Lead AI Platform Architect

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 296,000 - 375,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Principal Software Engineer for the AI Software & Platform Team in Milpitas, CA. You will lead architectural vision and system design for the AI Canvas and related platform capabilities, driving standards and technical direction across cross-functional teams.

You will mentor engineers, shape agentic workflows, and ensure scalable, secure cloud-native solutions within SaaS/on-prem environments, collaborating with product and security stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field with 15+ years of software engineering experience; OR Master's with 12+ years; OR PhD with 8+ years.
• Minimum of 8 years of experience designing and deploying distributed cloud software platforms, microservices, or enterprise-scale automation systems.
• Minimum of 4 years in a technical leadership capacity driving architectural decisions across multi-disciplinary teams.
• Experience leveraging code generation tools for AI software development and productivity improvements.
• Experience building production applications using Generative AI, LLM orchestration frameworks, or copilots.
• Experience developing backend or full-stack software using languages like Python/Go/TypeScript and cloud-native technologies (Kubernetes, Docker).

Responsibilities

• Define architectural vision and lead system design for AI Canvas and related platform capabilities.
• Lead technical execution and establish standards across engineering teams.
• Mentor team members and drive cross-functional technical decisions.
• Design multi-agent and agentic workflows, including orchestration and tool calling.
• Ensure systems run on Kubernetes with proper deployment configs, secrets, and health checks.
• Collaborate with product management and security to deliver scalable AI platforms.
• Communicate designs clearly through reviews and technical writings.

Skills

AI platform design

Cloud-scale systems

Microservices

Leadership track record

LLM orchestration

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/CE/EE or related field

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

TypeScript/Node.js

Python

Go

Job description

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Principal Software Engineer for the AI Software & Platform Team in Milpitas, CA. You will lead architectural vision and system design for the AI Canvas and related platform capabilities, driving standards and technical direction across cross-functional teams.

You will mentor engineers, shape agentic workflows, and ensure scalable, secure cloud-native solutions within SaaS/on-prem environments, collaborating with product and security stakeholders.