Principal Security Researcher

Principal Security Researcher

United States, Multiple Locations, Multiple Locations

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Job description

Company and benefits

Job number

200053210

Date posted

Sep 08, 2026

Work site

0 days / week in-office – remote

Travel

Less than 25%

Profession

Security Engineering

Discipline

Security Research

Role type

Individual Contributor

Employment type

Full-Time

Overview

As a Principal Security Researcher in Microsoft Security's FORGE Lab (Frontier Offensive Research & Generative Exploitation), you will help shape the future of autonomous security engineering by combining offensive security research with frontier AI capabilities.The team builds systems such as MDASH, a multi-model agentic vulnerability discovery platform that autonomously identifies, validates, and proves exploitable vulnerabilities in software.

Our work spans vulnerability research, automated exploit generation, AI-driven security workflows, and large-scale software ecosystem protection, helping Microsoft and its customers discover and remediate security risks faster than ever before.

Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond.

Responsibilities

Conduct cutting-edge security research to discover, validate, and analyze vulnerabilities across Microsoft products, cloud services, and strategic open-source ecosystems.

Design and develop scalable automation, AI-driven systems, and research tooling that accelerate vulnerability discovery, triage, and remediation workflows.

Collaborate closely with engineering, product, and security teams to drive vulnerability mitigation, improve security posture, and reduce customer risk.

Lead or contribute to offensive security assessments that identify emerging threat patterns, novel attack techniques, and systemic security weaknesses.

Publish high-quality technical findings, influence in open source projects or large-scale software systems.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 3+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection

OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 4+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection

OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 6+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection

OR equivalent experience.

Other Requirements: Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:

Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.

Preferred Qualifications:

Doctorate in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 5+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection

OR Master's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 8+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection

OR Bachelor's Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Security, or related field AND 12+ years experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis or modeling, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, and/or anomaly detection

OR equivalent experience.

Demonstrated experience in vulnerability research, vulnerability discovery, exploit development, reverse engineering, or offensive security research, including publicly disclosed CVEs or security advisories.

Participation in recognized security competitions or research programs, such as Capture The Flag (CTF), DARPA AI Cyber Challenge (AIxCC), Pwn2Own, or similar offensive security initiatives.

#MSFTSecurity #AIxCC #FORGE

Security Research IC5 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $142,800 - $274,800 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $188,000 - $304,200 per year.

Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:

https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay

This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.

• Doctorate with 3+ years, Master's with 4+ years, or Bachelor's with 6+ years in relevant fields and experience.
• Experience in software development lifecycle, large-scale computing, threat analysis, cybersecurity, vulnerability research, or anomaly detection.
• Ability to pass Microsoft Cloud background check and security screening requirements.