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Proofpoint is hiring a Staff Data Scientist / ML Engineer to lead multiple Data Science, GenAI, and AI Engineering initiatives. The ideal candidate will drive the development and deployment of innovative machine learning and generative AI solutions, working cross-functionally with DevOps, product, and data engineering teams. This leadership role requires deep technical expertise, hands-on implementation experience, and a strong vision for scalable AI systems that power real-world applications in cybersecurity.
Responsibilities:
Lead the development of machine learning models and advanced analytics solutions to solve complex business problems.
Design and implement generative AI and large language model (LLM) applications, including fine-tuning and domain adaptation for cybersecurity use cases.
Collaborate with engineering teams to build scalable and secure LLM-based systems (retrieval-augmented generation, prompt engineering, evaluation pipelines).
Architect and lead AI solutions across full lifecycle-from experimentation to MLOps pipelines and production deployment.
Design experiments and use statistical analysis to measure the impact of various business strategies.
Oversee the deployment of machine learning and LLM models in production, ensuring performance, scalability, and responsible AI practices.
Lead the development of model performance monitoring, observability, and continuous learning pipelines.
Define technical direction for LLM and GenAI adoption, including benchmarking open-source and commercial models.
Champion AI/ML best practices including model governance, reproducibility, and ethical AI considerations.
Promote a data-driven and AI-forward culture within the organization and advocate for cutting-edge AI adoption across teams.
Stay current with advancements in LLMs, GenAI, AI engineering, and emerging AI regulations.
Qualifications:
Education:
PhD or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, Statistics, or related discipline.
Experience:
10+ years of experience in data science or applied machine learning, with 3+ years in a technical leadership or managerial role.
Proven track record of designing, developing, and deploying ML and GenAI solutions at scale.
Hands-on experience working with LLMs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, LLaMA, Mistral) and GenAI frameworks (e.g., LangChain, LlamaIndex, Hugging Face).
Experience in cybersecurity or enterprise-scale threat detection systems is a strong plus.
Technical Skills:
Proficiency in Python and relevant ML/AI libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Transformers, Scikit-learn).
Strong grasp of LLM fine-tuning, prompt engineering, RAG pipelines, vector databases (e.g., FAISS, Pinecone), and inference optimization.
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes).
Solid understanding of MLOps principles including CI/CD for ML, feature stores, model versioning, and monitoring.
Familiarity with privacy, security, and compliance considerations in deploying AI solutions.
Soft Skills:
Excellent leadership and mentorship skills, with a collaborative approach to cross-functional problem solving.
Ability to communicate complex technical ideas to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Strong innovation mindset, strategic thinking, and a passion for applying AI to impactful real-world problems
LI-Remote
If you like wild growth and working with happy, enthusiastic over-achievers, you'll enjoy your career with us!
Consistent with Proofpoint values and applicable law, we provide the following information to promote pay transparency and equity. Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets as set out below. Pay within these ranges varies and depends on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The actual offer will be based on the individual candidate. The range provided may represent a candidate range and may not reflect the full range for an individual tenured employee. This role may be eligible for variable compensation and/or equity. We offer a competitive benefits package, including flexible time off, a comprehensive well-being program with two paid Wellbeing Days and two paid Volunteer Days per year, plus a three-week Work from Anywhere option.
Base Pay Ranges:
SF Bay Area, New York City Metro Area:
Base Pay Range: 194,475.00 - 285,230.00 USD
California (excludes SF Bay Area), Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Washington DC Metro, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, Washington, Virginia, and Alaska:
Base Pay Range: 162,375.00 - 238,150.00 USD
All other cities and states excluding those listed above:
Base Pay Range: 148,425.00 - 217,690.00 USD
Proofpoint has been honored with six Best Places to Work Awards in 2024 by workplace culture leader Comparably, including Best Company Career Growth, Best Company Outlook, Best Global Culture, Best Engineering Teams, Best Sales Teams, and Best HR Teams.
To view additional awards, please visit www.proofpoint.com/us/news#awards
Proofpoint thrives on the invaluable contributions of our diverse workforce, which encompasses a kaleidoscope of lived experiences, thoughts, perspectives, and professional expertise. We attribute much of our success to our people, who are at the core of our organization and embody our people-centric ethos.
We hire the most innovative minds globally to safeguard our customers' sensitive data and intellectual property. Our talented workforce develops and leverages our advanced technology, combining their expertise to provide comprehensive protection against threat actors and mitigate the risks posed by both malicious and negligent employees.
Cyberattacks have the potential to disrupt access to vital resources such as energy, water, transportation, healthcare, and financial services. At Proofpoint, our dedicated team works tirelessly to ensure world-class cyber resilience, protecting approximately 8,000 enterprise customers worldwide.
We are committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. We work every day to ensure that our employees feel that they are in a community that celebrates their unique identity, cultivates their sense of belonging, and invests in their professional growth. We have 9 employee-led employee inclusion groups which help support both employees and our organization by providing opportunities to network, discuss career and cultural development and uplift the corporate culture to create a more inclusive workplace.
At Proofpoint, we have a passion for protecting people, data, and brands from today's advanced threats and compliance risks. We hire the best people in the business to:
Build and enhance our proven security platform
Blend innovation and speed in a constantly evolving cloud architecture
Analyze new threats and offer deep insight through data-driven intel
Collaborate with customers to help solve their toughest security challenges
We are singularly devoted to helping our customers protect what matters most. That's why we're a leader in next-generation cybersecurity-and why more than half of the Fortune 100 trust us as a security partner.
Proofpoint is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.
Proofpoint is an equal opportunity employer, we hire without consideration to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status or disability.
