Senior Forward Deployed Engineer

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; Washington; On-site; USD 149,000 - 218,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer on the Splunk Agent Resilience team to help enterprise customers deploy AI-powered applications with reliability and observability.

You will design scalable architectures, build integrations, and lead technical workshops to resolve complex production challenges. Required is a 6+ year background in software engineering (Python/Java), plus experience with APIs, distributed systems, cloud platforms, and AI tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field.
• 6+ years of relevant experience or equivalent practical experience.
• Software engineering experience in production-grade apps (Python/Java).
• Experience with APIs, distributed systems, cloud platforms, or backend development.
• Familiarity with AI tooling such as Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor.

Responsibilities

• Partner with enterprise customers to understand technical requirements and goals.
• Design scalable AI solution architectures and guide deployments.
• Build integrations, prototypes, and reusable tools for success.
• Lead workshops and troubleshoot complex production issues.
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering to share feedback and drive improvements.
• Create technical assets and documentation for future deployments.

Skills

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

6+ years of relevant experience

Software engineering experience (produ

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related technical field

Tools

Python

Java

APIs

Distributed systems

Cloud platforms

Kubernetes

AI tools (Claude Code, Codex, cursor)

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 12/29/2026 The successful applicant will be performing work on US Government classified environments, and therefore, must be a U.S. Person (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, asylee, or refugee). This position may also perform work that the U.S. government has specified can only be performed by a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil.

Meet the Team

The Splunk Agent Resilience team is defining the future of AI resilience. Together our team provides scalable, cost-effective evaluation and guardrails that ensure AI agents behave as intended, improving reliability and reducing risks. This unified approach empowers our customers to expertly deploy and manage AI-powered applications with enhanced observability and control. As a Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE), you'll work at the intersection of software engineering, customer engagement, and product innovation to help some of the world's largest enterprises successfully deploy AI into production. You'll partner closely with external customers to solve complex technical challenges while collaborating with internal Product and Engineering teams to improve the platform based on real-world customer needs. If you enjoy solving hard engineering problems, working directly with customers, and building technology that scales beyond a single implementation, we'd love to hear from you.

Your Impact

As a Forward Deployed Engineer, you will:

• Partner with enterprise customers to understand technical requirements and business goals.
• Design scalable AI solution architectures and guide customers through production deployments.
• Build integrations, prototypes, and reusable tools that accelerate customer success.
• Lead technical workshops, architecture discussions, and troubleshoot complex production issues.
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams to share customer feedback and influence future product enhancements.
• Create documentation, reusable best practices, and technical assets that benefit future deployments.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related technical field, with 6+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent practical experience.
• Software engineering experience building production‑grade applications- Python and/or Java.
• Experience with APIs, distributed systems, cloud platforms, or backend development.
• Experience with AI tools such as Claude Code, Codex, cursor, etc.
• Troubleshooting and problem‑solving skills across multiple layers of the technology stack.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience deploying or supporting Generative AI, LLM, or Machine Learning applications in production.
• Experience with Kubernetes, cloud infrastructure, observability, or MLOps.
• Experience building customer‑facing technical solutions or integrations.
• Experience creating reusable developer tools, frameworks, or open‑source contributions.
• Consulting, Solutions Engineering, or Technical Customer Success experience in enterprise environments.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to work directly with enterprise customers.
• Comfortable working in fast‑paced, ambiguous environments.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance, if required.
• AI, Machine Learning, or developer platforms experience.

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 $149,100.00 to $218,100.00 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.

• New York City Metro Area: $167,700.00 - $282,000.00
• Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $149,100.00 - $250,900.00

* 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.

Benefits

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 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.

Culture

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.