, citizenship status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. This policy applies to all employees and job applicants.

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