Leader, AI Research Hybrid

Cisco•San Jose, NC

5d•$212,300 - $275,800•Hybrid

About The Position

Join Cisco’s Enterprise AI team, the core group enabling Generative AI powered experiences across Cisco. Our mission is to build secure, scalable AI platforms that empower teams to safely develop, deploy, and operationalize AI-powered solutions. We operate at the intersection of applied AI, cloud infrastructure and security - partnering across engineering, security, compliance, and product teams to bring trusted AI to life at enterprise scale. We are a fast-growing, highly collaborative team of platform engineers, AI engineers, and data scientists who value technical depth, ownership, and pragmatic execution. What makes this team exciting is the opportunity to define how secure Generative AI is built and governed inside a global technology leader. As a leader in this role, you will serve as the critical bridge between theoretical AI research and tangible enterprise innovation. Your impact will be defined by your ability to shape the future of our strategic domains—such as networking, security, and human-computer interaction—by translating complex AI methodologies into scalable, real-world solutions. By defining research roadmaps and fostering a culture of scientific rigor, you will directly influence our product strategy and technical direction while mentoring the next generation of AI talent. Ultimately, your work will set the standard for ethical, high-performance AI, ensuring that our advancements not only solve critical business challenges but also contribute significantly to the broader scientific community.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, or a related field and 6+ years of relevant industry research experience.
Experience leading or conducting advanced AI research, specifically in areas such as representation learning, structured prediction, or deep learning architectures.
Demonstrated experience applying advanced AI techniques (e.g., transfer learning, generative models) to solve complex problems in networking, security, or human-computer interaction.
Experience collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders (Product Management, Engineering, Design) to translate business objectives into actionable research roadmaps.
Documented experience ensuring AI research adheres to ethical standards, data privacy, and security governance protocols.

Nice To Haves

Deep technical knowledge of network topologies, cybersecurity architectures, or large-scale natural language processing.
Experience managing a research team of 5+ members, including defining long-term research strategies and managing project budgets or resource allocation.
Experience in transitioning research prototypes into production-grade solutions that have been integrated into enterprise products or services.
Ability to bridge the gap between disparate domains (e.g., applying computational biology techniques to network security problems).

Responsibilities

Lead and direct AI research teams in the planning, execution, and analysis of cutting-edge research initiatives that advance the field of artificial intelligence across strategic domains including networking, security, programming, human-computer interaction, and other critical areas of computer science.
Apply deep expertise in core AI methodologies—including representation learning and structured prediction techniques (e.g., network topologies, computational biology, natural language processing)—to guide the design and development of foundational AI representations that drive enterprise innovation.
Define and own the long-term research strategy, methodologies, and priorities, ensuring tight alignment with enterprise objectives and effective collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, and Design partners to translate business needs into actionable AI research roadmaps.
Drive innovation by staying at the forefront of emerging AI trends and incorporating advanced techniques—such as transfer learning, generative models, large language models, and problem-specific structured predictions—into research strategies and prototypes.
Translate research outcomes into impactful, production-ready solutions by partnering with engineering teams to operationalize models, validate performance at scale, and integrate AI capabilities into enterprise products.
Mentor, coach, and grow AI research talent, cultivating a high-performance culture grounded in scientific rigor, technical excellence, peer review, and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
Establish and uphold standards for ethical AI, responsible model development, data governance, privacy, and security; ensure all research adheres to enterprise governance frameworks and regulatory requirements.
Represent the organization in the broader AI community through publications, conferences, and external partnerships, while protecting intellectual property and contributing to thought leadership in the field.

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
paid time away
10 paid holidays per full calendar year
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
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
performance-based incentive pay
restricted stock units