Software Engineer Data & AI II (Intern) – United States

Cisco; Milwaukee (WI); On-site; USD 30,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid parental leave

Disability coverage

Life insurance

Paid time off and holidays

Job summary

Cisco’s internship program invites students to co-create the AI software and data platforms that power our next generation of connectivity. You’ll work on pipelines, frameworks, and distributed systems to drive scalable AI-powered products.

As part of the team, you’ll develop and deploy models, leverage PyTorch or scikit-learn, and gain hands-on experience with Spark and container orchestration tools in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Currently enrolled in undergrad or master's program in CS, data science, or related field.
• 2 years of work experience for undergrad track or 0 years for master's track.
• Proficient in Python with at least one project; exposure to ML frameworks and big data tools.
• Familiarity with Docker or Kubernetes and distributed data processing.

Responsibilities

• Build data pipelines and ML workflows using Python to power real-world products.
• Develop, train, and deploy models with frameworks like PyTorch or scikit-learn.
• Orchestrate large-scale data solutions using Spark and Kubernetes.

Skills

Python

Core data structures

ML frameworks

Spark

Docker

Kubernetes

Education

Computer Science

Data Science

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

scikit-learn

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. Ready to help us build what's next?

Your Impact

You’ll build data pipelines and machine learning workflows together, using Python to power real-world products. You’ll develop, train, and deploy models using frameworks like PyTorch or scikit-learn, and orchestrate large-scale data solutions using tools like Spark and Kubernetes. By building and scaling the intelligent data pipelines and distributed systems that power our models, you ensure our platforms remain performant and reliable as we process data at scale to drive the insights that fuel our AI-driven products.

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 should be in Computer Science, Data Science, Statistics, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• Expected to continue enrollment in degree program following completion of the internship.
• Proficient in Python and core data structures, demonstrated through at least one academic, personal, or professional project
• Exposure to at least one ML framework: TensorFlow, PyTorch, or scikit-learn
• Working knowledge of at least one big data/distributed processing tool: Spark, Hadoop (MapReduce), or Flink
• Hands-on experience with at least one deployment/orchestration tool: Docker or Kubernetes

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience deploying or productionizing a trained ML model, beyond coursework-level training and evaluation
• Exposure to at least one cloud platform: AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud
• Understanding of at least two of: scalability, reliability, fault tolerance, or data consistency
• Working knowledge of at least two of: load balancing, consensus algorithms, or inter-service communication

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.

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.