Sr. AI/ML Machine Learning Engineer - CX

Cisco; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco CX AI Incubation team is seeking an experienced software engineer to design and develop AI-driven solutions that transform customer engagement and operational efficiency. You will work on cutting-edge AI capabilities, including LLMs, NLP, and AI agents, across enterprise-scale environments.

Applicants should have strong ML fundamentals, hands-on experience with TensorFlow/PyTorch, and a track record of deploying AI in production.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, math, statistics, or related field; 6+ years of software engineering.
• Master's degree in related field with 3+ years of experience preferred.
• Experience with Python, Java or C++, including model development, training, and deployment.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to design and development of AI-ML based services with product management and engineering teams.
• Analyze data, develop, validate, and deploy ML models to improve operational efficiency and automation.
• Build and fine-tune model architectures for NLP and perception tasks; optimize and evaluate models.
• Utilize transformer architectures, distillation, and reinforcement learning to improve performance and scalability.
• Support training and fine-tuning of Large and Small Language Models for domain-specific apps.
• Collaborate on AI agents deployment ensuring responsible and explainable AI behavior.

Skills

Python

Java

C++

Machine Learning

NLP

LLMs

PyTorch

TensorFlow

Scikit-Learn

Model deployment

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Math/ML

Master's degree in a related field

Tools

TensorFlow

PyTorch

Scikit-Learn

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 08/31/2026

Meet the Team

CX AI Incubation team is part of CX and is focused on identifying and building breakthrough emerging solutions to support the diverse requirements of the CX organization and our customers.

Are you ready to be at the forefront of AI innovation? At Cisco CX, you will design and develop transformative AI capabilities and AI-driven solutions that redefine how customers interact with technology. From delivery intelligence to network automation and intelligence on edge, your work will power next-generation AI applications that make a tangible difference.

You will collaborate with passionate experts to build scalable, responsible, and cutting-edge AI models, including Large and Small Language Models, leveraging the latest advances in generative AI, various post training techniques including reinforcement learning, and more. This is your chance to push the boundaries of AI technology and accelerate your career in a vibrant, inclusive environment that celebrates creativity and impact.

Your Impact

Join Cisco's Customer Experience (CX) AI Incubation team to design and develop innovative AI-driven solutions that transform customer engagement and operational efficiency. You will work on cutting-edge use cases including delivery intelligence, knowledge management, network test automation, infrastructure testing, intelligence on edge, and DevOps automation. This role requires strong expertise in AI/ML, software development, and a passion for applying AI to real-world challenges.

Join us to shape the future, cultivate lasting relationships, and ensure every interaction counts.

What You'll Do

• Contribute to the design and development of AI-ML based services collaborating with product management and engineering teams to deliver impactful, scalable AI solutions.
• Analyze data, develop, validate, and deploy machine learning models that drive measurable improvements in operational efficiency and automation.
• Build and fine-tune model architectures for natural language and perception-based tasks, applying best practices in model optimization and evaluation.
• Work with techniques such as transformer architecture, distillation, and reinforcement learning to improve model performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Support the training and fine-tuning of Large and Small Language Models (LLMs and SLMs) for domain-and task-specific applications.
• Collaborate on the development and deployment of AI agents and applications, ensuring responsible, safe, and explainable AI behavior.
• Stay current with emerging AI technologies and research to continuously improve solution quality and technical capability.
• Contribute to best practices in model development and deployment.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Machine Learning, Mathematics, Statistics, or related field with 6+ years of software engineering experience, or Master's degree in a related field with 3+ years of experience.
• Experience in Python, Java or C++, with experience in model development, training, and deployment.
• Experience building enterprise grade AI Agents and Agentic workflows.
• Experience with leading machine learning frameworks such as TensorFlow, PyTorch, Scikit-Learn along with data manipulation tools essential for the AI lifecycle.
• Experience developing Large Language Models (LLMs), Natural Language Processing (NLP), or Generative AI techniques.
• Experience working in cross-functional teams, deliver results in fast-paced environments, and effectively communicate technical concepts.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on (SLM) Small Language Model development.
• Experience with Cisco networking and security technologies
• Knowledge of network automation and AI-based anomaly detection.
• Familiarity with AI-driven DevOps automation and model observability.
• Exposure to edge computing environments.
• Experience on various AI cloud platforms such as AWS SageMaker, Google Cloud AI Platform, Azure ML or similar.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to contribute to design discussions and documentation.
• Excellent problem-solving skills, thinking outside of the box!

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.

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