Lead Software Engineer, AI Networking & Cloud Platforms

Cisco Systems; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 187,000 - 268,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco is hiring a Lead Software Engineer for a hybrid role out of Seattle or San Jose. You will build secure, cloud-native networking and simulation platforms powering Cisco’s domain-specific LLMs, collaborating with AI research, security, product, and infrastructure teams.

You will mentor peers, design high-performance systems, and advance secure SDLC practices while delivering scalable solutions for global use.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field + 8 years of related experience, OR Master’s degree in STEM + 6 years of related experience, OR PhD in STEM + 3 years of related experience (or equivalent related work experience).
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience designing, developing, and testing production-grade software using modern programming languages (e.g., Python, Go, C++, or Java).
• 4+ years of professional experience in enterprise/datacenter networking protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, BGP, EVPN, VXLAN) and network simulation/modeling platforms (e.g., Cisco Modeling Labs [CML], EVE-NG, or GNS3).
• 3+ years of experience with cloud-native infrastructure, distributed systems architecture, and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• 3+ years of experience integrating and automating network controllers, SDN platforms, or infrastructure management systems via REST APIs/SDKs (e.g., Nexus Dashboard, Catalyst Center, Intersight).
• 2+ years of experience implementing secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC) practices, including threat modeling, RBAC, and secrets management.

Responsibilities

• Build secure, cloud-native networking and simulation platforms powering Cisco’s domain-specific LLMs.
• Architect simulation topologies, automate controller ecosystems, translate AI concepts into robust capabilities.
• Mentor peers through design reviews and shape the engineering roadmap.

Skills

Python

Go

C++

Java

Networking protocols

Cloud-native

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field

Master’s degree in STEM

PhD in STEM

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Cisco is hiring a Lead Software Engineer for a hybrid role out of Seattle or San Jose. You will build secure, cloud-native networking and simulation platforms powering Cisco’s domain-specific LLMs, collaborating with AI research, security, product, and infrastructure teams.

You will mentor peers, design high-performance systems, and advance secure SDLC practices while delivering scalable solutions for global use.