Principal Software Engineer - Cisco IQ Validation (Hybrid)

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; North Carolina; On-site; USD 220,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco is seeking a Senior Backend Architect to shape the Cisco IQ Validation framework. You will architect scalable backend services, lead technical direction, and drive AI‑driven workflows for network testing and lifecycle management across SD‑WAN and data center environments.

You will mentor engineering leaders, align roadmaps with reliability goals, and establish standards for prompt engineering and model interactions to ensure secure, high‑fidelity outputs at scale.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 15+ years in backend software architecture and core software development.
• Experience in networking, SD‑WAN, or data center infrastructure.
• Experience architecting AI‑driven applications and complex workflows.
• Led large‑scale technical initiatives across cross‑functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Define and architect scalable backend services for automated network validation.
• Set the technical vision across the organization for architectural consistency.
• Lead multi‑year roadmaps aligning innovation with reliability goals.
• Define best practices for prompt engineering and AI model interactions.
• Drive rapid, high‑velocity development while ensuring security and reliability.

Skills

Networking expertise

Architectural leadership

Stakeholder alignment

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Python

Rust

LLM fine-tuning

Terraform

Ansible

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/29/2026

Meet the Team

At Cisco, we are redefining the customer experience through the power of Cisco IQ Services and Applications. Our team is dedicated to building the mission‑critical services and applications that validate customer networks during complex change, upgrade, and maintenance cycles. By ensuring the integrity and performance of enterprise infrastructure during these transitions, we enable our customers to operate with confidence. As a member of our global, AI‑driven team, you will operate at the frontier of software innovation, leveraging advanced engineering practices to solve complex technical challenges in a culture of curiosity, collaboration, and rapid iteration.

Your Impact

In this role, you will serve as the primary technical authority, architecting the future of our network validation ecosystem. You will define the strategic vision for the Cisco IQ Validation framework, championing an Agentic AI‑first approach to automate network testing, validation, and lifecycle management. By establishing standards for LLM‑driven workflows, MCP integrations, and complex prompt orchestration, you will drive the evolution of intelligent backend systems that guarantee network stability during critical operational cycles.

• Define and Architect: Lead the high‑level strategy for scalable backend services that automate the validation of complex network environments, including SD‑WAN and data center infrastructure.
• Provide Technical Leadership: Set the vision across the organization, mentoring engineering leaders to ensure architectural consistency and long‑term technical excellence in network validation.
• Influence and Align: Partner with stakeholders across the business to define multi‑year technical roadmaps, ensuring that architectural standards align with global innovation and reliability goals.
• Establish Standards: Define best practices for complex prompt engineering and model interactions, ensuring the reliability, security, and high‑fidelity of AI‑driven network validation outputs at scale.
• Drive Innovation: Advance our infrastructure and deployment methodologies, fostering a culture of high velocity, system resilience, and industry‑leading reliability for mission‑critical network services.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Bachelor’s +15 years of experience in backend software architecture and core software development using Python, Rust, or similar high‑performance languages.
• Experience in networking, with specific expertise in SD‑WAN, data center infrastructure, or related enterprise network technologies.
• Experience architecting and deploying large‑scale, AI‑spec driven applications and complex agentic workflows.
• Experience leading large‑scale technical initiatives and influencing cross‑functional engineering organizations throughout the full software development lifecycle.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in fine‑tuning Large Language Models (LLMs) and deploying domain‑specific AI architectures into production environments.
• Proficiency in designing and managing cloud‑agnostic, distributed architectures across AWS, GCP, and private cloud environments.
• Recognized industry thought leader with a history of open‑source contributions or research showcasing complex, production‑grade software architecture.
• Experience with infrastructure‑as‑code and architectural automation, specifically Terraform and Ansible.
• Exceptional communication and executive presence, with the proven ability to influence cross‑functional stakeholders and translate high‑level technical vision into actionable, long‑term business outcomes.

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 $223,100.00 to $301,100.00 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.
• 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.
• 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 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: $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.

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.