Director, Software Engineering (Security Business Group)

Cisco Systems, Inc.; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 251,000 - 363,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in Milpitas, CA, seeks a Director of Software Engineering to lead multiple engineering teams building SSE management/control plane services.

You will set technical direction for cloud security, drive end-to-end software development, and mentor engineers to deliver scalable, high-availability solutions for millions of users worldwide.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of software engineering experience with leadership of managers/global teams.
• Experience with public cloud platforms (AWS, GCP or Azure) and distributed systems.
• Experience with microservices, multi-tenant data platforms, AI/ML, and observability for enterprise cloud software/SaaS.
• Experience with CI/CD, DevOps, and AI-enabled productivity improvements in SDLC.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor multiple engineering teams responsible for full development cycles of management/control plane services.
• Set technical direction for cloud security services in collaboration with Product, UX, and Security stakeholders.
• Drive end-to-end software development from design to deployment with high-quality delivery.
• Attract, hire, and retain top engineering talent to foster excellence and diversity.
• Partner with architecture, operations, and customer success for seamless integration and reliability.
• Champion process improvements using metrics and customer feedback.

Skills

Lead teams

Cloud platforms

CI/CD

AI/ML systems

DevOps

Observability

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/Engineering

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/14/2026

Meet the Team

Cisco’s Cloud Security organization is at the forefront of securing the modern workforce, protecting users, data, and applications wherever they reside. As the cornerstone of Cisco’s Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) strategy, we deliver cloud-native protection for users, data, and application no matter where they reside.

Cisco’s Cloud Security team is looking for a Director of Software Engineering to lead an engineering team working on our market-leading Security Service Edge (SSE) products. In this role, you will drive the strategy, execution, and delivery of multiple management/control plane services of Cisco secure Access including policy and access control, cloud control plane and service reliability, behavior analytics and security data platform, AI enabled assistant and intelligent automation, and similar services.

You will lead multiple engineering teams building scalable, high-performance systems that protect millions of users around the world as they access the internet and cloud applications. This is a pivotal leadership role that requires strong technical depth, cloud platform expertise, and the ability to implement at scale in a fast-paced environment.

Your Impact

As the Director of Software Engineering, you will:

• Lead and Inspire:Manage and mentor a high-performing engineering teams responsible for full development cycle of multiple management/ control plane services.

• Strategic Direction:Set technical direction and vision for cloud security services, collaborating with Product Management, UX, and Security stakeholders to deliver innovative, scalable, and secure solutions.

• Execution Excellence:Drive end-to-end software development, from design through deployment, ensuring timely and high-quality delivery.

• Team Development:Attract, hire, and retain top engineering talent; foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and diversity.

• Cross-Functional Leadership:Partner with architecture, operations, and customer success teams to ensure seamless integration, high reliability, and outstanding user experience.

• Continuous Improvement:Champion process and technology improvements, leveraging metrics and customer feedback to optimize products and engineering practices.

Minimum Qualifications

• 15+ years of software engineering experience, including significant experience leading managers and global teams.

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field.

• Experience with public cloud platforms (AWS, GCP or Azure), distributed systems, micro service architecture, multi-tenant services or similar data platforms, AI/ML systems, and observability, record delivering enterprise cloud software or SaaS platforms with demanding availability, scale, security, and data-consistency requirements.

• Experience with modern software development practices, including CI/CD and DevOps, with experience building agentic systems and employing AI to improve productivity across the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with security platforms, zero trust, SSE/SASE, ZTNA, SWG, CASB, DLP, FWaaS, DNS security, browser isolation, or digital experience monitoring.

• Experience with policy distribution, routing, identity-aware access, security telemetry, audit/event history, behavioral analytics, and event-driven data platforms.

• Expertise in full stack development with experience in React, python, go, java.

• Familiarity with regulated enterprise or public-sector environments and security/compliance programs such as FedRAMP.

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 $250,600.00 to $362,600.00 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 Cisco’s 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 Cisco’s policies:

• 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 timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto 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:

$250,600.00 - $416,900.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$241,400.00 - $371,000.00

* 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.