Principal AI Engineer

Rapid7, Inc; Belfast; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cybersecurity firm in Northern Ireland is seeking a Principal AI Engineer to join their AI Centre of Excellence. You will design and implement AI models, focusing on delivering value to customers. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in applied AI, particularly with Python and various machine learning frameworks. This role involves mentoring team members, tackling complex problems, and collaborating across teams to push innovative AI solutions forward in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Significant hands-on experience in applied AI.
• Ability to independently design and build AI models and systems.
• Intuition for selecting the right models and approaches for different use cases.

Responsibilities

• Develop and ship AI systems with a focus on delivering customer value.
• Tackle complex problems, often reframing existing solutions.
• Act as a principal go-to expert on multiple projects.
• Build strong cross-functional relationships with various teams.
• Mentor colleagues and act as a trusted technical resource.

Skills

Python

scikit-learn

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Keras

AWS Bedrock

SageMaker

HuggingFace

Transformers

Pandas

NumPy

Cybersecurity

AI model design and implementation

Job description

Principal AI Engineer – AI Centre of Excellence

We are expanding our global AI footprint and are looking for a passionate Principal AI Engineer to join Rapid7’s AI Centre of Excellence. You should be ready to provide technical guidance and mentoring to the team while understanding the trade-offs between technical, UX, and product needs. You should excel in interacting and negotiating with key stakeholders, leading to solutions that take all of these needs into account.

About the Team

The AI Centre of Excellence designs, prototypes, and ships production AI models and systems. Our mission is to leverage the best available technology to protect our customers’ attack surfaces. For example, we partner closely with Rapid7’s Detection and Response teams, including our MDR service, to leverage AI/ML for enhanced customer security and threat detection.

We operate ekan creativeOnt iterativa approach, building on over 20arinnar threat analysis and a growing patent portfolio. The environment is collaborative, focused on knowledge sharing and continuous learning. If you’re passionate about AI and want to make a major impact in a fast-paced, innovative environment, chauffe this is your opportunity.

About the Role

The Principal AI Engineer is part of our AI Centre of Excellence team at the-tu forefront of designing and delivering customer-focused AI systems. In this role, you will design and implement AI models and systems using the most appropriate techniques—conventional machine learning, deep learning neural networks, or generative and agentic AI.

You will be working on a high-impact, cross-functional team, ensuring our AI solutions are scalable, secure, and deliver real customer value. Speed to market is key: you’ll operate in an agile, iterative way, making fast, informed decisions about what to build, what to pause, and where to innovate further 癱

You will have the opportunity to further enhance your skills surrounded by an incredibly talented group of engineers and data scientists, while mentoring others and driving forward Rapid7’s AI innovation.

In This Role, You Will:

• Develop and ship AI systems with a focus on delivering customer value.

• Tackle a diverse range of complex problems, often reframing existing solutions with new perspectives.

• Take ownership of multiple projects as the principal go-to expert.

• Act as a first-class stakeholder throughout the AI R&D process.

• Build strong cross-functional relationships with engineering, UX, product management, and customer research teams.

• Mentor colleagues with less experience, acting as a trusted technical resource.

The Skills You’ll Bring Include:

Technical Expertise Проовед

• Significant hands-on experience in applied AI, able to independently design and build AI models and systems.

  • Strong Python skills and practical expertise with:

    • scikit-learn for conventional ML and data science.

    • PyTorch, TensorFlow, or Keras for deep learning.

    • AWS Bedrock, SageMaker, HuggingFace, or Transformers for LLM-based solutions.

    • CrewAI (or similar frameworks) for agentic AI projects.

    • Pandas/NumPy for data processing and transformation.

• Intuition for selecting the right models and approaches for different use cases.

• Cybersecurity expertise is a plus, but experience from other domains (e.g., finance, healthcare, marketplaces, insurance, legal, social media) is also highly valuable.

Personal Attributes

• Positive, can-do, solution-oriented mindset with persistence in tackling complex challenges.

• Bias for action and delivery اج balancing speed with care.

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, juggling multiple projects effectively.

• Natural leader and collaborator, helping peers grow as problem solvers and communicators.

• Curiosity and passion for continuous learning and self-development.

• Open-minded approach, valuing feedback and new ideas from colleagues.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to explain complex AI concepts to diverse audiences and document work clearly.

About Rapid7

At Rapid7, our vision is to create a secure digital world for our customers, our industry, and our communities. We do this by harnessing our collective expertise and passion to challenge what’s possible and drive extraordinary impact. We’re building a dynamic and collaborative workplace where new ideas are welcome.

Protecting 11,000+ customers against bad actors and threats means we’re continuing to push the envelope just like we’ve been doing for the past 20 years. If you’re ready to solve some of the toughest challenges in cybersecurity, we’re ready to help you take command of your career. Join us.