Cisco Careers

Who We Are

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 tomorrow’s 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.  

We’re 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 create with us. 

Learn more about us at outshift.com   

Who You'll 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 Cisco’s Chief Strategy Officer, you’ll be working with some of the organization’s most forward thinkers. In this role, you can expect to work with engineering, design, and scientists in defining and executing the product plan.

Conduct customer, market, competitive, and industry research. Additionally, have a proven grasp on the overall landscape of generative AI machine learning models, tooling, and applications, and develop a clear strategy around how to elevate competitive differentiators.

Own the creation of Minimal Viable Product (MVP) definition and then defining a product roadmap that elevates the competitive differentiators at every stage. Define customer value prop and return on investment at each stage.

Establish milestones & key metrics to evaluate the success and failure of the project. Also, pay close attention to the metrics and measures important to customer stakeholders and establish a compelling Return on Investment (ROI) for them.

Collaborate with product management team in identifying key collateral – product documents, data sheets, value props, sales decks, ROI calculators, demo videos. 

What You'll Do

In your role as a Distinguished Engineer, you will guide Outshift from the front on AI/ML technologies for products and products for AI enablement and help build a pipeline of talent and shape up Cisco’s AI strategies for the next decade.

You will be driving multi-functional engagements to architect, design, build, validate, deliver and successfully deploy new products.

Lead a diverse community of engineers and ensure alignment across all functions of the team.

Take ambiguous technical problems, Customer challenges and refine that to a clear solution with architecture and design. Ensure the solution gets deployed successfully.

Synthesize manual-on experience into feedback to Product Engineering Leadership.

Build and present executive level collateral on the business value of technology.

The Impact You’ll Make

If you want the challenge of fast-paced growth, the satisfaction of seeing your thoughtful ideas come to life, and the pride in helping grow a best-in-class AI team, this is the place for you.

Your Responsibilities Will Include

Drive technology strategy for the AI/ML products.

Drive multi-functional engagements to architect, design, build and validate end-to-end generative AI driven products.

Lead a diverse community of engineers and ensure alignment across all functions of the team.

Work with peer leaders in Outshift and wider Cisco Senior Tech Talent community (PE, DE, Fellows) from other business groups to align strategies and collaborate on AI/ML platforms and capabilities.

Lead due diligence and selection of AI technology platforms including LLMs.

Take ambiguous technical problems, customer challenges and refine that to a clear solution with architecture and design. Ensure the solution gets deployed successfully.

Stay up to date with the latest advancements in the field of AI and guide teams to apply them to develop innovative solutions.

Conduct research and develop ideas to enable adoption of innovative AI models using state-of-the-art techniques and tools.

Build and present executive level collateral on the business value of technology.

Minimum Requirements

Seasoned engineer and a team leader with degree and corresponding engineering experience (below) with a consistent track record of developing and delivering complex, distributed, enterprise class software, and creating successful business outcomes.

Expert in Software Engineering principles, System Architecture.

Expert knowledge and practical experience in programming languages like C, C++, Python.

5+ years of experience in core ML/AI technologies with deep understanding of ML/AI application development.

Knowledge of deep learning frameworks is preferred.

Ability to lead and mentor engineers globally, be an advocate for creative technical trends.

Acknowledged for driving decisions collaboratively, resolving challenges and ensuring follow through.

Bachelors degree 17+ yrs engineering experience OR

Masters degree with 14+ yrs engineering experience OR

PhD with 10+ yrs engineering experience

Preferred Requirements

Visibility (eg: conference speaker, publications) and strong personal network across ML/AI industry ecosystem.

Extraordinarily resourceful & rigorous, you can operate successfully among forward-thinking and charismatic people.

Equally comfortable and capable of interacting with technologists as with business executives.

Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work independently or in a team.

Why Cisco?

#WeAreCisco. We are all unique, but collectively we bring our talents to work as a team, to develop innovative technology and power a more inclusive, digital future for everyone. How do we do it? Well, for starters – with people like you!

Nearly every internet connection around the world touches Cisco. We’re the Internet’s optimists. Our technology makes sure the data travelling at light speed across connections does so securely, yet it’s not what we make but what we make happen which marks us out. We’re helping those who work in the health service to connect with patients and each other; schools, colleges, and universities to teach in even the most challenging of times. We’re helping businesses of all shapes and size to connect with their employees and customers in new ways, providing people with access to the digital skills they need and connecting the most remote parts of the world – whether through 5G, or otherwise.

We tackle whatever challenges come our way. We have each other’s backs, we recognize our accomplishments, and we grow together. We celebrate and support one another – from big and small things in life to big career moments. And giving back is in our DNA (we get 10 days off each year to do just that).

We know that powering an inclusive future starts with us. Because without diversity and a dedication to equality, there is no moving forward. Our 30 Inclusive Communities, that bring people together around commonalities or passions, are leading the way. Together we’re committed to learning, listening, caring for our communities, whilst supporting the most vulnerable with a collective effort to make this world a better place either with technology, or through our actions.

So, you have colorful hair? Don’t care. Tattoos? Show off your ink. Like polka dots? That’s cool. Pop culture geek? Many of us are. Passion for technology and world changing? Be you, with us! #WeAreCisco

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