Senior Cloud Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 187,000 - 268,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life insurance

Vision insurance

Parental leave

Paid holidays

Sick time

401(k)

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in San Jose, CA is seeking a Senior Cloud Engineering Technical Leader to design, build, and operate a scalable cloud platform supporting analytics, automation, and decision systems.

You will own cloud infrastructure, networking, and deployment pipelines, with emphasis on secure, multi-tenant Kubernetes environments on AWS. Collaborate with BizOps, software engineering, security, and data teams to improve platform automation, onboarding of AI solutions, and strong

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or computer engineering with 8+ years of related experience, or a master's degree with 6+ years.
• Significant experience designing, building, and operating cloud infrastructure, preferably on AWS.
• Experience with infrastructure as code and production Kubernetes, including containerized workloads.
• Experience with CI/CD and deployment automation, plus a strong understanding of cloud networking, security, and observability.
• Proficiency in Python, Go, or JavaScript/TypeScript.

Responsibilities

• Frame the cloud platform behind complex software systems, designing reliable architectures on AWS and secure, multi-tenant Kubernetes environments.
• Automate infrastructure and delivery with Terraform/OpenTofu, CI/CD, Helm, and Argo CD GitOps workflows.
• Improve cloud-native networking, deployment tooling, monitoring, and operational support for a smooth developer experience.
• Help bring agentic AI applications into production with the infrastructure, identity patterns, and security controls they need.
• Partner with security and engineering teams to strengthen the platform and document standards.

Skills

AWS

Cloud architecture

Terraform

CI/CD

Kubernetes

Python

Go

JavaScript/TypeScript

Security

Observability

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/CE

Master's degree in CS/CE

Tools

OpenTofu

Argo CD

Helm

GitOps

Job description

Senior Cloud Engineering Technical Leader

life insurance, vision insurance, parental leave, paid holidays, sick time, 401(k)

The application window is expected to close on: 11/18/2026

This is a hybrid opportunity primarily based out of our San Jose, CA headquarters, with flexibility to consider candidates located near our RTP, NC or Austin, TX hubs.

Meet the Team

You’ll be joining a high-impact Silicon One Business Operations team that sits at the center of data, strategy, and execution. The team partners closely with operations, product, engineering, finance, and senior leaderships to drive business performance through data-driven insights, scalable processes, and strong execution. We thrive in a fast-paced environment where curiosity, ownership, and a bias for action are key.

We are seeking a Senior Cloud engineering Tech Lead to design, build, and operate the cloud platform that supports its analytics, automation, and decision-making systems. This role will own cloud infrastructure, networking, and deployment pipelines, with a focus on secure, reliable, and scalable services. The engineer will partner with BizOps, software engineering, security, and data teams to improve platform automation, support complex applications, and onboard agentic AI solutions.

Your Impact

• Frame the cloud platform behind complex software systems, designing reliable architectures primarily on AWS and secure, multi-tenant Kubernetes environments.
• Automate infrastructure and delivery with Terraform or OpenTofu, CI/CD, Helm, and Argo CD GitOps workflows.
• Build a smooth, dependable developer experience by improving cloud-native networking, deployment tooling, monitoring, and operational support.
• Help bring agentic AI applications into production, with the infrastructure, identity patterns, and security controls they need to run safely.
• Partner with security and engineering teams to strengthen the platform, share practical guidance, and establish clear standards and documentation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or computer engineering with 8+ years of related experience, or a master's degree in computer science or computer engineering with 6+ years of related experience.
• Significant experience designing, building, and operating cloud infrastructure, preferably on AWS, working across multiple environments.
• Experience with infrastructure as code and production Kubernetes, including containerized workloads.
• Experience with CI/CD and deployment automation, plus a strong understanding of cloud networking, security, and observability.
• Proficiency in languages such as Python, Go, or JavaScript/TypeScript.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience deploying, integrating, or operating AI or agentic applications in cloud environments.
• Experience applying cloud security practices, such as vulnerability remediation, security ticket workflows, identity and authentication, or secrets management.
• Experience with cloud-native platform technologies, such as service meshes, API gateways, container tooling, or advanced networking.
• Experience building internal platforms or developer self-service capabilities, including deployment automation, CI/CD, or GitOps workflows.
• Experience supporting analytics, data, or business operations applications, including their monitoring and observability needs.

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 $186,900.00 to $267,700.00 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 ofunused 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: $186,900.00 - $307,800.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $166,300.00 - $274,100.00

* 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.