Research Lead - AI Cyber Testing & Evaluation

RAND’s Center on AI, Security, and Technology (CAST) seeks a Research Lead - AI Cyber Testing & Evaluation to manage research budgets, lead multidisciplinary teams, and develop evaluation systems for AI models across the attack lifecycle. The role involves building benchmarks for autonomous operations, conducting government-commissioned evaluations, and communicating findings to senior decision makers., * Manage research budgets and personnel.

• Oversee complex technical research and policy analysis projects.
• Lead multidisciplinary teams of policy researchers, engineers, and scientists.
• Develop systems to evaluate AI performance across the full attack lifecycle.
• Create benchmarks for autonomous operations, multi-stage operations, stealth, and defense evasion.
• Conduct red-team operations and offensive cyber capability development.
• Produce detailed technical analyses, evaluation frameworks, and policy briefs.
• Communicate research findings to senior government and industry leaders.

• 6+ years of technical experience in security engineering, software engineering, firmware engineering, hardware engineering, or related fields.
• 6+ years of technical management experience, including leading cross-functional teams, managing project budgets, and mentoring team members.
• Demonstrated ability to complete complex projects.
• Proficiency in Python, Java, C/C++, or other popular programming languages.
• Experience with red-team operations or offensive cyber capabilities development.
• Ability to develop rigorous threat models and identify system vulnerabilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Ability to collaborate effectively in multidisciplinary environments.
• Fluency with MS Office suite., * PhD in a relevant field with at least 3 years of professional experience.
• Master’s degree with at least 6 years of relevant experience.
• Bachelor’s degree with at least 8 years of relevant experience.
• Master’s or PhD preferred.
• Preferred: Graduate of the Computer Network Operations Development Program (CNODP), Remote Interactive Operator Training (RIOT), Future Operator Readiness Growth and Enrichment (FORGE), or equivalent., Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government clearance is preferred but not required.

• Salary range: $146,200 - $261,400.
• Base pay plus RAND’s sabbatical pay.
• Health, life, and disability insurance.
• Retirement savings plan.
• Paid time-off and additional leave options.