Security Engineer to AI Engineer
Your Adversarial Mindset Wins
You spend your days thinking like an attacker, and that is exactly what LLM security needs.
Convert your threat modeling and red team experience into $140K+ AI engineering roles.
The Transition Feels Like Starting Over.
It is not. You are closer than you think.
The ML math wall looks impossible. Calculus, statistics, neural network internals. You assume you need all of it before anyone takes you seriously.
You break systems for a living, and AI roles look like they only want builders. So your strongest instinct feels like the wrong fit.
Red team and pentest experience feels too niche for AI postings, so you keep applying to generic AI engineer roles and getting ignored.
AI Security Is the Fast Lane You Already Have a Pass To.
The World-Class AI Engineer Cohort
Prompt injection, jailbreaks, model exploitation, and data poisoning are security problems wearing AI clothing. The industry is shipping LLMs faster than it can secure them, and almost no AI engineer has a real security background. Your threat modeling, red team work, and attacker mindset are the rare half of this equation. We position your existing skills so AI security teams see you as the obvious hire instead of a career changer starting from zero.
Map What Transfers
We translate your threat modeling, red teaming, and systems thinking into the language AI security teams hire for.
Add the LLM Layer
Learn how models actually work and the specific attack surface: prompt injection, guardrails, jailbreaks, and access control.
Position and Land
Build security-flavored AI projects and frame your background so you compete for roles most applicants cannot touch.
Meet Your Mentor
My aim has been the same for years: become a world-class AI engineer. Every career move I've made has been measured against that.
I started as a software tester on a $500/month internship in the Netherlands. Taught myself to code, learned to ship real systems, and worked my way to Senior Engineer at GitHub.
Then I left GitHub. I joined an AI research lab as Member of Technical Staff, where I currently build products for secure AI monitoring.
The cohort draws directly from my real experience so you can make progress fast.
I run this special cohort with only a few people because hands-on work with me is what it takes to bring you to become a world-class AI engineer.
Real Results
Vittor
AI Engineer
Built and deployed his portfolio piece, then landed the AI role
"The coaching played a huge part in my success. I focused on AI fundamentals, the certification path, and soft skills like professional writing. Having access to expert guidance gave me confidence during interviews and helped me feel I was on the right path.
I built my own platform (simple but functional) and deployed it on AWS. I used it in my portfolio and showcased it during interviews. The way complex topics were explained, especially the restaurant analogy for AI systems, really stuck with me. Focusing on doing the basics well was absolutely essential."
What You Will Get
8 Weekly Tuesday Sessions
3 hours each for 24 live hours total.
Project Scoping at Kickoff
We set the scope of what you'll ship and the milestones to get there before the live sessions start.
Code Reviews
Reviews of your code from Zen during the cohort.
Lifetime Demo Access
Every architecture demo is recorded and yours to keep.
Demo Day
You present what you built and get feedback from Zen, with a recording you can use in your portfolio.
12 Months Community Access
Included with the cohort.
AI Security Talent Is Scarce and You Already Hold the Rare Half
Frequently Asked Questions
How do security engineering skills transfer to AI engineering?
More than most people expect. Threat modeling maps straight to AI risk assessment. Red team and pentest experience is exactly what LLM jailbreak testing and prompt injection research require. Your systems thinking covers AI infrastructure security, and the attacker mindset is what AI safety and reliability testing depend on. Companies are short on people who genuinely understand both security and AI, which is the gap you already sit in.
Do I need calculus and linear algebra to make this move?
Not for AI security roles. You need a working understanding of how LLMs behave, things like tokenization, attention, context windows, and fine-tuning, but not the mathematical derivations. The deep math belongs to researchers building models. Your focus is the practical attack and defense surface: prompt engineering, API security, guardrail implementation, and red teaming techniques.
How much time does a working security engineer need each week?
Most security engineers in the program commit eight to ten hours a week around a full-time role. Your security foundation means you are adding AI context rather than learning systems thinking from scratch, so the same hours go further than they would for someone starting cold. Threat modeling, logging, and access control all carry over directly.
What job titles should a security engineer target in AI?
Look at AI Security Engineer, LLM Red Team Engineer, AI Safety Engineer, ML Security Specialist, and AI Trust and Safety roles. Some teams label it AI Risk or AI Governance. Standard AI Engineer postings at security-conscious companies are also strong targets, because your background becomes the differentiator rather than the gap. Do not limit yourself to roles with security in the title.
I've signed up for cohorts before and dropped out. How is this different?
It probably isn't, and you should hold the money. Most cohort dropouts are people who couldn't articulate what they were shipping when they signed up. That's why the consult exists, and why I turn down most applications. If we get on the call and you can't tell me what you'll have shipped at the end of week 8, I'll point you to the AI Native Engineer community until you can.
I'm not pivoting careers. I want to build a product. Does this still work?
Yes, the cohort works for people shipping their first serious AI system whether the goal is to land a senior role or to launch a product. The shipped system serves both equally well.
Do I need prior AI experience?
You need to be able to code in Python or TypeScript. Complete beginners can follow the classroom they get access to before the cohort sessions to come in well-prepared.
What does it cost?
It's a four-figure investment that we discuss during the 30-minute consult, alongside whether the cohort is the right fit for your project.
Can I do this while working full-time?
Yes, most attendees do. The live session is one Tuesday a week and the async work fits around your existing schedule, as long as you can carve out roughly 6 hours a week.
I accept those who have the highest chance of success.
In the 30-minute call we discuss your goals and whether you are ready for the program.