Applied AI Engineer

This is a new anda seniorrole forCloudGuard'sapplied AI function in Ireland.

Location: Hybrid — with 1 day per week in Belfast Office

Employment Type: Full-Time, Permanent

Salary: Competitive — dependent on experience

About the Role

This is a new anda seniorrole. We are standing upCloudGuard'sapplied AI function and the person we hire builds it and sets its direction.

Day to day you will be hands-on in Python and Azure — training models, taking agentic workflows from prototype into secure production deployment, and building the search and retrieval layers underneath them.

You will also be trusted with the wider decisions that come with the role: what we train on, how we secure every input surface that reaches a model, and how we satisfy ourselves that an output is correct rather than plausible. We are asking for experience because you will be making those calls as you grow the role. You will have people to think with: an engineering team that has built and shipped this platform, analysts who run our SOC every day, and a CTO close to the work.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and train ML models in Python usingPyTorch,sklearnand TensorFlow, and own the data work behind them: sourcing, cleaning, encoding andvectorisation.
• Take agentic workflows from prototype into secure, production-grade deployment, and support them once they arelive.
• Design andmaintainsearch and retrieval systems as our data needs grow.
• Build on Azure as the platform’s primary AI tooling.

Security & Model Protection

• Apply model security across every input surface: jailbreak prevention and prompt injectiondefencewherever untrusted input reaches a model.
• Extend the platform’s model guardrails as you add new capability.
• Flag risk early — "here's the gotcha" or "consider doing it this way" — rather than waiting to be asked.

Leadership & Strategic Input

• Own the technical direction ofCloudGuard'sapplied AI function, including which problems we take on next.
• Advise onour data strategy and on the architecture of the secure interfaces that sit in front of our models.
• Validate and improve existing AI capability so we can stand behind what it produces.
• Act as a second, deeper line of technical judgement alongside the engineers already reviewing this work.

AboutCloudGuard

CloudGuard is a UK-based Microsoft Security specialist MSSP – built differently from the ground up. Operating dual Security Operations Centres in Manchester and Belfast, we combine deep Microsoft security expertise with human-led operations to deliver security that is measurable, scalable, and continuously evolving. We exist to close the gap between the security organisations think they have and the security they actually need. ‘Security. Done Different.’ is not a tagline, it’s how we operate every day.

What We’re Looking For

Experience & Background

• Python at production standard, with hands‑on modelling experience inPyTorchand at least one ofsklearnor TensorFlow.
• You have owned the full modelling lifecycle yourself: sourcing, cleaning, encoding andvectorisation, including how raw text becomes something a model can use and the decisions that get baked in at that first layer.
• Agentic workflows you have taken into production and then supported, rather than prototypes built against a frontier model.
• Model security you have applied in production: jailbreak prevention and prompt injectiondefenceacross every point where untrusted input reaches a model.
• Production experience building agents,workflowsand model deployments on a major cloud AI platform. Ours is Azure, and equivalent depth on AWS Bedrock or similar transfers.
• Vector databases you have run in production, and search and retrieval systems that stayedaccurateas the data behind them grew.
• Hands‑on with MCP or an equivalent agent‑tooling protocol.

Skills & Qualities

• Judgement alongside execution — able to lead the function, not just staff it.
• Genuine industry experience of the gap between "works in a demo" and "works in production."
• Security‑aware by instinct, treating every input as hostile until proven otherwise.
• Curious and proactive — bringsnew ideasrather than waiting tobeassignedthem.
• Comfortable owning ambiguity in a functionthat’sstill being defined.

Qualifications

• Degree‑level education in a relevant field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Eligible to work in the UK.
• Willing to undergo standard employment vetting checks common to an MSSP handling customer security data.

What You Can Expect fromCloudGuard

• Real ownership ofCloudGuard'sapplied AI function from its earliest stage.
• Direct exposure toCloudGuard'splatform strategy, working closely with the CTO.
• A technically credible interview process, with genuine depth rather than box‑ticking.
• The opportunity to shape a multi‑year platform with real strategic ambition behind it.
• Dual SOC operations in Manchester and Belfast — a business with real scale, real clients, and real ambition.
• Competitive salary and benefits package, reviewed regularly as the business grows.

CloudGuardis an equalopportunitiesemployer. We are committed to building a team as diverse as the clients we protect.

Office Requirement: Hybrid (1 day required in Belfast office)

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CloudGuard: Security Done Different

At CloudGuard, we're on a mission to change the way businesses think about cybersecurity.

We don't just follow the industry trends. We set them. Through automation and fresh thinking, we help businesses accelerate their security posture and help IT teams to stay one step ahead of evolving threats.

We believe security should be smarter, faster, and easier. That's why we use automation to solve the real challenges IT teams face. We're not here to replace people with technology; we're here to make their jobs easier and free them up to focus on what really matters.

We're looking for bold, forward‑thinking individuals to help us shape the future of cybersecurity. If you're someone who thrives on fresh thinking, loves solving problems in new ways, and wants to make a real impact, CloudGuard is where you belong.

We value customer obsession, working closely with businesses to build lasting partnerships. We're always pushing the envelope by constantly learning and improving. Most importantly, we believe in trust. It's the foundation of everything we do, both within our team and with our customers.

Join us and you'll be at the forefront of the cybersecurity revolution. You'll work with cutting‑edge tech, tackle exciting challenges and play a key role in making security simpler, faster and more powerful.

Ready to be part of something different? Let's do this.

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