Leader, AI Research NC Hybrid

Cisco; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 216,000 - 281,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco seeks an experienced AI Research Leader to bridge cutting-edge research with enterprise-grade AI solutions. You will guide teams across networking, security, and human-computer interaction, translating complex AI methodologies into scalable, real-world products.

You will shape research roadmaps, mentor talent, and ensure ethical, privacy-minded governance while partnering with Product Management and Engineering to deliver trusted AI at scale.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or related field.
• 8+ years of relevant industry research experience.
• Experience leading or conducting advanced AI research in areas like representation learning or deep learning architectures.
• Experience collaborating with Product, Engineering and Design to translate business objectives into research roadmaps.
• Documentation of adherence to ethical standards, data privacy, and security governance in AI research.

Responsibilities

• Lead and direct AI research teams in planning and execution of initiatives across networking, security, and enterprise domains.
• Apply advanced AI techniques to guide design of foundational AI representations for enterprise products.
• Define and own long-term research strategy aligned with business objectives and cross-functional partners.
• Incorporate emerging AI techniques into research strategies and prototypes.
• Mentor and grow AI research talent while upholding ethical and governance standards.

Skills

AI research leadership

Deep learning

Cross-functional collaboration

Transfer learning

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/AI/ML

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/27/2026

Meet the team

Join Cisco’s Enterprise AI team, the core group enabling Generative AI powered experiences across Cisco. Our mission is to build secure, scalable AI platforms that empower teams to safely develop, deploy, and operationalize AI-powered solutions. We operate at the intersection of applied AI, cloud infrastructure and security - partnering across engineering, security, compliance, and product teams to bring trusted AI to life at enterprise scale.

We are a fast-growing, highly collaborative team of platform engineers, AI engineers, and data scientists who value technical depth, ownership, and pragmatic execution. What makes this team exciting is the opportunity to define how secure Generative AI is built and governed inside a global technology leader.

Your Impact

As a leader in this role, you will serve as the critical bridge between theoretical AI research and tangible enterprise innovation. Your impact will be defined by your ability to shape the future of our strategic domains—such as networking, security, and human-computer interaction—by translating complex AI methodologies into scalable, real-world solutions. By defining research roadmaps and fostering a culture of scientific rigor, you will directly influence our product strategy and technical direction while mentoring the next generation of AI talent. Ultimately, your work will set the standard for ethical, high-performance AI, ensuring that our advancements not only solve critical business challenges but also contribute significantly to the broader scientific community.

Key Responsibilities

In this role, you will lead applied AI research at scale, shaping how Cisco designs, builds, and governs next-generation intelligent systems. Your core responsibilities include:

• Lead and direct AI research teams in the planning, execution, and analysis of cutting-edge research initiatives that advance the field of artificial intelligence across strategic domains including networking, security, programming, human-computer interaction, and other critical areas of computer science.
• Apply deep expertise in core AI methodologies—including representation learning and structured prediction techniques (e.g., network topologies, computational biology, natural language processing)—to guide the design and development of foundational AI representations that drive enterprise innovation.
• Define and own the long-term research strategy, methodologies, and priorities, ensuring tight alignment with enterprise objectives and effective collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and Design partners to translate business needs into actionable AI research roadmaps.
• Drive innovation by staying at the forefront of emerging AI trends and incorporating advanced techniques—such as transfer learning, generative models, large language models, and problem-specific structured predictions—into research strategies and prototypes.
• Translate research outcomes into impactful, production-ready solutions by partnering with engineering teams to operationalize models, validate performance at scale, and integrate AI capabilities into enterprise products.
• Mentor, coach, and grow AI research talent, cultivating a high-performance culture grounded in scientific rigor, technical excellence, peer review, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Establish and uphold standards for ethical AI, responsible model development, data governance, privacy, and security; ensure all research adheres to enterprise governance frameworks and regulatory requirements.
• Represent the organization in the broader AI community through publications, conferences, and external partnerships, while protecting intellectual property and contributing to thought leadership in the field.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field and 8+ years of relevant industry research experience.
• Experience leading or conducting advanced AI research, specifically in areas such as representation learning, structured prediction, or deep learning architectures.
• Demonstrated experience applying advanced AI techniques (e.g., transfer learning, generative models) to solve complex problems in networking, security, or human-computer interaction.
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders (Product Management, Engineering, Design) to translate business objectives into actionable research roadmaps.
• Documented experience ensuring AI research adheres to ethical standards, data privacy, and security governance protocols.

Preferred Qualifications

• Deep technical knowledge of network topologies, cybersecurity architectures, or large-scale natural language processing.
• Experience managing a research team of 5+ members, including defining long-term research strategies and managing project budgets or resource allocation.
• Experience in transitioning research prototypes into production-grade solutions that have been integrated into enterprise products or services.
• Ability to bridge the gap between disparate domains (e.g., applying computational biology techniques to network security problems).

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

The starting salary range posted for this position is $216,300.00 to $280,800.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.

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.

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. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. 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.

New York City Metro Area

$216,300.00 - $322,900.00

Non-Metro New York State & Washington State

$197,500.00 - $287,300.00

• 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.