Software Engineer - AI Lead (AI Innovation, AI Framework, AI/ML Tech)

Meet the Team

Cisco IT is a transformation engine enabling people to do the best work of their lives. Our vision is to be admired as the world’s best IT organization. We lead with user experience, embrace agile ways of working, drive engineering effectiveness, and deliver with Cloud first, shift left, AI powered technology.

In IT, we deliver the technologies that power Cisco’s Licensing Processes through scalable and sustainable architectures to drive profitable growth & operational efficiency. The IT organization is a team of fun-loving and motivated individuals working on leading IT architecture, platforms, and engineering services on Cisco Licensing area.

Your Impact

When you work with us, you will be part of a highly empowered collaborative.

The AI Lead will be responsible for guiding the development and implementation of AI solutions that drive innovation and efficiency within the organization. This role involves managing AI projects, leading a team of specialists, and ensuring alignment with business objectives.

The Key responsibilities, strategy and vision would be to develop and execute the AI strategy to meet organizational goals and Oversee AI projects from inception to deployment, ensuring they are completed on time and meet quality standards.

Lead and mentor a team of AI professionals, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment and to collaborate with other departments to integrate AI technologies into existing systems and processes. Keep abreast of the latest AI trends and technologies to continuously improve the organization’s AI capabilities and establish metrics to assess the effectiveness of AI initiatives and drive improvements.

• Experience in building large scale application using techniques like RAG and Agent based
• Strong proficiency in machine learning frameworks and programming languages such as
  
  

Python, TensorFlow, or PyTorch, kubeflow and AutoML with strong debugging skills

• Strong python programming skills and building production quality code and ability to do
  
  

performance evals and improvements

• Familiarity with big data technologies like bigQuery and Snowflake
  
  

Minimum Qualifications:

• 8+ years of experience leading AI projects and managing technical teams
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, or related field
• Strong proficiency in machine learning frameworks and programming languages (Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch)
• Expertise in building large-scale applications using techniques like RAG and Agents
• Proven experience in ML modelling, deep learning, and in-depth understanding of transformers and GenAI (Lang Chain, Lang Graph, Lang Smith)
• Excellent leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills
  
  

Technical Skills:

• Strong Python programming skills with ability to build production-quality code
• Proficiency in performance evaluation and optimization
• Experience with Kubeflow, AutoML, and strong debugging skills
• Familiarity with big data technologies (e.g., BigQuery, Snowflake)
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices
• Expertise in A/B testing, containerization, and evaluations
• Proficiency in writing effective unit tests
  
  

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience leading teams through change and transformation of tools, processes, and business roadmaps
• Hands-on experience building and deploying GenAI agents to production
• Strong understanding of LLM & ML Ops, including evaluations and experimentation
• Knowledge of Agile principles and practices
  
  

Additional Desirable Skills:

• Familiarity with additional frameworks for building GenAI agents (e.g., AutoGen, crewAI)
• Contributions to open-source AI/ML implementations
  
  

#WeAreCisco (This is the Standard and cannot be changed)

#WeAreCisco where every individual brings their unique skills and perspectives together to pursue our purpose of powering an inclusive future for all.

Our passion is connection—we celebrate our employees’ diverse set of backgrounds and focus on unlocking potential. Cisconians often experience one company, many careers where learning and development are encouraged and supported at every stage. Our technology, tools, and culture pioneered hybrid work trends, allowing all to not only give their best, but be their best.

We understand our outstanding opportunity to bring communities together and at the heart of that is our people. One-third of Cisconians collaborate in our 30 employee resource organizations, called Inclusive Communities, to connect, foster belonging, learn to be informed allies, and make a difference. Dedicated paid time off to volunteer—80 hours each year—allows us to give back to causes we are passionate about, and nearly 86% do!

Our purpose, driven by our people, is what makes us the worldwide leader in technology that powers the internet. Helping our customers reimagine their applications, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals is what we do best. We ensure that every step we take is a step towards a more inclusive future for all. Take your next step and be you, with us!