About this role
THE ROLE
The Offensive Security Unit (OSU) forms part of the Government’s wider Laboratory for AI Security Research initiative, which brings together academia, industry, and government to advance UK leadership in AI security research.
Without truly understanding the future of cyber-attacks we are limited in our ability to defend. OSU will be a dedicated team that will identify, design and assess new AI-enabled offensive techniques.
As a Research Engineer, you will build and run the systems, tooling, and environments that turn research ideas into reliable, repeatable evidence. Outputs may include prototype implementations, testing environments, reproducible evaluations, experimental designs, technical reports, demonstrations, and briefings for government partners. All work will be conducted within appropriate legal, ethical, and governance frameworks.
We’re particularly interested in candidates with an engineering mindset and a background in cyber who want to harness modern AI techniques.
HOW YOU’LL MAKE AN IMPACT
Develop prototypes, tools, infrastructure, and evaluation harnesses with team members. Stand up and maintain the realistic test environments and ranges that allow offensive techniques to be run safely and meaningfully. Build and maintain reproducible implementations that support rigorous evaluation of AI-altered attack surfaces, including discovery, chaining, automation, or amplification of cyber techniques. Contribute to the design and running of controlled experiments by advising on feasibility, instrumentation, measurement, and implementation quality. Produce clear technical evidence through reports, demonstrations, and briefings. Work closely with government and technical stakeholders to ensure research remains grounded, relevant, and actionable.
YOU’LL THRIVE IN THIS ROLE IF YOU
Have strong instincts for technical implementation and are curious about how systems can be built, probed, stressed, and evaluated. Are energised by anticipating where offensive capability is heading, and by building the tools, environments, and experiments needed to understand it. Enjoy turning ideas into working prototypes and concrete evidence. Are comfortable working in ambiguous problem spaces where the right questions are not always obvious Are motivated by producing work that has real operational relevance and impact Like collaborating across disciplines, particularly with researchers and domain experts Communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical audiences
Terms and Conditions
This post is offered on a two-year fixed term basis. The annual salary is £45,505 - £51,465 plus excellent benefits, including flexible working and family friendly policies, Employee-only benefits guide | The Alan Turing Institute
Eligibility for DV clearance is an essential requirement for this role. Eligibility criteria and further information on the process can be found on the UK Government security vetting website. Please note that we require you to provide essential information in your cover letter in order to progress your application.
Application procedure
Please see our jobs portal (via the 'Apply' button above) for full details on how to apply and the interview process.
Equality Diversity and Inclusion
We value diversity of background, experience, and perspective, and are proud to be an inclusive employer. We warmly encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from groups currently under-represented in our sector. If you feel passionate about this role but don’t meet every single requirement, please apply – we recognise that great candidates may bring strengths beyond the criteria listed.