AI Operations Engineer I (Intern) – United States

Cisco; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 25,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a motivated student for an AI Ops internship in the United States. You will explore automation, streamline IT operations, and build smart solutions that reduce repetitive work while ensuring AI production environments are resilient and scalable.

The role emphasizes scripting, cloud familiarity (AWS), and applying CI/CD concepts to ML deployment and monitoring, with a culture of collaboration and hands-on learning within a global team.

Qualifications

• Enrolled in an undergraduate degree in CS/EE/DS/ML or related field.
• Will continue enrollment after internship.
• Proficiency in Python or Bash with evidence (coding challenge or scripts).
• Knowledge of Linux system operations, monitoring, or incident response basics.

Skills

Python

Bash

Education

Undergraduate degree in CS/EE/DS/ML or related field

Tools

GitHub Actions

Kubernetes

AWS

Job description

Meet the Team

The Cisco Product Organization is the engine behind the platforms, technologies, and solutions defining the next generation of connectivity. Spanning AI Software & Platforms, Core Product Engineering, Collaboration, Security, Networking, Silicon, and Observability, we build the critical infrastructure that powers the digital world. Millions of people rely on our platforms every day, and our teams work together to build, refine, and scale products that drive meaningful impact. We are a team of passionate innovators, united by our curiosity, collaboration, and dedication to helping one another do our best work.

Your Impact

You'll dive into the fast-paced world of AI Ops, where you'll automate and streamline IT operations to deliver impactful results. You'll build smart solutions that cut down on repetitive tasks, speed up incident response, and ensure our AI production environments stay sharp and resilient. By automating critical workflows and optimizing performance, you ensure our AI systems remain resilient and scalable.

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program (Associate's or Bachelor's) -Qualifying education should be in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, Mathematics, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Expected to continue enrollment in degree program following completion of the internship.
• Proficiency in scripting languages such as Python or Bash, evidenced through a coding challenge, technical assessment, or submission of automation scripts/workflow samples.
• Working knowledge of systems or network administration fundamentals (e.g., Linux system operations, monitoring, or incident response basics)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with tools such as GitHub Actions and Kubernetes for automation and deployment
• Ability to support AI production environments and manage sandbox environments
• Experience working with AWS or other cloud platforms
• Understanding of CI/CD practices as applied to AI/ML model deployment and monitoring

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we're revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We've been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint. Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you'll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada

Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

Benefits

• U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco's plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance.
• Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.
• U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco's policies:
• 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
• 1 paid day off for employee's birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
• Non-exempt employees receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees
• Exempt employees participate in Cisco's flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)
• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
• For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco's policies.
• Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan.
• For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows: .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota; 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%; 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.
• For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target.
• Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

Full Salary Ranges

• New York City Metro Area: $44,000.00 - $185,000.00
• Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $44,000.00 - $185,000.00
• * For quota-based sales roles on Cisco's sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.
• ** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.

Cultural Highlights

Cisconians power the future. We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale. The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers – it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn.

We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together.

Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life's best work.