Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
Meet the Team
We are Outshift by Cisco, a highly visible incubation team focused on identifying breakthrough emerging solutions that create new markets and businesses for Cisco. Our team functions as an internal startup, partnering with business groups and global research universities to anticipate and invest in the next wave of innovation. You will join a creative and agile environment where the “vibe” is fast-paced, collaborative, and focused on shifting quickly across different domains. The work we do is vital to Cisco’s long-term strategy, ensuring we remain at the forefront of technological standards and market disruption. It is an exciting time to join as we build the foundation for Cisco’s AI-driven future.
Learn more about us at https://outshift.com.
Your Impact
As an AI Software Engineer, you will design and develop end-to-end products that enable the seamless adoption of generative AI for enterprise customers. You will research and implement cutting-edge AI technologies, including LLM fine-tuning and RAG pipelines, to create transformative user experiences across various platforms. By collaborating with multi-functional teams of scientists and product managers, you will build scalable services and system designs that directly influence Cisco’s AI roadmap for the next decade. This role offers the unique challenge of fast-paced growth where you can publish original research or file patents while seeing your code solve tangible business problems. Ultimately, you will help grow a world-class AI team and deliver high-impact solutions that define the future of intelligent networking.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Statistics, or a related field.
3+ years of strong programming experience in Java, C++, or Python.
2+ years of recent experience using machine learning libraries (e.g., TensorFlow, PyTorch) for model development, tuning, and preprocessing.
Experience requiring understanding of LLM infrastructure and optimization strategies.
Experience with model building, fine-tuning, and AI/LLM tasks evidenced by a portfolio, code samples, or research documentation.
Preferred Qualifications
5+ years of deep coding experience in developing and delivering complex, distributed, enterprise-class software.
Hands-on experience in natural language processing (NLP), computer vision, and/or multimodal interaction.
Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to work independently and within a collaborative team environment.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively engage with both technologists and business executives.
Proven agility to explore new opportunities and contribute to projects outside of the primary scope of responsibilities.
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.
The starting salary range posted for this position is $199,700.00 to $254,600.00 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:
$199,700.00 – $292,800.00
Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$174,500.00 – $260,500.00
* 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.
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