Sr AI / ML Engineer - CX

Position Overview

Join the CX AI Incubation team at Cisco CX and be at the forefront of AI innovation. Our team is focused on identifying and building breakthrough, emerging solutions that transform customer engagement and operational efficiency. You'll design and develop transformative AI capabilities—from delivery intelligence to network automation—that redefine how customers interact with technology, while collaborating with passionate experts in a vibrant, inclusive environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design and development of AI/ML-based services in collaboration with product management and engineering teams.
• Analyze data, develop, validate, and deploy machine learning models to drive improvements in operational efficiency and automation.
• Build and fine-tune model architectures for natural language and perception-based tasks using best practices in optimization and evaluation.
• Utilize techniques such as transformer architecture, distillation, and reinforcement learning to enhance model performance and reliability.
• Support the training and fine-tuning of Large and Small Language Models for domain- and task-specific applications.
• Collaborate on the development and deployment of AI agents and applications, ensuring responsible, safe, and explainable AI behavior.
• Keep up-to-date with emerging AI technologies and research to continuously enhance solution quality.
• Contribute to the establishment of best practices in model development and deployment.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field with 6+ years of software engineering experience, or a Master's degree in a related field with 3+ years of experience.
• Proficiency in Python, Java, or C++ with hands-on experience in model development, training, and deployment.
• Expertise in leading machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, and Scikit-Learn along with data manipulation tools essential for the AI lifecycle.
• Experience in developing Large Language Models (LLMs), Natural Language Processing (NLP), or Generative AI techniques.
• Proven track record working in cross-functional teams in fast-paced environments and effectively communicating technical concepts.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on Small Language Model (SLM) development.
• Background with Cisco networking and security technologies.
• Knowledge of network automation and AI-based anomaly detection.
• Familiarity with AI-driven DevOps automation and model observability.
• Exposure to edge computing environments.
• Experience with AI cloud platforms such as AWS SageMaker, Google Cloud AI Platform, Azure ML, or similar.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to contribute to design discussions and documentation.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and creative thinking.

Benefits & Perks

• Compensation: Starting salary range of $199,700.00 to $254,600.00 (U.S. and Canada), with additional incentive compensation details provided during the hiring process.
• Healthcare Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance available per eligibility rules.
• Retirement: 401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution.
• Time Off: Generous paid time off including 10 paid holidays, a floating holiday, birthday leave, year-end shutdown, and personal wellness days; plus paid vacation and sick time policies.
• Additional Benefits: Paid parental leave, disability coverage, and eligibility for Cisco restricted stock units.
• Opportunities for annual bonuses and performance-based incentive compensation.