Lead Performance & AI Tools Engineer

Cisco

. Serve as architectural owner for intelligent developer platforms and AI agent tooling .

Posted 11/5/2026full-timeMilpitas • California • United StatesSenior💰 $186,900 - $267,700 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in building and optimizing intelligent developer platforms and AI agent tooling, with a strong focus on performance engineering, automation frameworks, and distributed systems. Proven ability to drive productivity improvements and integrate AI-assisted development within engineering workflows.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Python Software DevelopmentPerformance EngineeringKubernetes ExperienceAI Coding AssistantsObservability Platforms

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Load TestingDistributed SystemsAutomation FrameworksAI Agent WorkflowsLLM APIsScalability TestingEngineering MetricsPerformance Regression DetectionModel Context ProtocolVector-Based Knowledge Retrieval

Soft Skills

Cross-Functional LeadershipMentorshipCommunication Skills

Tools & Technologies

LocustGrafanaDatadogSplunkOpenTelemetryGitCI/CD PipelinesAWSGCPAzure

Industry Keywords

Developer ProductivityAutomated TestingEngineering Delivery PipelinesAI-Powered SolutionsDistributed Tracing

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

AWSAzureCloudDistributed SystemsGoogle Cloud PlatformGrafanaKubernetesPythonSplunk

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Serve as architectural owner for intelligent developer platforms and AI agent tooling
Build intelligent agents for automated pull request analysis, CI failure diagnosis, and engineering knowledge retrieval
Design and implement load, stress, and scalability testing using Python and Locust
Optimize latency, throughput, and token generation rates across distributed services and model endpoints
Implement sandboxing, scoped permissions, and confidence thresholds for safe agent execution
Correlate metrics from Datadog, Grafana, Splunk, and OpenTelemetry
Identify systemic bottlenecks and provide actionable architectural recommendations to engineering leadership
Build and ship developer productivity platforms, not just AI agents
Use AI-assisted development to accelerate engineering delivery
Drive measurable productivity improvements and adoption across engineering teams

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related STEM field and 10+ years of relevant software engineering experience, Master’s degree and 7+ years, or Ph.D. and 4+ years building distributed platforms
5+ years of software development experience using Python to design, build, and deploy production internal engineering platforms, automation frameworks, or developer productivity tools
Experience implementing LLM APIs, AI coding assistants, or autonomous agent workflows within engineering delivery pipelines
Experience conducting performance engineering, load testing, and workload modeling for distributed systems using Locust or equivalent frameworks
Experience operating within Kubernetes and containerized cloud environments
Experience with observability platforms such as Grafana, Datadog, and Splunk, plus distributed tracing
Experience integrating developer tools and automation workflows with Git-based source control, pull requests, CI/CD pipelines, APIs, and automated testing frameworks
Experience leveraging AI coding assistants and LLM-powered development tools while ensuring correctness, maintainability, and security of generated code
Ability to identify engineering workflow inefficiencies, deliver automation solutions, and evaluate effectiveness through feedback and measurable productivity improvements
Preferred: experience with multi-agent orchestration, tool calling, Model Context Protocol, or vector-based knowledge retrieval
Preferred: experience defining developer productivity metrics and driving internal tooling adoption
Preferred: experience optimizing and benchmarking LLM inference endpoints across AWS, GCP, or Azure
Preferred: familiarity with Playwright, Lighthouse, and OpenTelemetry
Preferred: cross-functional leadership, mentorship, and communication skills
Preferred: experience building AI-powered developer productivity solutions for impact analysis, test selection, CI triage, or release validation
Preferred: experience designing and evaluating AI-agent workflows for accuracy, reliability, cost, latency, and safe execution
Preferred: experience integrating automated performance regression detection into pull requests and CI/CD workflows

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental and vision insurance
401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
Paid parental leave
Short- and long-term disability coverage
Basic life insurance
Cisco restricted stock unit grants may be available, subject to continued employment and vesting periods
10 paid holidays per full calendar year
1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
Paid birthday day off
Paid year-end holiday shutdown
4 paid personal wellness days
16 days of paid vacation per full calendar year for non-exempt employees
Flexible vacation time off program with no defined limit for eligible exempt employees
80 hours of sick time off provided on hire and each January 1st thereafter
Up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward annually
Additional paid time away for critical or emergency family issues
Optional 10 paid volunteer days per full calendar year
Annual bonuses may be available for non-sales roles
Cisco benefits and perks subject to plan eligibility and company policies