Senior Linux/C Systems Engineer — IOS-XE

Cisco Systems, Inc; Milpitas (CA); Hybrid; USD 168,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in Milpitas seeks a Software Engineer to design, develop, and maintain low-level systems for Cisco IOS-XE Image Install. You will work on Linux, C/C++, and high-availability kernels to ensure secure, scalable networking for global customers.

Join a team that mentors engineers, emphasizes Design Thinking, and delivers robust upgrade and provisioning mechanisms across enterprise devices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus 7 years of related experience, Master’s degree plus 4 years of related experience, or PhD plus 1 year of related experience.
• Application of C for memory management, concurrency, and multithreading.
• Experience with Linux systems programming, including POSIX IPC, sockets, and process lifecycle management.
• Experience in distributed system architecture, specifically control plane and data plane separation.
• Experience with debugging tools including GDB, Linux tracing utilities, and post-mortem crash analysis.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain high-quality code by applying advanced C/C++ and Linux systems programming to solve complex networking challenges.
• Lead technical features from initial conception through production delivery to ensure our software remains robust, scalable, and secure.
• Drive the software development lifecycle by integrating Design Thinking principles to optimize system reliability and performance in high-availability environments.
• Mentor junior engineers and collaborate across functional teams to advocate for product innovation that creates long-term customer value.
• Identify technical risks early and conduct rigorous code reviews to maintain the integrity of our distributed systems and networking infrastructure.

Skills

C/C++

Linux systems programming

Memory management

Concurrency

Multithreading

Distributed systems

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

GDB

Linux tracing utilities

Post-mortem crash analysis

Job description

Cisco Systems, Inc. in Milpitas seeks a Software Engineer to design, develop, and maintain low-level systems for Cisco IOS-XE Image Install. You will work on Linux, C/C++, and high-availability kernels to ensure secure, scalable networking for global customers.

Join a team that mentors engineers, emphasizes Design Thinking, and delivers robust upgrade and provisioning mechanisms across enterprise devices.