Staff Machine Learning Engineer

Company: Fortinet
Location: Sunnyvale
Posted on: May 3, 2025

Job Description:

Fortinet is seeking a skilled and innovative Staff Machine Learning Engineer to join our FortiCNAPP cloud cybersecurity team. As a Staff Machine Learning Engineer, you will work closely with data scientists, cybersecurity analysts, and software developers to design, develop, and deploy machine learning models that assess and mitigate risk across complex cloud environments. Your focus will include building models to identify potential security threats and quantify risk, empowering our clients to make informed decisions on their cloud security posture.
Key Responsibilities

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• Risk Modeling and Explainability: Develop probabilistic models and statistical frameworks to assess security risk in cloud environments, integrating data from network logs, user behaviors, and threat intelligence to provide actionable risk assessments.
  
• Model Development: Design, train, and evaluate machine learning models for threat detection, anomaly detection, and other cybersecurity applications, particularly within cloud-based infrastructure.
  
• Deployment and Optimization: Implement machine learning models in production environments, focusing on model optimization for high performance and scalability, especially in cloud-based or hybrid environments.
  
• Technological Innovation: Drive innovation in cybersecurity by developing novel machine learning applications, with the potential to be patented, published, and presented at industry-leading events.
  
• Threat Analysis Collaboration: Work alongside threat analysts to incorporate domain expertise into model features, ensuring model relevance to real-world cyber threat scenarios.
  
• Automation and Monitoring: Develop automated tools for model training, evaluation, and monitoring to streamline processes and maintain model performance over time.
  
• Code Review and Mentorship: Participate in code reviews, provide feedback, and mentor junior engineers to foster best practices in the team.
  
  Required Skills and Qualifications
  
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  • Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Machine Learning, or other quantitative fields. PhD is a plus.
    
  • Experience: 6+ years of experience in machine learning, data science, or a related field, with at least 2 years in cybersecurity or cloud-based environments.
    
  • Technical Skills:
    
  • Proficiency in Python, including common ML libraries such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and Scikit-Learn.
    
  • Experience with probabilistic and statistical modeling for risk assessment, anomaly detection, and classification algorithms.
    
  • Strong understanding of data preprocessing, feature engineering, and data pipeline design.
    
  • Knowledge of cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and familiarity with securing and monitoring cloud infrastructure.
    
  • Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and deploying ML models in production.
    
  • Experience with big data processing platforms and frameworks (Snowflake, Spark) is a plus.
    
  • Domain Knowledge: Solid understanding of cybersecurity principles, including network security, malware analysis, incident response, and risk assessment in cloud environments.
    
  • Analytical Skills: Ability to analyze large, complex datasets and develop actionable insights and recommendations, particularly within a cloud context.
    
  • Problem Solving: Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to handle ambiguity and propose innovative solutions to complex cybersecurity challenges.
    
  • Communication: Excellent written and verbal communication skills; able to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
    
    Preferred Skills
    
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    • Familiarity with LLMs to provide model explainability in natural language.
      
    • Experience with real-time data processing or streaming data.
      
    • Familiarity with cybersecurity standards, protocols, and compliance requirements.
      
    • Prior experience working in cross-functional teams within a fast-paced environment.
      
    • Knowledge of adversarial machine learning and techniques to make models robust to adversarial attacks is a plus.
      
      The US base salary range for this full-time position is $166,100-$214,900. Fortinet offers employees a variety of benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, 401(k), 11 paid holidays, vacation time, and sick time as well as a comprehensive leave program.
      Wage ranges are based on various factors including the labor market, job type, and job level. Exact salary offers will be determined by factors such as the candidate's subject knowledge, skill level, qualifications, experience, and geographic location.
      All roles are eligible to participate in the Fortinet equity program, Bonus eligibility is reviewed at time of hire and annually at the Company's discretion.
      Why Join Us:
      
      We encourage candidates from all backgrounds and identities to apply. We offer a supportive work environment and a competitive Total Rewards package to support you with your overall health and financial well-being. Embark on a challenging, enjoyable, and rewarding career journey with Fortinet. Join us in bringing solutions that make a meaningful and lasting impact to our 660,000+ customers around the globe.

Keywords: Fortinet, Redwood City , Staff Machine Learning Engineer, Engineering , Sunnyvale, California