As a Founding AI Engineer at Refractal, you will build the critical safety layer for agentic systems. You’ll own the development of runtime classification stacks, policy engines, and evidence pipelines that secure high-consequence AI deployments for leading startups and government entities. This is a rare opportunity to define a new category in cybersecurity.
Founding AI Engineer at Refractal
Refractal is securing the future of autonomy. Founded by a team from MIT, NASA, and the NSA, this London-based startup is building the critical safety layer for AI agents. As a Founding AI Engineer, you'll own the runtime classification and policy enforcement stacks used by governments and leading startups. If you're a technically brilliant builder with 0-3 years of experience and a passion for AI security, this is your chance to define a new category and grow into a Head of Engineering role.
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Location
London, United Kingdom
Compensation
Not Disclosed
Company
Refractal
Role overview
Refractal is building the security infrastructure for autonomous systems. Our founding team combines technical pedigree from MIT, NASA, and the U.S. military with commercial experience in VC and startups. We are starting with monitoring for employee AI usage. Unlike competitors, we are concentrating on native multimodality across browsers, file systems, and beyond.
Refractal is backed by leading institutional investors including Creator Fund, Eka, and Blue Wire Capital. We have also received compute support from Google Cloud, Microsoft for Startups, as well as being recognised by MIT’s flagship CSAIL AI lab as part of CSAIL Alliances.
What you will do
- Develop the runtime classification stack that authorizes agent actions in real-time, ensuring safety and compliance before execution.
- Build high-performance evidence pipelines to record AI verdicts and rationale, providing transparent governance for autonomous systems.
- Collaborate with security researchers to translate novel adversarial attacks into robust, production-ready detections and multi-modal controls.
Who this is a fit for
- 0–3 years of experience in AI/ML systems with a strong foundation in computer science, machine learning, or cybersecurity.
- A proven builder with a portfolio of production-grade systems, research at top labs, or significant open-source contributions.
- Rigorous understanding of how adversaries exploit LLMs and agents, including prompt injection, goal hijacking, and data exfiltration.
Why this role is remarkable
- Join a powerhouse founding team with technical pedigree from MIT, NASA, Microsoft, and the NSA building at the frontier of AI security.
- Work on real-world, high-consequence deployments for a European government and top-tier startups rather than purely synthetic research environments.
- Direct path to Head of Engineering with significant founding equity and influence over the product roadmap and research agenda.
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What happens next?
Jack’s an AI agent for job searching and career coaching. He works for you.
Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack’s network.
If your profile’s a match and Refractal wants to meet, Jill will make the intro. In the meantime, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.