AI Security Engineer
PA Consulting · Melbourn, gb ·
- Work mode
- Hybrid
- Seniority
- Senior
- Employment
- Full time
- Category
- Security
- Experience
- 5+ years
PA Consulting · Melbourn, gb ·
Hybrid working - our approach is to be in the office a minimum of 2 days per week.
PA’s IT team, internally known as Group Systems, is comprised of a variety of areas that support the wider firm, consisting of four key pillars: Strategy, Architecture and Infrastructure Services; Enterprise Solutions; Technology and Operations; and Cyber Security and Compliance.
The successful candidate will be covered two primary areas: the security of AI (protecting the organisation's own AI systems and use of AI) and AI for security (using AI to strengthen protection, detection and response). This role will sit within Cyber Security and Compliance.
Technical ownership of AI security tool selection and deployment
Define requirements, run structured evaluations and proofs of concept, and judge vendor claims on evidence rather than marketing.
That means measuring detection efficacy, false positive rates, latency and operational overhead. The tool categories to cover include AI security posture management, LLM guardrails and firewalls, model and supply-chain scanning, GenAI data loss prevention, and AI-enabled SOC tooling.
They should also own the deployment itself: integration with existing SIEM, SOAR, EDR and identity tooling, architecture decisions, and making sure the tools are tuned and producing value after go-live rather than becoming shelfware.
Input to vendor risk assessments fits here too, particularly on how vendors handle your data in their own models.
Understanding the AI threat landscape
They need a working knowledge of AI-specific attack techniques and should be fluent in the reference frameworks, mainly the OWASP Top 10 for LLM Applications and MITRE ATLAS. Key threats include:
They also need to understand how attackers use AI against the organisation (more convincing phishing, deepfake-enabled fraud, faster reconnaissance and exploit development) and how that changes your threat model. Shadow AI, meaning unsanctioned use of AI tools by staff, is a practical, near-term issue they should be able to discover and manage.
Demonstrating AI in protection, detection and response
This is where the role earns its keep with stakeholders. In protection, that might mean AI-assisted vulnerability prioritisation, secure code review, or posture analysis. In detection, it covers behavioural anomaly detection, alert triage and enrichment, and LLM-assisted threat hunting. In response, it includes AI copilots for investigation and incident summarisation, automated playbooks, and agentic response actions.
A good candidate will be clear-eyed about limits: where human-in-the-loop controls are needed, how to validate AI outputs, and how to avoid automating mistakes at speed. The ability to build or run demonstrators that show value concretely is a strong differentiator.
Assurance and testing
The role should include adversarial testing and red teaming of the organisation's AI systems, whether done directly or by scoping and overseeing third parties. Examples are testing RAG applications for injection and data exposure, or checking that an agent can't be manipulated into acting outside its intended permissions.
Alignment with governance and standards
This isn't primarily a governance role, but the engineer should translate frameworks into technical controls and evidence. The relevant reference points are:
Skills and background
The ideal profile is a security engineer (typically from cloud security, security architecture, or SOC engineering) who has built genuine ML and LLM literacy. That means understanding how models, RAG pipelines and agents work, reasonable Python or scripting ability, and cloud platform experience. Communication matters more than usual: this person will regularly need to explain AI risk and capability to non-specialist decision-makers without overselling or scaremongering.
Measures of success
Useful indicators:
We know the skill-gap and ‘somewhat need to tick every box’ can get in the way of meeting brilliant candidates, so please don’t hesitate to apply – we’d love to hear from you.
Apply today by completing our online application
Please be aware that some of our UK roles at PA Consulting require a UK security clearance.
All PA people are required to undergo background checks and to achieve the Baseline Personnel Security Standard however, some UK roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting, where applicants must have at least 5 years of continuous residency in the UK.
We therefore ask that you only apply if you meet the residency requirements (i.e. you are a British citizen or have been resident in the UK for the past 5 years), as this is the prerequisite for a security clearance. If you're unsure about your eligibility, we encourage you to review the UK Government’s guidance on security vetting before applying.
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We believe diversity fuels ingenuity. Diversity of thought brings exciting perspectives; diversity of experience brings a wealth of knowledge, and diversity of skills brings the tools we need. When we bring people together with diverse backgrounds, identities, and minds, embracing that difference through an inclusive culture where our people thrive; we unleash the power of diversity – bringing ingenuity to life.
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Adjustments or accommodations - Should you need any adjustments or accommodations to the recruitment process, at either application or interview, please contact us.
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