Embedded Linux Software Engineer – Networking & Device Drivers with C/C++ |5-8 Years

123 Cisco Systems (India) Private Limited; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 180,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems (India) Private Limited in Bengaluru invites experienced software engineers to join the IIoT team working on industrial switching and routing solutions. You will design and integrate hardware and software, build control and data plane components, and contribute to secure, scalable industrial networking products.

The role emphasizes low-level software, BSPs, device drivers, kernel modules, and robust debugging, with opportunities to file IP and patents as part of innovation.

Qualifications

• Proficient in writing quality code in C/C++.
• Strong hardware and device driver development background with Linux bring-up.
• Experience with Linux kernel, drivers, BSPs, multi-threading and state machines.
• Familiarity with OS concepts and Linux/Unix environments.
• Experience with embedded systems protocols (I2C, SPI, UART, PCIe, GPIO).
• Experience developing software/firmware for networking equipment.
• Knowledge of traffic generators/analyzers (IXIA) is a plus.
• Hands-on with Gen AI technologies and NLP.

Responsibilities

• Design and development of IIoT hardware platforms and integration with software.
• Build and develop control plane and data plane software for IIoT switching/routing.
• Design low-level software components: BSP, device drivers, kernel modules.
• Analyze requirements and craft software designs and solutions.
• Create detailed design documents and functional specifications.
• Code and unit test software components and modules.
• Strong white-box testing, debugging, and root-cause analysis for customer failures.
• Innovate to create IP value and potential patent opportunities.

Skills

C/C++

Hardware development

Linux kernel

Device drivers

Embedded systems

Networking equipment

Traffic generators

Gen AI / NLP

Kernel debugging tools

Education

Bachelors or Masters in CS/EE/ECE

Tools

GDB

KGDB

Job description

Meet the team

Join the Cisco IIoT team to work on product development for industrial switching and routing solutions that transform industrial operations. The team builds secure, scalable technologies across industrial networking, edge computing, and IoT security, helping customers in manufacturing, energy, transportation, and smart cities improve efficiency through real-time insights. Cisco offers software engineers a unique experience that blends the scale and resources of a global organization with a startup-like culture, strong collaboration, and broad growth opportunities.

Your Impact

• Design and development of IIoT hardware platforms, ensuring flawless integration between hardware and software layers.
• Build and development of control plane and data plane software for Cisco IIOT Switching, Routing products.
• Design and develop low-level software components, including BSP, device drivers and kernel modules.
• Analyze requirements and problem statements to come with right software designs and solutions.
• To be able to write details Design documents and Functional Specifications.
• To Code and Unit Test Software components and modules.
• It is required to have strong white-box testing and automating skills Triage, debug, and root cause simulation, software bring-up, and customer failures.
• To be able to innovate and come up with new insights that can lead to filing patents and creating IP value for the company.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors (5-8 years) or Master's degree(3-6 years) in Computer Science, EE/ECE or related fields.
• Proficient in writing quality code in C/C++.
• Strong hardware and device driver development background, including experience with Linux hardware bring-up.
• Proven experience in hardware and device driver development, including Linux hardware bring-up, multi-threading, event handling, and state machine implementation.
• Strong understanding of OS (e.g. Linux, RTOS, Unix) and experience working with Linux kernel, device drivers, and BSPs.
• Prior experience developing, debugging, and validating embedded systems using protocols such as I2C, SPI, UART, PCIe, GPIO.
• Experience in developing software/firmware for networking equipment.
• Experience using Traffic generators/Analyzers such as IXIA/Sniffer is a plus.
• Hands on experience with Gen AI assistant technologies, natural language processing (NLP) or Gen AI technologies (OpenAI, Gemini, MCP, Agentic AI etc..).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Prior experience in kernel programming, open-source technologies and kernel debugging tools such as GDB and KGDB.
• Experience in development and validation of peripheral interfaces (e.g. PCI, PCIe, I2C, SPI, UART, GPIO, Ethernet) and ensure their reliable operations is a plus.
• Cisco Networking certificates such as CCNA, CCNP, CCIE are desirable.
• Experience with AI/ML and Agentic AI framework.

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.

Cisconians power the future. We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale. The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers - it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn. We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together. Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life’s best work.