Software Engineer - QA Engineer, Automation and networking 8 to 11 years

Cisco; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 4,200,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco's Distributed System Engineering group in Bengaluru is seeking a Software Engineer specializing in test automation and networking. You will design, develop and execute tests to validate AI/ML capable networks and contribute to open-source tooling.

You'll leverage Python scripting, PyTest, and Docker to build robust test environments, benchmarks and automation frameworks, collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable network solutions.

Qualifications

• 9+ years of software testing and automation in networking/telecom.
• Expert in Python coding and automation, with 5+ years on virtualization and Docker.
• Hands-on with Linux user space/OS internals and networking (L2/L3, VLAN, BGP, QoS).

Responsibilities

• Design, develop and execute tests to qualify network performance for AI/ML workloads.
• Build and enhance test frameworks and benchmarking tools.
• Define data for network performance benchmarks and troubleshoot issues.
• Collaborate across teams to drive Open Source contributions and testing automation.

Skills

Python programming

Test automation

Networking fundamentals

Linux OS

Open-source / PyTest

Distributed systems

Tools

Docker

PyTest

CI/CD tooling

Job description

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. The networking industry is going through a massive transformation to build the next generation infrastructure to meet the needs of AI/ML workloads and continuously increasing internet users and application. We are uniquely positioned to capture that market transition. This team builds products by harnessing the potential of open-source technologies while pushing the boundaries on Systems and Silicon Architecture.

This solutions team collaborates directly with large webscaler customers to replicate their networks and prepare software and hardware before deployment. With a broad range of expertise and strong communication skills, the team works on short sprints across Cisco's product lineup, focusing on SONiC for web-scale environments, including AIML, routers, and switches.

Your Impact

As a Software Engineer, you'll be part of an agile team engaged in the design, development and execution of tests to qualify network performance for AI/ML capability. You will be a part of our solutions team which works in a fast-paced environment and be responsible for end-to-end product testing and production support.

In this role you will leverage your strong Python automation skills for scripting and testing, with some opportunities for development work. You will work with automation frameworks like PyTest to automate and streamline the testing process. You will be expected to both learn from and make contributions to the open-source community to drive innovative solutions in this space.

Other responsibilities will include:

• Building out testing environments for system/solution validation
• Developing and enhancing test frameworks and benchmarking tools
• Defining and gathering data for network performance benchmarking
• Troubleshooting customer issues

Minimum Qualifications

• Around 9+ years of experience in software Testing and automation experience within the networking or telecommunication industry. Preferably in product companies with very good exposure on distributed architecture and networking (routers and switches).
• Adept in Python as coding language. Actively coding and automating functionalities with at least 5+ years of hands‑on experience with virtualization and container technologies e.g. Docker.
• Hands‑on work experience working with software data and control plane software, Linux user space/OS internals. Comfortable with networking technologies such as L2, L3, VLAN, Port Channel, LAG, VXLAN, Segment Routing, BGP, QoS, ACL etc.
• Experience in designing, modelling, performance testing. Worked with opensource tools and databases (e.g. Redis). Experience in writing of Test Plans and testing of software for high performing and scalable data canter / service provider networking products.
• Comfortable working on technical projects in a complex development environment.
• Self‑motivated and quick learner with excellent problem-solving skills, logical thinking and a hunger to learn new technologies.
• Good team player with nice communication and presentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of VxLAN and IP Fabrics, BGP, BGP‑EVPN, IPv6, MPLS, SR/SRv6, QoS.
• Working Knowledge of Automation using Python, Experience with PyTest or similar open-source QA automation frameworks
• Fair understanding of the network security requirements.
• Exposure to SONiC or experience working with the SONiC open-source community
• Previous experience in a customer‑facing environment

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.