Principal Engineer - AI

The AI Software & Platform Team delivers AI products so businesses around the world defend against threats and safeguard the most important aspects of business with security resilience. We are passionate about making businesses secure and simplifying security with zero compromise.

As a Principal Engineer within the Cisco AI Software and Platform team, you will be at the forefront of artificial intelligence, machine learning, and deep learning research and development. You will play a critical role in designing, implementing, and evolving our AI Assistant and Studio products. Your expertise will drive innovation and maintain our competitive edge in the market. We are looking for a passionate and hands-on AI Principal Engineer to join us on the sprint that takes us from ideas to prototypes, and from prototypes to Products. As an individual contributor, you will be an integral part of the AI team, joining us at an early stage of the journey and responsible for leading the ideation, design, development and testing phases of new products. As a subject matter expert in this domain, you have a proven track records with strong technology experience, business acumen and a good level of visibility and recognition in the industry (including for example patents, publication/blogs, open-source contributions, conference speaker, academic collaboration, active role in industry consortium...). The right candidate thrives in multifaceted environments and can be counted on when the going gets tough. The ideal candidate is also an outstanding communicator who can pitch solutions for complex problems in a simple and articulated way, adjusting communication style to the audience (Customers, Exec, Business, Technical, UX ...). This role is critical to the development of our team and our new ventures.

• Lead with technical and industry vision and act as a key contributor for our team strategy in the fields of AI
• Lead the design and development of advanced AI systems that address key business challenges and opportunities.
• Define and design AI-based solutions, evaluate technical feasibility and provide estimates on efforts and risks.
• Drive prototypes and MVP architecture and development to deliver innovative features services which are consistent, maintainable, and highly scalable.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including data scientists, software developers, product managers, and business stakeholders to define and achieve strategic objectives.
• Mentor and guide a team of AI engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.
• Stay abreast of the latest developments in AI and machine learning and evaluate the potential impact of new technologies on our products and services.
• Drive the adoption of best practices in coding, testing, documentation, and maintainability.
• Develop scalable and robust infrastructure to support machine learning models from development through to deployment and monitoring.
• Ensure the ethical use of AI, focusing on fairness, privacy, security, and transparency.
• Communicate complex AI concepts to non-technical audiences and provide thought leadership within the company and at industry events.
• Contribute to the creation of intellectual property through patents, publications, and presentations.

• Minium of 10 years of experience as a Principal Engineer or Senior Technical Leader
• Deep understanding of AI Agentic architectures, LLMs and Reinforcement Learning
• Proven track record of leading development of AI-based products or systems in Networking / Security domain
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, Java, or C++ and familiarity with AI frameworks like TensorFlow, PyTorch, or Keras
• Experience with cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and machine learning deployment strategies
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to tackle complex issues.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with the ability to mentor and lead teams.
• Ability to coach/mentor other engineers and especially early in their career
• Ability to constantly identify, follow and learn cutting-edge technologies, work in a fast-paced, team-driven environment.

A PhD or MS degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning / Mathematics / Data Science or equivalent work experience in a field utilizing the same subject matter

#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!