Lead Software Engineer II, Machine Learning

Who We Are

Cisco ThousandEyes is a Digital Experience Assurance platform that empowers organizations to deliver flawless digital experiences across every network – even the ones they don’t own. Powered by AI and an unmatched set of cloud, internet and enterprise network telemetry data, ThousandEyes enables IT teams to proactively detect, diagnose, and remediate issues – before they impact end- user experiences.

ThousandEyes is deeply integrated across the entire Cisco technology portfolio and beyond, helping customers deploy at scale while also delivering AI-powered assurance insights within Cisco’s leading Networking, Security, Collaboration, and Observability portfolios.

About The Role

The Application Window is expected to close on 5/7/25. However, the job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received. 

As a Machine Learning Engineer for the Alerts team, you'll be at the intersection of cutting-edge AI/ML technologies and real-time data processing. You'll work on developing and optimizing anomaly detection algorithms that power our highly scalable stream processing platform. This role combines the challenges of handling massive datasets with the innovation of applied machine learning to provide actionable insights to our customers.

What You'll Do

You'll collaborate with a team of skilled engineers to design, implement, and maintain large-scale AI/ML pipelines for real-time anomaly detection.  You will be responsible for training and tuning the models and performing model evaluations using Deep Learning  Machine Learning (AI/ML) Models, and Large Language Models, to detect anomalies across billions of events. You'll design and implement sophisticated anomaly detection algorithms, such as Isolation Forests, LSTM-based models, and Variational Autoencoders, tailored to our unique data streams. Creating robust evaluation frameworks and metrics to assess the performance of these algorithms will be crucial. You'll also work on implementing and optimizing stream processing solutions using technologies like Flink and Kafka. In this position, you'll have the opportunity to work with unparalleled data diversity and scale, pushing the boundaries of what's possible in real-time anomaly detection.

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of software development experience, and direct experience in building and evaluating ML models and delivering large-scale ML products. 
• MS or PhD in a relevant field
• Proficient in crafting machine learning models, your expertise spans neural networks including transformer models, Large Language Models, decision trees, and other traditional machine learning models, translating conceptual ideas into actual solutions.
• Fluent in some of these machine learning frameworks such as SKLearn, XGBoost, PyTorch, or Tensorflow, and can leverage code as a strategic tool to shape innovative solutions
• You will be proficient in Python and will be able to transform abstract machine learning concepts into robust, efficient, and scalable solutions
• Strong Computer Science fundamentals and object-oriented design skills
• History of building large-scale data processing systems
• Background working in a fast-paced development environment 
• Strong team collaboration and communication skills

Cisco values the perspectives and skills that emerge from employees with diverse backgrounds. That's why Cisco is expanding the boundaries of discovering top talent by not only focusing on candidates with educational degrees and experience but also placing more emphasis on unlocking potential. We believe that everyone has something to offer and that diverse teams are better equipped to solve problems, innovate, and create a positive impact.
We encourage you to apply even if you do not believe you meet every single qualification. Not all strong candidates will meet every single qualification. Research shows that people from underrepresented groups are more prone to experiencing imposter syndrome and doubting the strength of their candidacy. We urge you not to prematurely exclude yourself and to apply if you're interested in this work.

US – COMPENSATION RANGE – MESSAGE TO APPLICANTS

241,300 - 306,700 USD

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 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 (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.