Senior Software Engineering Leader, AI Data Center Networking

Cisco Systems, Inc.; North Carolina; On-site; USD 178,000 - 257,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a software engineer to join the Distributed System Engineering (DSE) group, building next-generation data center switching for AI infrastructure and the Cisco Hyperfabric project.

You will work on large-scale distributed systems, writing code with open-source SONiC, collaborating across teams, and ensuring performance and reliability in a fast-paced environment. The role emphasizes end-to-end development and production support.

Qualifications

• Experience developing routing/switching features with test automation.
• Experience with Object Oriented programming languages.
• Experience configuring, debugging networking systems and solutions.
• Experience using Python scripting.
• Knowledge of L2, L3, BGP, EVPN, VXLAN.
• AI Assisted development using tools like Cursor, CoPilot, Windsurf.

Responsibilities

• Define, architect, design, test, and deliver new features and solutions on Cisco switches using open-source SONiC.
• Provide constant feedback to hardware and software teams for improvements and write functional and design specs independently.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including ASIC SDK, Product Management, CX, and Open Source community groups.
• Interact and Innovate through close collaboration with Distinguished and Principal engineers with a focus on Scale, Performance, and Reliability.
• Drive end-to-end product development and production support in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

Skills

Object Oriented programming

Test automation

Python

Networking (L2/L3, BGP, EVPN, VXLAN)

AI Assisted development

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Master's degree

Tools

Cursor

CoPilot

Windsurf

Git

Jira

Jenkins

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a software engineer to join the Distributed System Engineering (DSE) group, building next-generation data center switching for AI infrastructure and the Cisco Hyperfabric project.

You will work on large-scale distributed systems, writing code with open-source SONiC, collaborating across teams, and ensuring performance and reliability in a fast-paced environment. The role emphasizes end-to-end development and production support.