[Remote] Principal Machine Learning Engineer

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Cisco is a leading technology company focused on revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era. The Principal Machine Learning Engineer will define and champion the strategic vision for AI and foundation models, leading the research, design, and deployment of large-scale models targeting machine-generated data while mentoring senior technical talent and fostering innovation.ResponsibilitiesSet and Drive Vision: Define and champion the strategic vision for AI and foundation models across Splunk and Cisco platforms, shaping the research and technology roadmap to anticipate and address industry‑defining challengesArchitect and Lead Breakthroughs: Lead the end‑to‑end lifecycle of research, design, and deployment for large‑scale foundation models targeting machine‑generated data, with deep focus on logs and complementary modalities (time series, traces, events)Influence at Scale: Partner with executive leadership, engineering, product, and data science teams to ensure AI solutions align with broader organizational objectives, product strategies, and customer needsMentorship and Thought Leadership: Cultivate organizational excellence by mentoring senior technical talent, fostering research communities, and driving best practices in AI across global teamsFoster Innovation: Embed cutting‑edge research and technological advances into products, driving sustained competitive advantage and transformation at enterprise scaleSkillsPhD in Computer Science, or related quantitative field, plus 7+ years of industry research experienceProven track record in at least one of the following areas: large language modeling for both structure and unstructured data, deep learning‑based time series modeling, advanced anomaly detection, and multi-modality modelingSolid proficiency in Python and deep learning frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow)Experience translating research ideas into production systemsDeep NLP & Domain‑Adapted LLMs: Background in building and adapting large‑scale language models (e.g., T5, BERT, LLaMA, GPTs) for specialized domains including structured/unstructured logs, text, and event sequencesLog Analytics Expertise – In‑depth knowledge of structured/unstructured system logs, event sequence analysis, anomaly detection, and root cause identificationAdvanced Anomaly Detection – Experience creating robust, scalable approaches (statistical, deep learning, or hybrid) for high‑volume, real‑time logs dataMulti‑Modal AI Modeling – Strong track record fusing logs, time series, traces, tabular data, and graphs for foundation models tackling complex operational insightsLarge‑Scale Training & Optimization – Experience optimizing model architectures, distributed training pipelines, and inference efficiency to minimize cost and latency while preserving accuracyMLOps & Continuous Learning – Fluency in automated retraining, drift detection, incremental updates, and production monitoring of ML modelsStrong Research Track Record – Publications in top AI/ML conferences or journals (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, AAAI, CVPR, ACL, KDD) demonstrating contributions to state‑of‑the‑art methods and real‑world applicationsBenefitsMedical, dental and vision insuranceA 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contributionPaid parental leaveShort and long-term disability coverageBasic life insuranceGrants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees1 paid day off for employee’s birthdayPaid year-end holiday shutdown4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by CiscoNon-exempt employees receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employeesExempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the nextAdditional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family membersOptional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteerEmployees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco planFor non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policiesCompany OverviewCisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, telecommunications equipment, and other technology services and products. It is a sub-organization of Cisco Press. It was founded in 1984, and is headquartered in San Jose, California, USA, with a workforce of 10001+ employees. Its website is http://www.cisco.com.Company H1B SponsorshipCisco has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 154 in 2026, 1238 in 2025, 1231 in 2024, 1273 in 2023, 2127 in 2022, 1991 in 2021, 1173 in 2020. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.