Technical Lead, Software Engineer - AI Assistant

Technical Lead, Software Engineer – AI Assistant

Join to apply for the Technical Lead, Software Engineer – AI Assistant role at Cisco
. Applications are accepted until 1/12/2026.

The Cisco AI team consists of AI researchers and software developers who collaborate to build innovative products and platforms for Cisco. We are motivated by tackling unique challenges that arise when connecting people and devices at a worldwide scale.

You will join a newly formed, dynamic AI team as one of the core members, and have the opportunity to influence the culture and direction of the growing team. Our team includes AI experts and distributed system experts who work together with partners in product management, and engineers across a wide variety of other Cisco teams.

As a Senior Technical Leader, you will drive the integration of Cisco’s product portfolio with the AI Canvas platform and lead the design and implementation of a developer portal for AI Canvas and Assistants. You will operate at the intersection of AI/ML engineering, platform architecture, and developer experience design, collaborating closely with cross‑functional engineering, product, and design teams.

• Architect and lead technical integration of major Cisco product lines such as Webex, Meraki, Thousand Eyes, and App Dynamics, integrating frameworks for seamless deployment of AI agents across Cisco’s network, collaboration, and observability domains.
• Develop APIs, SDKs, and microservices enabling data, model, and workflow interoperability between Canvas and Cisco products.
• Lead end‑to‑end development of the AI Canvas Developer Portal—a self‑service hub for developers to access APIs, SDKs, documentation, sample apps, and sandboxes.
• Integrate telemetry, analytics, and feedback loops to measure developer engagement and continuously improve the experience.
• Drive technical strategy and roadmap for Cisco + Canvas integrations aligned with Cisco’s AI‑first strategy.
• Design and build effective interfaces between AI services, ensuring smooth communication and data exchange while adhering to security and performance requirements.
• Collaborate with UX designers and analyze user feedback to identify frictional workflows, then build tools to streamline those processes.
• Collaborate with LLM engineers to optimize prompt‑tool interactions.
• Serve as a senior architect and mentor for cross‑functional engineering teams.

• 10+ years in software engineering, systems architecture, or platform development.
• 3+ years of experience in software engineering, with recent exposure to AI assistants.
• Expertise in building scalable, production‑grade AI services leveraging public cloud infrastructure, containerization (Kubernetes, Docker), and CI/CD pipelines.
• Hands‑on experience creating enterprise Generative AI solutions using prompt engineering, LLM fine‑tuning, and orchestration tools (e.g., Lang Chain, Llama Index, Semantic Kernel, Auto Gen) integrated in public cloud ecosystems.
• Hands‑on experience with NLP techniques including text classification, sentiment analysis, NLG, and working with large language models.
• Familiarity with AI/ML pipelines, MLOps, or AI infrastructure platforms (e.g., Vertex AI, OpenAI, AWS Sage Maker).
• Hands‑on experience with Python, Go, Type Script, React, and API frameworks (Graph
  
  QL, REST).
• Deep understanding of developer experience principles and portal/platform architecture.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills, with the ability to influence cross‑functional stakeholders.

• Experience in security‑focused SaaS providers.
• Prior experience building developer portals or marketplace.
• Familiarity with AI governance or compliance in enterprise settings.
• The capacity to think critically and tackle complex, innovative problems.
• A willingness to continuously learn and adapt, crucial in the ever‑evolving field of AI.
• Background in leading open‑source or internal developer tooling initiatives.

The starting salary range posted for this position is $ to $ and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive…