Technical Lead, Backend Engineering

Who We Are

The AI Software & Platform team delivers AI products and platform for all Cisco Secure products and portfolios so businesses around the world can defend against threats and safeguard the most vital aspects of their business with security resilience. We are passionate about making our customers secure by simplifying security with zero compromise.

We are seeking a Software Engineer Technical Leader to join our AI Assistants Team, where you will play a vital role in integrating AI services for our Generative AI Assistant products. Your skills in understanding service operations and architecting/building effective interfaces between service boundaries with the right instrumentation will be essential for the success of our product. As a key leader of our team, you will be responsible for designing and integrating AI services into our Generative AI products. Your role will involve understanding the operations of each AI service, designing and building interfaces that seamlessly connect these services, and ensuring the appropriate instrumentation is in place. Your work will be instrumental in delivering a powerful and effective solution to our customers.
What You Will Do

As a Technical Lead, Backend Engineer for our AI Software & Platform team, you will be responsible for lead the following:

• Provide technical leadership to all members of the team to guide designs and implementations towards optimal results with regard to reusability, security, reliability, and performance.
• Collaborate with various stakeholders to design complex systems comprised of multiple ML and non-ML services which meet the highest levels of security, performance, reliability, and scalability while satisfying requirements from within our own team plus those of external integrating teams.
• Collaborate with disparate teams to understand the operations of AI services and integrate them into our Generative AI products.
• Design and build effective interfaces between AI services, ensuring smooth communication and data exchange while adhering to security and performance requirements.
• Implement the right types of instrumentation to monitor and measure the performance, reliability, and security of integrated AI services.
• Debug integration issues, identifying bottlenecks or errors and implementing solutions to optimize service interactions.
• Work on performance tuning and optimization of the integrated AI services to ensure efficient and responsive operation.
• Develop clear and comprehensive documentation for integration processes, interfaces, and instrumentation, facilitating teamwork and knowledge transfer within the team.
• Collaborate closely with AI engineers, data scientists, and security experts to ensure smooth integration of AI services into the products.
• Ensure that integrated AI services meet security and compliance standards, working closely with the security team to implement necessary measures.

Basic Qualifications

8+ years experience as a Backend Engineer with expertise in integrating complex services.

8+ years experience writing code in Python, Java, or Go.

BA / BS degree with 10+ years of experience (or) MS degree with 8+ years of experience as a software development engineer
Preferred Qualifications

Experience in AI service operations, including Generative AI, and the ability to design and build interfaces between them.

Understanding of GenAI frameworks and orchestrators like LangChain, Llamalndex, Semantic Kernel or AutoGen.

Foundation in data structures and algorithms.

Experience with instrumentation and monitoring tools for measuring service performance.

Knowledge of compliance standards.

Why Cisco?
#WeAreCisco

#WeAreCisco where every individual brings their unique skills and perspectives together to pursue our purpose of powering an inclusive future for all.

Our passion is connection-we celebrate our employees' diverse set of backgrounds and focus on unlocking potential. Cisconians often experience one company, many careers where learning and development are encouraged and supported at every stage. Our

technology, tools, and culture pioneered hybrid work trends, allowing all to not only give their best, but be their best.

We understand our outstanding opportunity to bring communities together and at the heart of that is our people. One-third of Cisconians collaborate in our 30 employee resource organizations, called Inclusive Communities, to connect, foster belonging, learn to be informed allies, and make a difference. Dedicated paid time off to volunteer-80 hours each year-allows us to give back to causes we are passionate about, and nearly 86% do!

vOur purpose, driven by our people, is what makes us the worldwide leader in technology that powers the internet. Helping our customers reimagine their applications, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals is what we do best. We ensure that every step we take is a step towards a more inclusive future for all. Take your next step and be you, with us.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees have to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.

Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco's flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco's Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

.75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.