Senior Software Engineer (Remote) Windows System Programming)

Cisco Systems, Inc; United States; On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Isovalent is expanding its Windows-focused software agent team to extend runtime security across Windows environments while aligning with cross-platform capabilities. You will design, implement, and optimize system-level security features using Go, C, and C++, leveraging Win32 APIs and Winsock inside Windows kernel and user-mode contexts.

Expect collaboration with senior engineers and cross-functional teams to deliver secure, scalable endpoint solutions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of software development experience.
• Experience with systems programming using C or C++, including multi-threaded and multi-process development.
• 2+ years’ experience with OS fundamentals: threads, processes, file systems, networking, IPC.
• Experience with Windows system programming: Win32 APIs, File I/O, Winsock.
• Experience debugging and troubleshooting complex software systems.

Responsibilities

• Develop and enhance runtime security features for a Windows-based endpoint agent.
• Design and implement systems-level endpoint security and monitoring capabilities using Go, C, and C++.
• Participate in architecture, design, and implementation discussions with senior engineers.
• Develop software using Windows system programming interfaces, including Win32 APIs, File I/O, Winsock.
• Investigate Windows platform behavior, APIs, and interactions between user-mode and kernel-mode.
• Develop multi-threaded and multi-process applications and system-level software.
• Debug and resolve complex issues and perform code reviews to improve quality.
• Analyze and optimize feature performance for efficient endpoint operation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate runtime security requirements into reliable software.
• Contribute to cross-platform security capabilities spanning Windows and Linux.

Skills

Go

C

C++

Windows APIs

Win32 APIs

Multithreading

Debugging

System security

Networking fundamentals

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related

Master's degree

Tools

Winsock

API hooking

Windows kernel concepts

Job description

Isovalent, now part of Cisco, is the company founded by the creators of Cilium and eBPF. Cisco Isovalent is building the next generation of products for securing workloads and AI infrastructure using advanced technologies across Linux and Windows.

Our software agent team builds high-performance, secure, and lightweight software agents that run across traditional and modern workloads in on-premises and cloud environments. These agents collect rich information about workloads and system activity, provide network and runtime visibility, enforce security policies, and help protect containerized and endpoint environments.

As part of the Windows agent engineering team, you will focus on extending these security capabilities to Windows environments. You will work closely with senior engineers, architects, and cross-functional teams to develop system-level security capabilities while contributing to a cross-platform product spanning Windows and Linux.

Your Impact

As a Software Engineer on the software agent team, you will develop and enhance runtime security features for a Windows-based endpoint agent. You will use systems programming, Windows platform APIs, operating system fundamentals, and networking concepts to build reliable and efficient security capabilities that operate close to the underlying operating system.

You will investigate Windows platform behavior and interactions between user-mode and kernel-mode components while designing and implementing endpoint security and system-monitoring functionality. You will participate in architecture and design discussions with senior engineers and architects, troubleshoot complex implementation issues, and optimize software for performance and reliability.

Because our products operate across platforms, you will also collaborate with engineers developing related capabilities across Linux and other environments. The features you develop will contribute to Cisco Isovalent's ability to provide security, visibility, and protection across modern enterprise, data center, and cloud workloads.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and enhance runtime security features for a Windows-based endpoint agent.
• Design and implement systems-level endpoint security and monitoring capabilities using Go, C, and C++.
• Participate in architecture, design, and implementation discussions with senior engineers and architects.
• Develop software using Windows system programming interfaces, including Win32 APIs, File I/O, and Winsock.
• Investigate Windows platform behavior, APIs, and interactions between user-mode and kernel-mode components.
• Develop multi-threaded and multi-process applications and system-level software.
• Debug and resolve complex implementation issues and perform code reviews to improve software quality.
• Analyze and optimize feature performance to ensure efficient endpoint operation.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand runtime security requirements and translate them into reliable software solutions.
• Contribute to cross-platform security capabilities spanning Windows and Linux environments.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree with 5+ years of software development experience, or a Master's degree with 4+ years of software development experience
• Experience with systems programming using C, or C++, including multi-threaded and multi-process application development.
• 2 + year’s experience with operating system fundamentals, including threads, processes, file systems, networking, and inter-process communication.
• Experience with Windows system programming, including Win32 APIs, File I/O, Winsock, and familiarity with API hooking concepts.
• Experience debugging and troubleshooting complex software systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Understanding of Windows kernel concepts and how user-mode and kernel-mode components interact.
• Experience developing endpoint security, cybersecurity, or system-monitoring software.
• Experience with Windows kernel programming, driver development, or low-level Windows internals.
• Familiarity with malware detection techniques, endpoint protection technologies, or security monitoring concepts.
• Experience with network programming and security-related protocols.
• Experience implementing complex systems-level software features in production environments.
• Experience analyzing and optimizing performance for systems-level or endpoint software.
• Experience collaborating with senior engineers and architects on software architecture and technical design decisions.