Technical Leader, Machine Learning Engineer

Cisco; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a forward-thinking company as a Technical Leader in AI, where you'll drive innovative ML solutions that tackle real-world challenges. Collaborate with diverse teams to design and deploy cutting-edge AI products that enhance security and resilience for businesses globally. With a focus on continuous learning and development, this role offers the opportunity to work on transformative projects that shape the future of technology. Embrace a culture that values diversity and inclusion, and take your career to new heights while making a positive impact in the industry.

Benefits

Paid Volunteer Time (80 hours annually)

Learning and Development Opportunities

Hybrid Work Environment

Inclusive Communities Resource Organizations

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software development experience for Bachelor's degree holders.
• Experience in building end-to-end ML systems and model deployment.
• Strong understanding of ML fundamentals and modern architectures.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and deployment of ML solutions for real-world applications.
• Collaborate with teams to ensure AI models are scalable and production-ready.
• Provide technical mentorship and lead initiatives within the ML team.

Skills

Python

Go

Machine Learning (ML)

Deep Learning

Transformer-based Models

Data Processing

Model Training

Model Deployment

Problem Solving

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

PhD

Tools

PyTorch

TensorFlow

LangChain

LlamaIndex

Hugging Face

Job description

The application window is expected to close on April 20, 2025.

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applicants are received.

Meet the Team

The AI Software & Platform Team delivers AI products that help businesses worldwide defend against threats and safeguard critical assets with security resilience. We are passionate about making businesses secure and simplifying security with zero compromise.

Your Impact

As a Technical Leader, you will drive end-to-end ML solutions, including designing and deploying transformer-based models, building data pipelines, optimizing ML infrastructure, and developing AI-powered systems to solve real-world industry challenges. You will collaborate across modeling, infrastructure, ML ops, and system development teams, working with engineers, researchers, and customers to shape the future of AI.

• Lead the design and deployment of end-to-end ML solutions for real-world applications
• Develop and fine-tune transformer-based models for diverse AI challenges
• Work across modeling, ML infrastructure, system development, and deployment
• Collaborate with customers and internal teams to align AI solutions with business needs
• Ensure AI models are scalable, robust, and production-ready
• Provide technical mentorship and lead initiatives within the ML team
• Research and apply cutting-edge ML techniques to optimize AI-driven products

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 7+ years, or Master's degree with 5+ years, or PhD with 2+ years of software development industry experience
• 3+ years of industry experience in building end-to-end ML systems (data processing, model training, deployment)
• Experience in Python or Go and ML frameworks such as PyTorch and TensorFlow

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with real-world AI problems, especially in customer-facing applications
• Strong understanding of ML fundamentals, classic ML algorithms, modern transformer-based models, and deep learning architectures
• Knowledge of LangChain, LlamaIndex, and Hugging Face models
• Background in AI security, risk detection, or fraud detection (a plus, but not required)
• Research experience or contributions to open-source ML projects
• Self-starter with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently

#WeAreCisco

At Cisco, every individual brings unique skills and perspectives to pursue our purpose of powering an inclusive future for all.

We celebrate our employees' diverse backgrounds and focus on unlocking potential. Cisco offers many career paths, with learning and development supported at every stage. Our technology, tools, and culture pioneered hybrid work trends, enabling everyone to give their best and be their best.

We recognize our opportunity to unite communities, with one-third of Cisconians participating in our Inclusive Communities resource organizations to connect, foster belonging, learn, and make a difference. We also offer dedicated paid volunteer time—80 hours annually—allowing employees to give back to causes they care about, with nearly 86% participating!

Our purpose, driven by our people, makes us a global leader in internet technology. We help customers reimagine applications, secure enterprises, transform infrastructure, and meet sustainability goals. Every step we take aims toward a more inclusive future. Take your next step with us and be yourself!

Cisco is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected bases.

Cisco considers qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records on a case-by-case basis for employment.