Software Engineer - AI Software & Platform

Job description

Meet the Team We are looking for a highly motivated Senior Software Engineer to join Cisco's AI Software and Platform organization. In this role, you will design, build, and operate scalable, Distributed AI platforms that power next-generation AI-driven products and services. You will take ownership of sophisticated technical initiatives, drive engine perfection, mentor junior engineers, and collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, Reliable, and highly available cloud-native solutions. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy solving large-scale distributed systems problems, building platforms, and driving technical innovation from design through production. Your Impact Software Development & Platform Engineering • Design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain highly scalable AI platform services and distributed microservices. • Own end-to-end delivery of complex product features, from technical design through production deployment and operational support. • Drive architecture and design discussions while ensuring solutions are scalable, Resilient, secure, and maintainable. • Build cloud-native services for data ingestion, processing, orchestration, storage, and AI workflows. • Design and implement REST/gRPC APIs, service integrations, and event-driven architectures. • Optimize system performance, scalability, reliability, and resource utilization across distributed environments.Cisco Confidential• Develop high-quality, well-tested, and maintainable software using Go, Python, or Other modern programming languages. • Build and maintain automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and deployment automation to improve engineering velocity. • Troubleshoot sophisticated production issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement long-term improvements. • Participate in on-call rotations and contribute to improving operational perfection and system observability. • Build AI-powered products used by customers around the globe. • Work on cutting-edge technologies spanning AI, cloud computing, distributed Systems, and cybersecurity. • Own high-impact technical initiatives from concept to production. Collaborate with world-class engineers in a highly innovative environment. AI Platform & Cloud Technologies • Design and integrate AI platform capabilities using Large Language Models (LLMs), AI Agents, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and Model Context Protocol (MCP). • Build scalable AI orchestration pipelines and integrate internal or external AI services Into Cisco platforms. • Evaluate emerging AI technologies and recommend their adoption where appropriate. • Contribute to AI platform architecture while ensuring responsible AI practices, Security, and performance. Technical Leadership • Lead technical design reviews and provide architectural guidance for new initiatives. • Mentor junior engineers through design discussions, code reviews, and technical coaching. • Drive engineering best practices including coding standards, testing strategies, Documentation, and operational excellence. • Collaborate with Product Management, UX, Security, DevOps, and cross-functional engineering teams to deliver high-quality customer solutions. • Influence technical roadmaps and continuously improve engineering processes and platform capabilities. Minimum Qualifications • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience. • 8-12 years of professional software engineering experience. Strong expertise in data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, and software design principles. • Strong programming skills in Go, Python, Java, or C++. • Experience designing and developing cloud-native microservices and distributed systems. • Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and containerized application development. • Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, or Cassandra. • Experience building RESTful APIs and distributed service architectures. • Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP. • Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git-based development workflows, and automated testing. Preferred Qualifications • Experience building AI/LLM-powered applications using frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, or similar. • Understanding of Model Context Protocol (MCP), AI Agents, Agentic AI, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector databases, and prompt engineering. • Experience with event-driven systems, Kafka, RabbitMQ, or similar messaging technologies. • Strong understanding of networking concepts including HTTP/HTTPS, TCP/IP, gRPC, OAuth, and API security. • Experience with observability platforms including OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk, or similar. • Exposure to Infrastructure as Code such as Terraform, Helm, or CloudFormation. • Experience working in Agile/Scrum development environments. • Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor engineers. Why Cisco? 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.