Data Scientist - Generative AI Specialist

Data Scientist The application window is expected to close on: 12/05/2025 Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received. Members of the Operations Organization at select locations will generally be expected to follow a hybrid work model, which includes two days of in-office attendance each week, with limited exceptions. Meet the Team Join our dynamic team in the newly formed Cisco Automation and AI at the forefront of AI innovation! We're a passionate group of engineers, data scientists, and product experts dedicated to building the future of commerce. We are building an AI Assistant to revolutionize how users interact with our platform. We value collaboration, continuous learning, and the opportunity to make a real-world impact. Position Summary: We are looking for a full-stack Data Scientist who will play a crucial role in designing, developing, and implementing an AI Assistant within our Commerce Platforms. The ideal candidate will have expertise across the entire data science lifecycle, including data engineering, data curation, modeling, and analysis. Additionally, they must possess strong business understanding and excellent communication skills to bridge the gap between technical development and business needs. Your Impact As a Full-Stack Data Scientist, you will be at the heart of creating an intelligent and intuitive AI Assistant. You'll be tackling the challenge of integrating advanced AI capabilities into our commerce platform, allowing you to push the boundaries of what's possible with LLMs and RAG systems. This is an exciting opportunity to shape the future of our commerce platform and see your innovations directly impact thousands of users. Key Responsibilities: Modeling and Analysis: * Assist in the design, development, and optimization of generative AI models. * Perform exploratory data analysis to uncover insights and inform model development. * Continuously monitor and refine models to improve their performance and accuracy. Business Understanding and Communication: * Work closely with business stakeholders to understand their needs and translate them into technical requirements. * Communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical team members and stakeholders. * Provide insights and recommendations based on data analysis to drive business decisions. Feedback Loops and Continuous Improvement: * Establish and manage feedback loops to gather user input and improve the AI Assistant. * Analyze feedback data to identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes. * Develop strategies to enhance model performance based on user feedback and operational metrics. Trust and Security: * Ensure the integrity and security of data used and generated by the AI Assistant. * Implement measures to maintain user trust and comply with relevant regulations and standards. * Develop protocols to handle sensitive data and ensure its protection. Collaboration and Integration: * Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including software engineers, product managers, and domain experts, to ensure seamless integration of the AI Assistant. * Participate in code reviews and contribute to the overall improvement of the development process. * Ensure that the AI Assistant aligns with business goals and delivers a high-quality user experience Minimum Qualifications: * Bachelor's degree in Data Science, Computer Science, Statistics, or a related field. * Strong programming skills in languages such as Python, R, or Java. * Hands-on experience with LLM frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Haystack, or DSPy. * Familiarity with RAG evaluation frameworks and techniques (e.g., Ragas, DeepEval, TruLens). Preferred Qualifications: * Experience with human-in-the-loop (HITL) processes for feedback collection and annotation. * Proven experience as a Data Scientist, with a focus on generative AI and machine learning. * Strong proficiency in Python and relevant ML libraries (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow). * Solid understanding of automated evaluation metrics and strategies for LLMs * Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to debug complex AI system behaviors. * Strong understanding of the data science lifecycle, including data collection, cleaning, modeling, and analysis. * Excellent business understanding and the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. * Experience in building and deploying AI-driven applications, particularly AI Assistants, is a plus. **Why Cisco?** At Cisco, we're revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era - and beyond. We've been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint. Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you'll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. We are Cisco, and our power starts with you. **Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:** The starting salary range posted for this position is $134,600.00 to $177,200.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process. U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco's plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time. U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco's policies: + 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees + 1 paid day off for employee's birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco + Non-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 employees + Exempt 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 next + Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members + Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco's policies. Employees 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 plan. 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 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid. The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below: New York City Metro Area: $155,900.00 - $246,200.00 Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $149,600.00 - $218,500.00 * For quota-based sales roles on Cisco's sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined. ** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements. Cisco is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.