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# Principal, AI Security Engineer

- **Company:** Mastercard
- **Location:** O'Fallon, MO, United States
- **Salary:** $170,000.0 - $281,000.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Software System Penetration Testing, Architectural Patterns, Cloud Computing Security, Cyber Security, Data Security, Information Systems Security Architecture Professional, Machine Learning, Open Web Application Security, Red Team (Cyber Security), Data Processing, Large Language Models, Software Security, Information Technology, Free and Open-Source Software, Machine Learning Operations, Vulnerability Analysis
- **Published:** September 3, 2026
- **Apply:** https://mastercard.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/CorporateCareers/job/OFallon-Missouri/Principal--AI-Security-Engineer_R-282644-1

## About the Role

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Security, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field.
Extensive experience in information security, including significant experience leading AI security, application security, or security architecture initiatives at enterprise scale.
Deep expertise in AI technologies, machine learning systems, large language models, AI agents, data protection, and secure software engineering practices.
Demonstrated success in defining security strategy, security architectures, and governance frameworks for complex technology environments.
Strong knowledge of AI security threat modeling, adversarial machine learning, model security, data security, secure deployment architectures, and cloud security.
Proven ability to influence technical direction and drive adoption of security standards across diverse engineering organizations.
Exceptional analytical, problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Experience presenting technical concepts, risk assessments, and strategic recommendations to senior executives and technical leadership.
Relevant certifications such as CISSP, CCSP, OSCP, GIAC certifications, AI Security certifications, or equivalent are highly desirable.
Demonstrated leadership in industry forums, research publications, open-source contributions, standards development, or other thought leadership activities is preferred.

## Description

As a Principal Information Security Engineer specializing in AI Security, you will serve as a recognized technical authority responsible for defining and advancing the enterprise AI security strategy. You will lead the design of scalable security architectures, drive innovation in AI security capabilities, influence organizational security standards, and provide expert guidance on securing AI systems across the enterprise. This role requires deep expertise in AI technologies, emerging threat landscapes, secure system design, and risk management, coupled with the ability to shape long-term security direction and mentor senior technical practitioners., Security Architecture Design
Define and lead the enterprise AI security architecture strategy, establishing security frameworks, reference architectures, secure design patterns, and engineering standards for AI systems and platforms.
Provide technical leadership and governance for the secure implementation of AI solutions across multiple business units and technology domains.
Evaluate emerging AI technologies and architectures to identify security risks and establish appropriate mitigation strategies.
Vulnerability Assessment
Define and champion enterprise methodologies, tooling strategies, and assessment frameworks for evaluating AI systems against evolving threats, adversarial attacks, and model exploitation techniques.
Lead complex security assessments, red team exercises, and penetration testing initiatives focused on AI models, AI agents, LLM applications, and supporting infrastructure.
Drive remediation strategies and risk reduction initiatives across large-scale AI deployments.
Secure AI Development
Establish enterprise security requirements and best practices for the AI development lifecycle, including data handling, model development, validation, deployment, monitoring, and retirement.
Partner with engineering, data science, product, and security teams to embed security-by-design principles into AI initiatives.
Provide technical oversight and guidance on the security evaluation of AI technologies, platforms, and business use cases.
Compliance and Standards
Influence and contribute to the development of internal security standards, control frameworks, and governance models for AI security.
Monitor evolving regulatory requirements, industry frameworks, and emerging guidance from organizations such as NIST, ISO, OWASP, MITRE, and global regulatory bodies.
Represent the organization in external industry forums, working groups, and strategic engagements related to AI security and emerging technology risk.
Research and Innovation
Serve as a thought leader in AI security by researching emerging threats, attack techniques, and defensive capabilities.
Drive innovation through the development of new security methodologies, architectures, and technologies to protect AI systems and data.
Translate emerging research and industry trends into actionable security strategies and roadmap recommendations.
Documentation and Reporting
Develop and maintain enterprise-level security guidance, technical standards, architecture patterns, assessment methodologies, and executive-facing security recommendations.
Present findings, risk assessments, strategic recommendations, and investment priorities to senior leadership and security governance bodies.
Author technical whitepapers, architectural guidance, and strategic security position papers.
Advisory and Support
Serve as the highest level technical advisor for AI security initiatives, providing expert consultation on architecture, risk management, technology evaluations, and strategic investments.
Influence security decisions across programs and platforms by providing authoritative guidance on AI security risks and mitigations.
Partner with senior leaders to align AI security initiatives with enterprise risk management objectives.
Technical Leadership and Mentorship
Provide technical leadership and mentorship to security engineers, architects, and engineering teams.
Foster the development of AI security expertise across the organization through knowledge sharing, training, and leadership of technical communities of practice.
Establish technical direction and promote engineering excellence in AI security disciplines.
Experimentation and POCs
Lead advanced research efforts, proof-of-concept initiatives, and security innovation programs focused on emerging AI technologies and threat vectors.
Evaluate the security implications of next-generation AI technologies and guide investment decisions based on technical and risk assessments.
Partner with research organizations, vendors, and academic institutions to identify and validate emerging security solutions., All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:

 * Abide by Mastercard's security policies and practices;
 * Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
 * Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
 * Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard's guidelines.


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