Applied Scientist

Please note this posting is to advertise potential job opportunities. This exact role may not be open today, but could open in the near future. When you apply, a Cisco representative may contact you directly if a relevant position opens.

Outshift by Cisco is the emerging tech incubation group that explores, identifies, and creates new businesses for Cisco. We are passionate about being at the cutting edge of technology, taking Cisco into new markets and building exciting products that solve tomorrows biggest challenges.

Like a startup, we take an entrepreneurial approach to success. We incubate ideas into products that solve critical needs, then deliver an experience that delights users and customers from MVP to full-blown commercial offering.

Outshift is about innovation. We look from 12 months out to five years into the future, flexibly working to solve problems instead of fitting into a defined job description. We celebrate learning, and expect our teams to fail fast, challenging assumptions and finding new ways of solving problems. Outshifters enjoy gaining experience across a breadth of technological and business challenges and can expect to shift across products/problems and build new skills regularly.

Were building the next wave of startup-like innovation with the support of a trusted name like Cisco. Where else will you get to do this? Come build with us.

Who Youll Work With

The Outshift team is highly visible within Cisco as it's leading the future innovation for the business. As part of the Strategy, Incubations & Applications group led by Ciscos Chief Strategy Officer, youll be working with some of the organizations most forward problem solvers.

You will embark on an exhilarating journey, leading a dynamic team at the intersection of creativity and technology. Your role is pivotal in setting the pace within a fast-paced, experimental environment that celebrates the thrill of innovation and boundary-pushing with Multimodal Large Language Models (MLLMs). Your work will not only shape the future of AI but will also craft outstanding user experiences and lay the foundation for the next generation of Cisco's pioneering products. This opportunity is more than a jobit's an adventure in innovative technology, where your leadership in mentorship and collaboration elevates our collective brilliance, ensuring that every day is filled with the potential to innovate and inspire.

• Lead a team of applied scientists, driving forward applied machine learning initiatives and seamlessly integrating them into Cisco's product ecosystem.
• Drive the generative AI strategy, taking the helm on strategic initiatives that use the latest breakthroughs in ML/AI, including MLLMs, to set Cisco apart in a competitive landscape.
• Lead the development, implementation, and optimization of LLMs & MLLMs, focusing on training, fine-tuning, and computational advancements to deliver groundbreaking and impactful features to our users.
• Conduct research and develop innovative AI models using state-of-the-art techniques that include NLP, CV, timeseries, image, video, audio, and other modalities.
• Collaborate with peer leaders in Outshift and liaise with Cisco's Senior AI practitioners across various business groups, including Principal Engineers (PE), Distinguished Engineers (DE), and Fellows, to synchronize strategies and foster cross-departmental AI innovation.
• Mentor and elevate our team of applied scientists, instilling a culture of technical rigor and excellence in machine learning, while providing mentorship on innovative techniques and model architectures, particularly within the realm of generative AI.

• PhD in machine learning, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or related quantitative fields and 7+ years of proven experience in deep learning, natural language processing & understanding, reinforcement learning OR Masters in machine learning, computer science, mathematics, statistics, or related quantitative fields and 10+ years of proven experience that includes deep learning, natural language processing & understanding, reinforcement learning.
• 7+ years exp in Java, C++, Python, and other related languages.
• Practical experience in developing, training, deploying, evaluating AI models in real-world applications and knowledge of deep learning frameworks.
• Proven experience in (multimodal) large language models, natural language processing, computer vision, image processing, and generative AI techniques.

• Depth and breadth in state-of-the-art machine learning technologies like LLMs and MLLMs.
• Highly driven leader that is known to deliver in high growth and highly dynamic environments.
• Advocate for creative technical trends. Acknowledged for driving decisions collaboratively, resolving challenges, ensuring follow through.
• Outstandingly resourceful & rigorous and can operate optimally among forward-thinking and charismatic people.
• Equally comfortable and capable interacting with technologists as with business executives.

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 access 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, plus a day off for their birthday. Employees accrue up to 20 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) each year and have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues without tapping into their PTO. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community. Employees are also able to purchase company stock through our Employee Stock Purchase Program.

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.