Efficiency AI Ops Engineer Hybrid

About the role

This role is hybrid. Onsite 3 days per week in Raleigh (Research Triangle Park), North Carolina or San Jose, California.

Meet the Team

We are 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.

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.
• 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.

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.
• 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.

Qualifications

• 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.

Skills

• Advanced AI coding tools (such as Cursor, Copilot, or Claude Code).
• Curiosity and creativity.
• Strong critical thinking skills.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills.
• Experience with "Design Thinking" principles.
• Hands-on experience with real-time AI workload management and token optimization strategies.
• Experience building and productizing agentic applications.

Benefits

The full salary range for certain locations is listed below.

Pay

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.

Schedule

This role is hybrid. Onsite 3 days per week in Raleigh (Research Triangle Park), North Carolina or San Jose, California.