Director of AI | LLM | Language Models | Python | Machine Learning | RAG | Remote

Role Summary

We are seeking a strategic and technically strong Director of AI to lead our research and implementation efforts at the intersection of generative AI and cybersecurity
. Reporting directly to the CTO, you will define and execute the end-to-end AI strategy — from identifying cutting-edge research opportunities to prototyping advanced capabilities and integrating them into production systems. This is a unique opportunity to lead AI innovation within a well-funded, high-growth startup
.

You will have full ownership of AI research direction, evaluation frameworks, and prototype development, while also building and managing a growing AI team. Your impact will be measured by the innovation you drive and the value your AI solutions add to the product. This role is ideal for a senior AI professional with deep expertise in LLMs and agent systems
, strong product thinking, and the ambition to architect foundational AI systems in a mission-critical domain.

• Lead AI Strategy & Research: Own and execute the technical roadmap for AI, staying ahead of research trends to introduce transformative techniques in cybersecurity.
• Prototype Development: Design and implement end-to-end AI prototypes, working as a technical product manager to drive innovation from concept to production.
• Evaluation Frameworks: Build rigorous systems to evaluate model performance, agent behavior, fine-tuning quality, and real-world product impact.
• Technical Guidance: Partner with engineering teams to review architectures, influence implementation, and ensure scalability and performance of AI solutions.
• Team Leadership: Recruit, manage, and mentor a high-performing AI team; establish strong technical standards and operational processes.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with engineering leadership to ensure research leads to impactful product features and customer value.
• Stay at the Research Frontier: Continuously track developments in LLMs, agent frameworks, and broader AI trends relevant to enterprise and security use cases.

• AI/ML
  
  Experience:
  
  7+ years in AI/ML, with 3+ years focused on LLMs, generative models, or agent-based systems.
• Hands-On Technical Expertise: Deep familiarity with modern transformer architectures, fine-tuning methods, and agent frameworks.
• Proven Leadership: Experience leading AI research or development at a top-tier organization or research lab, with a track record of delivering innovations that reach production.
• Research-to-Product Execution: Ability to bridge advanced research with practical product implementations — from academic papers to scalable prototypes.
• Product-Minded Thinking: Strategic mindset for applying AI to real-world problems; strong understanding of measuring and optimizing system performance.
• Strong Engineering Background: Solid understanding of software engineering principles and scalable AI system architecture.
• Team Building: Experience managing and mentoring AI researchers and engineers, with a focus on building collaborative, high-impact teams.
• NLP & Agents Focus: Extensive background in natural language processing and agent systems, with hands-on work using tools such as Lang Chain, Llama Index, or similar.

• Experience applying AI to cybersecurity or enterprise software challenges
• Background in high-growth AI startups
• Advanced academic qualifications (e.g., PhD) with publications in top AI venues
• Experience in AI safety, evaluation design, or responsible AI practices
• Expertise in custom AI benchmarking and evaluation frameworks

• Lead AI Innovation: Own and drive technical strategy at a company redefining how generative AI can secure digital environments.
• Research-to-Impact Pipeline: See your research directly influence product features with measurable real-world impact.
• Expert Team
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Work alongside experienced leaders in AI and cybersecurity, enabling both technical depth and rapid execution.
• Shape the Future of AI in Security: Define best practices and set the foundation for how generative AI transforms an entire industry.
• High-Growth Opportunity: Take on a senior leadership role at a fast-moving startup with strong funding and significant ownership potential.

London, United Kingdom – Remote options may be available.