Senior Security Researcher

Overview

As AI reshapes how software is built and defended, Microsoft Security is standing up a new Engineering Excellence organization that will define what world-class security engineering looks like in the agentic AI era. Engineering teams that lead in the AI era are organized around outcomes, built on shared platforms any team can draw from, and augmented by agents that are part of the daily workflow.

Governance runs at the speed of development. This organization will build that foundation for Microsoft Security, and in doing so, help define what engineering excellence looks like at AI scale. Our mission, is to build and scale core product-making systems that transform developer and builder productivity and enable AI-assisted workflows across Microsoft Security.

We are looking for a Senior Security Researcher. The ideal candidate brings strong hands-on experience in engineering infrastructure, and developer tool chains, with the ability to integrate AI into real development workflows across coding, testing, deployment, and operations. They should be comfortable improving large codebases and tooling ecosystems, contributing to measurement systems, and building solutions that work within security, compliance, and policy constraints.

Candidates for this role should hold a high bar for engineering excellence. The right person will not simply implement tools but build durable systems that improve the productivity of many engineers. They should demonstrate strong execution, sound technical judgment, focus on quality and reliability, and the ability to measure impact through improvements in engineering velocity, system health, and adoption of shared platforms.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

In this role, you will drive step-function improvements in developer productivity by designing and scaling AI-first engineering systems, shared platforms, and secure, compliant workflows that are broadly adopted across Microsoft Security. You will modernize fragmented tooling into a cohesive foundation, establish reusable standards for build, validation, observability, experimentation, and cost-aware design, and influence teams across the organization through systems that improve daily engineering practice rather than policy alone.

Required Qualifications

• Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field
• OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection
• OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 4+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection
• OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements

Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

• Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft background and Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection
• OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 6+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection
• OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 8+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection
• OR equivalent experience.
• Expertise in building reusable security research capabilities, platforms, or services that improve the consistency, scalability, and effectiveness of security investigations across multiple teams.
• Experience leveraging automation, AI-assisted workflows, and security telemetry to accelerate threat research, streamline investigations, and enhance security outcomes at scale.
• Proven track record of identifying security gaps through data analysis and experimentation, and translating findings into solutions that improve security posture, researcher productivity, and operational excellence.
• #MSFTSecurity

Pay and benefits

Security Research IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $160,200 - $261,000 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.