Senior Director, Product Management - AI Research (...

The application window is expected to close on: Jan 25th, 12 PM ET 2026 Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received. Meet the Team Foundation AIu2019s mission is build. The Foundation AI team joined Cisco through the Robust Intelligence acquisition in fall 2024 to lead research and development of security and AI at Cisco. The team has deep expertise in AI and security and is an active contributor to cutting edge research and standards on AI and security. At Cisco, our mission is to build AI Security at Cisco scale as well as lead the next generation of AI infrastructure for disruptive security products across Cisco. Robust Intelligence pioneered the category of AI Security and built the first platform for securing AI applications from supply chain, model vulnerabilities, and real time attacks. Funded by Sequoia and Tiger Global, Robust Intelligence customers include the worldu2019s largest banking and financial institutions, HR and payroll services, FinTech and financial software, technology and consumer electronics, insurance, consulting, travel, data centers and cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity as well as government agencies. The company was acquired by Cisco in 2024. Your Impact Foundation AI is seeking a Senior Director of AI Product Engineering to define and drive the roadmap for the organizationu2019s core AI initiatives including foundational models, reasoning systems, evaluation frameworks, and AI infrastructure built for security-critical environments. A central part of this role involves close collaboration with Splunk and Cisco Security, driving the integration of Foundation AI into their products and platforms. This role sits at the intersection of AI research, architecture, and product engineering, shaping how Foundation AI translates frontier advances into robust, secure, and scalable capabilities. You will partner with research scientists, software and platform engineers, and security leaders to evolve the organizationu2019s technical roadmap, establish engineering excellence, and ensure that our innovations directly advance Ciscou2019s trusted-AI mission. This is a hands-on leadership position requiring both depth and range: technical fluency in modern AI systems, strategic judgment in portfolio direction, and the ability to align diverse contributors around clear technical outcomes. u2022 Define and evolve Foundation AIu2019s end-to-end engineering roadmap from foundational model capabilities to integration with Ciscou2019s security stack and Splunku2019s operational workflows. u2022 Lead joint engineering initiatives across Splunk and Cisco Security, ensuring that Foundation AI capabilities land seamlessly in production environments. u2022 Partner with research and architecture teams to transition experimental technologies into hardened, production-ready systems. u2022 Establish technical benchmarks and evaluation methods for performance, robustness, and trustworthiness. u2022 Collaborate across data, infrastructure, and product teams to ensure scalability, efficiency, and security in AI systems design. u2022 Represent Foundation AIu2019s technology strategy in executive discussions and cross-organizational planning forums including Splunk-aligned design reviews and security platform working groups. u2022 Cultivate a high-performing engineering culture that values scientific curiosity, disciplined execution, and impact. u2022 Translate complex research and architectural concepts into actionable engineering plans and measurable achievements. Minimum Qualifications u2022 Bacheloru2019s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, applied mathematics, or related technical field or equivalent work experience. u2022 10+ years of experience in product management including leadership, research and engineering strategy within advanced technology organizations. u2022 Demonstrated success leading large-scale or distributed system development in the cyber security field, including architecture, road-map definition, delivery, and sustainment. u2022 Strong technical understanding of modern AI systems, data pipelines, evaluation frameworks, and deployment environments. u2022 Proven experience in driving alignment and execution across multidisciplinary teams, including matrixed collaboration with external product organizations. Preferred Qualifications u2022 Ph.D. in Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or a related field focused on systems, reasoning, or secure AI infrastructure. u2022 Proven experience at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity, including model robustness, threat detection, or data provenance. u2022 Deep understanding of AI safety, evaluation methodologies, and engineering guidelines for important systems. u2022 Track record of leading multi-functional teams that bridge research, platform architecture, and secure product engineering, especially within large-scale platforms such as Splunk. Why Cisco? At Cisco, weu2019re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era u2013 and beyond. Weu2019ve 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 youu2019ll 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 $337,100.00 to $426,700.00 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 Ciscou2019s 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 Ciscou2019s policies: + 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees + 1 paid day off for employeeu2019s 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 Ciscou2019s 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 Ciscou2019s 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: $337,100.00 - $490,700.00 Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $299,900.00 - $436,700.00 For quota-based sales roles on Ciscou2019s 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.

Created: 2026-01-09