Director, AI Security and Research (SURGe - Foundation AI)
NeuralFabric
Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Work Location: Anywhere in the US (Mainland, Remote)
Meet the Team
Foundation AI’s mission is to secure AI transformation. The Foundation AI team joined Cisco through the Robust Intelligence acquisition in fall 2024 to lead research and development of security and AI at Cisco. The team has deep expertise in AI and security and is an active contributor to cutting edge research and standards on AI and security. At Cisco, our mission is to build AI Security at Cisco scale as well as lead the next generation of AI infrastructure for disruptive security products across Cisco.
Your Impact
Foundation AI is seeking a Director of SURGe to define and drive the roadmap for the organization’s research focused on the convergence of AI and cybersecurity—including defensive, adversarial, and foundational research.
This role sits at the intersection of research leadership, technical evangelism, and security innovation, shaping how SURGe advances Foundation AI’s mission through impactful research, outreach, and cross-functional collaboration. You will partner with technical researchers, evangelists, and peers across Foundation AI and Cisco to define SURGe’s priorities, influence the organization’s technical direction, and drive global efforts to evangelize security at Foundation AI and Cisco.
This is a hands-on leadership position requiring both depth and range: the ability to set and execute on research and outreach strategy, technical fluency in security and AI, and the skills to represent Cisco’s trusted-AI mission to customers and partners worldwide.
Key Responsibilities:
Lead a small, high-performing, and technically diverse team focused on research at the convergence of AI and cybersecurity.
Partner with product marketing, communications, and social media teams to develop marketing and public relations strategies for major research projects.
Develop and refine emerging security use cases for Cisco products, reflecting priority customer challenges, market trends, the evolving threat landscape, and unique business opportunities.
Evangelize Foundation AI’s vision, strategy, and roadmap at industry events and with global customers and partners.
Identify, attract, and mentor security talent at Cisco to expand and elevate the company’s security profile.
Represent Foundation AI’s technology strategy in executive discussions and cross-organizational planning forums.
Cultivate a high-performing research culture that values scientific curiosity, disciplined execution, and measurable impact.
Minimum Qualifications
8+ years’ experience in formal cyber security, threat research and development background.
Proven experience in AI safety, evaluation methodologies, and engineering best practices for mission-critical systems.
Proven on-going research background in AI and cybersecurity.
Familiarity with common security products and their role in supporting organizational risk reduction.
Portfolio of public-facing materials (e.g., whitepapers, blogs, presentations)
Deep understanding of cybersecurity and AI challenges, concepts, and capabilities.
Preferred Qualifications
Track record of leading cross-functional teams that bridge research, evangelism, and cybersecurity.
Proven ability to drive alignment and execution across multidisciplinary teams.
Ability to communicate concisely and confidently with audiences of all sizes.
Comfortable working remotely and across multiple time zones with minimal supervision.
Why Cisco?
At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.
Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.
We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.
Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:
The starting salary range posted for this position is $291,500.00 to $369,100.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.
U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:
10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees
Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)
80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members
Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.
Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:
.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;
1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;
1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and
Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.
For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.
The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:
New York City Metro Area:
$291,500.00 - $424,400.00Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$259,400.00 - $377,600.00* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.
** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.