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The application window is expected to close on: 11/24/2025.

NOTE: Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Meet the Team

The Cisco Distributed System Engineering (DSE) group is at the forefront of developing products that power the largest networks in the world. As the networking industry undergoes a massive transformation driven by AI/ML workloads and growing internet applications. We are uniquely positioned to capture that market transition.

Your Impact

As a technical leader, you will play a critical role in shaping the direction and success of our software engineering initiatives for the Cisco 8000 Platform, leveraging the SONiC network operating system. You will be responsible for designing, developing, and testing data-center features while providing both technical and people leadership to the engineering team. Your influence will extend across architecture, project execution, and talent development, ensuring the delivery of robust, scalable solutions and fostering a high-performing environment.

Key responsibilities include:

* Mentoring and developing engineering talent, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional growth within the SONiC Group.

* Providing expert technical guidance on infrastructure, manageability, and distributed systems design and implementation.

* Leading architecture discussions, conducting code reviews, and guiding team members to deliver high-quality solutions.

* Owning project deliverables, managing schedules, and tracking progress to ensure timely execution.

* Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams, including development, product management, and security.

* Embodying and promoting Cisco’s culture and values as a role model.

Minimum Qualifications

* Bachelor’s degree in a STEM field.

* 10+ years of experience in embedded software development using C, C++, Go, and/or Python.

* 10+ years of experience with Linux or infrastructure software (such as gNMI, in-memory databases).

* 7+ years of experience designing and implementing distributed systems.

* 4+ years of experience in a leadership role within an engineering team.

Preferred Qualifications

* Experience with network operating systems in the Linux user space (e.g., SONiC).

* Proficiency with modern development tools such as GIT, Jira, Jenkins, and other CI/CD pipeline tools.

* Familiarity with virtualization and containerization technologies (e.g., KVM/Qemu, Docker, Kubernetes).

* Strong skills in performance tuning and optimization.

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 $210,600.00 to $305,100.00 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.

+ 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:

$210,600.00 - $350,800.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$189,300.00 - $312,200.00

* 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.