Machine Learning Engineer II (Intern) - United States

Cisco; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 44,000 - 130,000; Part time

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a part-time internship to work on next-generation AI/ML solutions. You will join an innovative engineering team and collaborate across platform, security, and release teams to deliver reliable AI products.

Focus areas include building generative AI applications, optimizing LLM models, and producing production-ready, tested code. This role emphasizes hands-on experimentation and learning in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Backend skills in Go or Python demonstrated by assessments or samples.
• Understanding of LLM infrastructure and optimization strategies.
• Practical experience with AI/LLM tasks with portfolio or projects.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement generative AI applications using LLMs.
• Collaborate with engineers to gather data and deploy models.
• Design custom layers and automate model deployment.

Skills

Backend development Go/Python

LLM infrastructure

Model building & AI tasks

Portfolio/code samples

Cloud-native platforms

Education

Undergraduate degree with 2 years experience or Master’s with 0 years

Tools

vLLM

Triton

TorchServe

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/04/2026

Meet the Team

Join our innovative engineering team focused on building next-generation AI/ML solutions. You’ll collaborate with skilled colleagues across platform, security, release engineering, and support teams to deliver high-impact products and ensure their perfect operation.

Your Impact

Dive into the development and implementation of cutting‑edge generative AI applications using the latest large language models—think GPT-4, Claude, Llama, and beyond! Take on the challenge of optimizing neural networks for natural language processing and machine perception, drawing on a toolkit that includes convolutional and transformer‑based models, student‑teacher frameworks, distillation, and generative adversarial networks (GANs). Performance, scalability, and reliability are front and center as models are trained, fine‑tuned, and put through their paces for real‑world deployment.

Collaboration is at the heart of this role—work alongside talented engineers and cross‑functional teams to gather and prep data, design custom layers, and automate model deployment. Experimentation with new technologies and ongoing learning are always encouraged. Production‑ready code, robust testing, and creative problem‑solving all play a part in bringing innovative AI solutions to life. What an exciting place to grow and make an impact!

Minimum Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in one of the following:
• An undergraduate degree program (Associate's or Bachelor's) with 2 years of work experience; or
• A Master’s degree program with 0 years of work experience.
• Qualifying education and work experience should be in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Data Science, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, Statistics, Mathematics, Software Engineering, or a related program
• Expected to continue enrollment in degree program following completion of the internship.
• Backend development skills in Go or Python, demonstrated through a technical assessment, coding challenge, or code sample.
• Understanding of LLM infrastructure and optimization strategies, shown in a technical interview, assessment, or supporting documentation.
• Practical experience with model building and AI or LLM tasks, evidenced by a portfolio, code samples, technical evaluation, or academic/research project documentation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with inference engines such as vLLM, Triton, or TorchServe.
• Knowledge of GPU architecture, optimization techniques, distributed systems, and asynchronous programming models.
• Familiarity with agent frameworks and cloud‑native platforms.
• Experience with cybersecurity principles and Python programming, including common AI libraries.
• Exposure to scalable computing environments and best practices for secure, efficient AI deployment.

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 $44,000.00 to $130,000.00 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.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

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.