Director, AI Engineering

Cisco•Milpitas, MI

About The Position

The Cisco AI Software & Platform Group incubates and delivers Generative AI based solutions to reinvent Cisco's existing Products and how customers interact with them. Our Group is also introducing new offerings that help customers roll out Generative AI at scale while doing so responsibly. Ultimately, we are doing so through internal platforms that unlock the benefits of this technology for Cisco teams and partners across our Security, Enterprise Networking, Collaboration and Splunk portfolios. This team operates like a startup within Cisco, comprising front-end, backend, and ML engineers focused on innovative AI solutions. Cisco is seeking a Director of Engineering, AI to lead our new platform engineering team in the AI Software and Platforms group and to spearhead new agentic initiatives. This role is pivotal in developing our Agentic Ops Solution AI Canvas and AI-based solutions that ease management and operation of various Cisco products. The Director will take the team and product from concept to delivery, overseeing a talented team leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies.

Requirements

Proven engineering leadership experience in Cloud software development for enterprise platforms and applications, or in Cloud development, or AI/ML (preferably Generative AI).
5+ years in a management role leading teams of software engineers, architects, or ML engineers.
Bachelor’s degree with 15+ years of engineering experience OR Master’s degree with 12+ years of engineering experience.
Experience leading teams engaged in AI software development lifecycle (AI-DLC) building AI applications or similar AI assistants, co-pilot products.
Hands-on experience with generative AI tools such as Codex and Claude.

Nice To Haves

Strong leadership skills with the ability to build and lead fast-paced teams, including experience leading managers.
Experience building front-end applications and developer experience services.
PhD with 8+ years of engineering experience is preferred.
Resourceful and thorough, comfortable leading design sessions with technologists and business executives.
Experience working in both large companies and startups.

Responsibilities

Build and lead the core platform team for AI applications and agentic management applications.
Own end-to-end delivery of platform capabilities and features at scale to drive business growth.
Evaluate, perform due diligence, select, and standardize tools and technologies for AI platform development.
Stay updated on emerging AI technologies and architectural trends to make informed technology adoption decisions.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product management and design.

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
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
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)