Efficiency AI Ops Engineer Hybrid

Cisco•San Jose, NC

7d•Hybrid

About The Position

The application window is expected to close on: 05/31/2026. This role is hybrid, requiring onsite presence 3 days per week in either Raleigh (Research Triangle Park), North Carolina or San Jose, California. The team is part of the Cisco AI and Automation portfolio, responsible for the "Circuit" platform—the central AI engine that powers productivity and process automation for all of Cisco. This is a rapidly expanding, high-impact group dedicated to building the vehicle for AI-driven business transformation, operating at the intersection of applied research and production. The platform is optimized for performance and cost-efficiency for over 80,000 monthly users. As an AI Ops Engineer, you will develop software consistent with Cisco’s ‘Design Thinking Principles,’ focusing on simplification, UX, and secure coding practices. You will be a key driver in the evolution of the AI ecosystem, exploring, evaluating, and implementing next-generation AI techniques. By partnering with product management and design teams, you will ensure the platform remains relevant and efficient. You will tackle high-impact technical challenges such as optimizing LLM token usage, automating model routing, and fine-tuning LLM models to ensure platform scalability. You will harness advanced AI coding tools (e.g., Cursor, Copilot, or Claude Code) to align LLM performance (logical and speed) towards making AI-generated code production-ready. This is an opportunity to work on a high-visibility platform where contributions to product innovation and development processes have a tangible, global impact on how Cisco runs its business.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree with 6+ years, Master’s degree with 4+ years, or PhD with 1+ year of related experience in Computer Science, AI/ML, or a related technical field.
Proven experience conducting applied research to solve complex technical problems, including the evaluation and integration of new AI/ML technologies.
Solid conceptual and practical knowledge of AI/ML technologies, including LLMs, model fine-tuning, and their application in production environments. Curious, creative and track record of constant learning.
Demonstrated experience in software development with a focus on building, testing, and deploying scalable features in a production environment. Including vibe coding and deploying those artifacts.
Hands-on experience using AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude Code) to build, validate, and deploy production-level software artifacts.
Ability to read and judge the stability of the auto generated code, such that, it does not violate security standards.
Strong critical thinking skills with the ability to evaluate and document technical trade-offs regarding cost, quality, and performance.

Nice To Haves

Experience in AI Ops, MLOps, or building/fine-tuning custom LLMs to achieve well defined metrics.
Proven track record of leading technical projects and mentoring junior engineers.
Strong communication and collaboration skills; ability to influence multi-functional partners and work effectively within a team environment.
Experience with "Design Thinking" principles, specifically applying system-level design to AI-driven user experiences.
Hands-on experience with real-time AI workload management and token optimization strategies.
Experience building and productizing agentic applications with focus on evaluation and business acceptance.

Responsibilities

Conduct applied research to evaluate and implement new AI techniques, such as automatic model routing and batch capacity management, to optimize cost and performance.
Where applicable propose and evaluate results of fine-tuning open source LLMs with sharply defined goal metrics. Compare these with similar out of box industry models.
Build, integrate, and maintain AI agents and features within the Circuit platform to drive process automation across the company.
Apply Agentic AI to modernize existing features in Circuit platform.
Continuously monitor the AI landscape to stack-rank and integrate new models from vendors while de-prioritizing underperforming technologies.
Serve as a "Team Captain" for specific features, driving consensus across multi-functional teams and mentoring peers to elevate the team’s collective technical proficiency.
Lead the delivery of high-quality design features from initial concept through to production integration and performance measurement.

Benefits

medical, dental and vision insurance
a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
paid parental leave
short and long-term disability coverage
basic life insurance
grants of Cisco restricted stock units
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
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees (non-exempt)
flexible vacation time off program (exempt)
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
annual bonuses (for non-sales roles)
performance-based incentive pay (for sales roles)