
AI/ML Engineer
TENEX.AI · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $130,000 / year
- United States
Job highlights
- Design and build AI systems for cybersecurity.
- Develop LLMs and reasoning engines.
- Optimize AI layer for detection and response.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams.
- Work with cutting-edge AI technologies.
About the role
Company Overview
TENEX is an AI-native, automation-first, built-for-scale Managed Detection and Response (MDR) provider. We are a force multiplier for defenders, helping organizations enhance their cybersecurity posture through advanced threat detection, rapid response, and continuous protection. Our team is composed of industry experts with deep experience in cybersecurity, automation, and AI-driven solutions. Backed by leading investors, we are rapidly growing and seeking top talent to join our mission of revolutionizing the AI-Native MDR landscape.
We’re a fast-growing startup backed by industry experts and top-tier investors led by Crosspoint Capital Partners and also backed by Shield Capital, DTCP (formerly Deutsche Telekom Capital Partners), Deepwork Capital, and the Florida Opportunity Fund. Seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). As an early employee, you’ll play a meaningful role in defining and building our culture. Get in on the ground floor. We’re a small but well-funded team that just raised a substantial round – joining now comes with limited risk and unlimited upside.
As an AI/ML Engineer at TENEX, you will be a key technical driver responsible for designing, developing, and optimizing scalable, high-performance AI systems. You will play a crucial role in shaping the architecture of our AI-driven cybersecurity solutions while collaborating across engineering teams and driving technical innovation.
Culture is one of the most important things at TENEX.AI—explore our culture deck at culture.tenex.ai to witness how we embody it, prioritizing the irreplaceable collaboration and community of in-person work.
Location
This role will require Monday - Thursday onsite in any of our locations. WFH Friday.
Job Responsibilities
- Project Execution: Ability to drive and land large abstract projects from start to finish. This means communicating effectively to gather consensus, efficient delegation, and bringing multiple stakeholders on the journey.
- AI Layer Engineering: Design & build the AI layer that powers autonomous detection, RAG-backed investigation, and auto-remediation workflows.
- Productionize Reasoning Engines: Develop and productionize large-scale LLMs, graph-based reasoning engines, and streaming feature pipelines that operate on billions of security events.
- Evaluation & Reliability: Own evaluation & reliability—from prompt libraries and fine-tuning to red-team testing, latency budgets, and fallback strategies.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner tightly with Product, Detection Engineering, and Customer Success to translate real-world attacker behavior into robust ML and rule-based detections.
- Push the Frontier: Experiment with retrieval-augmented generation, tool-calling agents, and multi-modal models (text + logs + graphs) to keep defenders decisively ahead.
Required Skills & Qualifications
Software Engineering & Architecture Expertise
- Core Engineering: 1 - 3+ years of experience in software development, engineering production systems using modern programming languages (Python, Go, Rust, or Java).
- Agentic Systems: Deep knowledge of agentic systems design, such as Centralized and/or Decentralized MAS (Multi-Agent Systems) architectures.
- Graph Architectures: Solid understanding of Graph structures and specifically graph databases.
- Orchestration Frameworks: Hands-on experience building agents, orchestration frameworks (LangChain/LangGraph, Agno AGI, or custom), and evaluation harnesses.
- Distributed Systems: Deep understanding of microservices architecture, containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and event-driven systems.
- APIs: Strong fundamentals in API design (REST/gRPC) and distributed systems.
Soft Skills
- Communication: Clear, concise communication skills and a bias for collaborative problem-solving.
- Leadership Alignment: Proven track record of gathering consensus and guiding multi-stakeholder initiatives through uncertain boundaries.
- Analytical Rigor: Strong problem-solving and analytical skills.
Nice-to-have
- Domain Background: Prior work in cybersecurity (SIEM, EDR, SOAR, or MDR).
- Startup Mentality: Background driving high-impact engineering initiatives in high-growth startups or enterprise SaaS.
- Cloud Infrastructure: Familiarity with cloud infrastructure security (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
Education & Certifications
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field. Relevant certifications (AWS/GCP Professional Engineer, Kubernetes, or security-related credentials) are a plus.
Why Join Us?
- Opportunity to work with cutting-edge AI-driven cybersecurity technologies and Google SecOps solutions.
- Collaborate with a talented and innovative team focused on continuously improving security operations.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- A culture of growth and development, with opportunities to expand your knowledge in AI, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies.
If you're passionate about combining cybersecurity expertise with artificial intelligence and have experience with advanced multi-agent architectures, we encourage you to apply!
Key skills/competency
- AI/ML Engineer
- Software Engineering
- System Architecture
- Agentic Systems
- Graph Databases
- Orchestration Frameworks
- Distributed Systems
- API Design
- Cybersecurity
- Machine Learning
Skills & topics
- AI/ML Engineer
- Artificial Intelligence
- Machine Learning
- Software Engineering
- System Architecture
- Agentic Systems
- Graph Databases
- Orchestration Frameworks
- Cybersecurity
- Python
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your experience with Python, Go, Rust, Java, agentic systems, graph databases, and orchestration frameworks. Emphasize any cybersecurity or startup experience.
- Showcase your projects: Detail your contributions to large, abstract projects and your ability to drive them from start to finish.
- Demonstrate collaboration: Provide examples of your cross-functional work, communication skills, and ability to gather consensus.
- Prepare for technical questions: Be ready to discuss your experience with microservices, containerization, event-driven systems, and API design.
- Understand the culture: Review TENEX.AI's culture deck and be prepared to discuss your alignment with their values, especially regarding in-person collaboration.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the work arrangement for an AI/ML Engineer at TENEX.AI?
- The AI/ML Engineer role at TENEX.AI has a hybrid work arrangement. Employees are expected to be onsite Monday through Thursday, with the option to work remotely on Fridays.
- What are the primary responsibilities of an AI/ML Engineer at TENEX.AI?
- As an AI/ML Engineer at TENEX.AI, you will design, develop, and optimize AI systems for cybersecurity, including building the AI layer for autonomous detection, productionizing LLMs and reasoning engines, and ensuring evaluation and reliability of these systems.
- What programming languages are preferred for the AI/ML Engineer role at TENEX.AI?
- TENEX.AI prefers candidates with experience in modern programming languages such as Python, Go, Rust, or Java for their AI/ML Engineer positions.
- Does TENEX.AI require specific experience with agentic systems for the AI/ML Engineer role?
- Yes, TENEX.AI requires deep knowledge of agentic systems design, including Centralized and/or Decentralized MAS (Multi-Agent Systems) architectures, for their AI/ML Engineer role.
- What is TENEX.AI's stance on company culture and in-person collaboration for this role?
- TENEX.AI highly values company culture and in-person collaboration. They explicitly mention prioritizing community through in-person work, as detailed in their culture deck at culture.tenex.ai.
- What kind of projects can an AI/ML Engineer expect to work on at TENEX.AI?
- You can expect to work on projects such as designing the AI layer for autonomous detection, RAG-backed investigations, auto-remediation, developing large-scale LLMs and graph-based reasoning engines, and experimenting with advanced AI techniques like retrieval-augmented generation and tool-calling agents.
- Is prior cybersecurity experience a requirement for the AI/ML Engineer position at TENEX.AI?
- While not strictly required, prior work in cybersecurity, such as SIEM, EDR, SOAR, or MDR, is considered a 'nice-to-have' for the AI/ML Engineer role at TENEX.AI.
- What educational background is typically expected for an AI/ML Engineer at TENEX.AI?
- A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field is typically expected for the AI/ML Engineer position. Relevant certifications are also a plus.