Applied Scientist, AI Security

Amazon is hiring an Applied Scientist, AI Security in Austin, United States. It pays $143k-$193k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.

Level's read on this job

Level rates this applied scientist role Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
The posting mentions Python, PyTorch and LLMs among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a senior role.
Amazon has 20,000+ other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Researches and implements ML and agentic systems for AI-driven security analysis of source code and cloud configurations.

PythonPyTorchLLMs

machine-learningsecurity-analysisnlpagentic-systems

We are seeking an Applied Scientist to join our AI Security team, which builds AI-based security analysis services that identify, validate, and help remediate vulnerabilities in Amazon source code and cloud configurations. The team combines large language models, security knowledge, code analysis, and security-engineer feedback to help builder teams detect security issues earlier in development and maintain security coverage across Amazon.

As an Applied Scientist, you will research, model, design, and implement machine learning and agentic systems that reason over source code, infrastructure, and security context. You will collaborate with applied scientists, security engineers, software engineers, internal partners, and external researchers to improve finding precision, severity assessment, remediation quality, and continuous scanning coverage. Your work will enable continuous, AI-driven security analysis across Amazon’s software estate, converting source-code and infrastructure signals into validated, prioritized findings and proposed fixes that help builders prevent security defects from reaching production.

Key job responsibilities
• Research and develop accurate and scalable methods to solve our hardest AI security problems
• Lead cross-functional work with applied scientists, software engineers, and security engineers to develop models and technical designs for AI systems that analyze source code, validate security findings, and generate remediation guidance at Amazon scale.

About the team
As an Applied Scientist on the AI Security team, you will research, develop, evaluate, and productionize models that identify security vulnerabilities in source code and cloud configurations. You will design experiments, build evaluation datasets and metrics, and apply large language models, program analysis, and security knowledge to improve finding precision, severity assessment, and remediation quality. You will work with applied scientists, security engineers, and software engineers to deliver systems that convert security signals into validated, prioritized findings and proposed fixes for builder teams across Amazon.

Your work will shape how Amazon identifies and addresses security defects throughout the software development lifecycle. You will investigate model behavior, analyze failure modes, develop methods to improve recall and precision, and measure the impact of new capabilities before deployment. The role provides opportunities to solve applied machine learning problems across source code, infrastructure, cloud services, and security operations.

About the team

The AI Security team develops systems that analyze source code and cloud configurations to identify, validate, and help remediate security vulnerabilities. We combine large language models, security engineering, automated evaluation, and feedback from builders and security engineers to improve security coverage across Amazon. The team works on problems including vulnerability detection, severity assessment, false-positive reduction, remediation generation, continuous scanning, and security-data analysis.

Diverse Experiences

Amazon Security values varied professional and life experiences. We encourage candidates from traditional and nontraditional career paths, including candidates early in their careers and candidates with alternative technical backgrounds, to apply.

Why Amazon Security?

Security is central to customer trust and Amazon’s products and services. Our organization establishes and maintains security standards across Amazon. Team members build experience across cloud, devices, retail, entertainment, healthcare, operations, and physical stores.

Inclusive Team Culture

Amazon Security brings together people with different experiences, technical backgrounds, and perspectives. We invest in learning opportunities and create space for teams to examine security problems from multiple viewpoints.

Training and Career Growth

The team provides knowledge-sharing, technical training, mentorship, and opportunities to work across security domains. Applied Scientists can deepen their expertise in machine learning, security research, evaluation systems, and production AI services.

Work/Life Balance

We support work-life harmony and flexible working practices. Teams plan work with sustainable delivery in mind and support employees in meeting responsibilities at work and at home.

Basic qualifications

- 3+ years of building models for business application experience
- PhD, or Master's degree and 4+ years of CS, CE, ML or related field experience
- Experience in patents or publications at top-tier peer-reviewed conferences or journals
- Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
- Experience in any of the following areas: algorithms and data structures, parsing, numerical optimization, data mining, parallel and distributed computing, high-performance computing

Preferred qualifications

- Experience using Unix/Linux
- Experience in professional software development

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, TX, Austin - 142,800.00 - 193,200.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Applied Scientist, AI Security at Amazon rates 90 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Applied Scientist, AI Security is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 4 of 4: Builds AI.
The listed salary is $143k-$193k a year.
The role is based in US, TX, Austin.
The job was posted on September 22, 2026.
Seniority: senior.
Applications are handled by Amazon. Apply on Amazon

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Machine learningSecurity AnalysisNLPAgentic SystemsPythonPyTorchLLMs

Also common in applied scientist jobs at this level

Deep learning Generative AI NLP Reinforcement learning TensorFlow Spark

Pay

This job starts at: $143k
Typical applied scientist job: $167k

This posting starts 15% below the typical applied scientist job. See applied scientist jobs

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where machine learning was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where security analysis was part of your work. What did you do?
What NLP problem have you worked on, and how did you measure whether it actually worked?
Tell me about a project where agentic systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Walk me through how you've used Python in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Machine learning, Security Analysis, NLP, Agentic Systems, and Python. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.

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