Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer

About the Role

As a Principal Software Engineer at Lakera, you will be at the forefront of AI safety and security, leading groundbreaking developments with a global impact. You will have the opportunity to contribute to and lead efforts across our entire stack. This includes optimizing our inference pipeline, scaling our automatic red-teaming algorithms to uncover flaws in models like GPT-4, and redesigning our data infrastructure. Your work will be crucial in ensuring that AI can unleash its best potential for good.

About Lakera

Lakera is on a mission to secure the era of intelligent computing. We are building the security foundation for a future where AI-powered applications take center stage. We empower builders, giving them the confidence to navigate this new dynamic landscape and unleash the next phase of innovation. We work with Fortune 500 companies, startups, and foundation model providers to protect them and their users from adversarial misalignment. We are also the company behind Gandalf, the world’s most popular CTF.

Key Responsibilities

• Create the world's strongest defense mechanisms to detect cyber attacks against LLM-powered applications.
• Design and implement automatic red-teaming systems to uncover vulnerabilities in LLMs like ChatGPT.
• Lead the charge in creating a world-class ML infrastructure to train and serve our latest models.
• Build developer-friendly APIs, SDKs, and integrations for our products.

About You

• You have at least 5+ years of experience working on complex software systems.
• You bring a sense of what makes a great product from an engineering perspective.
• You are familiar with production-level Python, C++, Golang, or another set of programming languages.
• You have an eye for pragmatism while maintaining exceptional engineering standards.
• You enjoy taking ownership, being hands-on, and making decisions under uncertainty.
• You thrive on translating your ideas into tangible products with wide reach.
• You aspire to play a pivotal role in defining the future of secure AI within a mission-driven company with ambitious goals.

Location

This position is based in San Francisco, with a hybrid work policy requiring staff to be in the office 2-3 days a week.

Compensation and Benefits

Our compensation package consists of salary, equity, and benefits. We are committed to paying fairly and aim for these elements collectively to be highly competitive with market rates. Equity is a major component of the total compensation, with higher-than-average equity compensation for a company of our size.

Benefits Include:

• Vision insurance
• 401(k) with employer matching
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Unlimited PTO
• Headspace Membership
• Work equipment (laptop, computer screen, etc.)
• Stipends for education, home office improvements, commuting, and wellness
• Daily lunches and snacks in our office
• Relocation support for those moving to the Bay Area

Join us to shape the future of intelligent computing and be part of a team that's not just keeping pace but setting the pace.