Senior SW Engineer- Data Center Switching

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

Benefits offered by this job

life insurance

vision insurance

parental leave

paid holidays

sick time

401(k)

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for Data Center Switching in San Jose, CA. You will contribute to the Nexus switching platform, defining and delivering new features while collaborating across teams and mentoring peers.

The role involves learning Ethernet switching architectures, participating in the full software lifecycle, and driving design quality with rigorous testing and on-call support as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD +4 years of related experience
• Demonstrative skills in C and/or C++ and Python programming language
• Experienced with Embedded and/or router/switch software development
• Debugging with tools like GBD
• Demonstrated experience with L2/L3/ACL/QOS Packet Forwarding and/or CPU packet path
• Experience with traffic generator tools such as IXIA & Spirent

Responsibilities

• Define, architect, design, and deliver new features and solutions on the Nexus family platform
• Develop relationships with peer stakeholders within and across teams and builds productive working relationships
• May lead projects with limited complexity to execute the defined software engineering roadmap
• Mentors peers and/or engineering interns
• Write functional clean code and unit tests with minimal guidance
• Troubleshoot complex issues within the production environment and participate in on-call rotations

Skills

C/C++

Python

Embedded software

Router/switch software

GDB

Packet forwarding

IXIA/Spirent

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

Networking ASIC SDKs

Job description

Senior SW Engineer- Data Center Switching

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

United States, California, San Jose

Aug 29, 2026

The application window is expected to close on: 08/30/2026

Meet the Team

At Data Center Business Unit in Cisco, we are dedicated to driving innovation in networking technologies. Our focus is on developing groundbreaking Ethernet Switching products that address the evolving needs of modern network infrastructures, including those in AI, cloud computing, and enterprise environments.

Your Impact

In this role, you will have the opportunity to learn a wide range of core Ethernet Technologies with architectural exposure to craft and develop Ethernet Switching as applied to both Public and Private cloud infrastructure. You will work on the intricacies of the critically important infrastructure that enables the world-class, multi-layered Nexus switches. In addition, you will have the opportunity to participate in multi-functional collaboration and be exposed to all facets of the software development cycle from innovation and marketing requirements to product delivery.

• You will participate in a project team of engineers involved in the development of software for our next generation data center switch Nexus product family.
• Define, architect, design, and deliver new features and solutions on the Nexus family platform
• Work independently with direction from leader to determines best approach to accomplish work.
• Develop relationships with peer stakeholders within and across teams and builds productive working relationships.
• May lead projects with limited complexity to execute the defined software engineering roadmap.
• May lead small-to-medium features from technical design through completion.
• Will stay current on industry trends and serves as an expert on the software development lifecycle and agile engineering practices; coaches others, as needed.
• Contribute to delivery of high-quality design and deliverables.
• Advocate for new features within a product to address customer needs.
• Track metrics for product adoption and success.
• Write functional clean code and unit tests with minimal guidance.
• Perform coding, debugging, testing, and troubleshooting throughout the development process under minimal supervision.
• Perform code reviews for others in project.
• Write code enabling scale, reliability, and velocity in product releases.
• Troubleshoot complex issues within the production environment, may serve customers through on-call rotations to identify end user problems, may lead postmortem and write root cause analysis.
• Share knowledge across teams, both informally and formally (e.g., ad-hoc basis, internal presentations, blogs, newsletters).
• Coordinate and collaborate on project timelines and continuously reviews, updates, and communicates project specifications to team members and stakeholders.
• Develop remediation plans and alternatives to ensure timely delivery.
• Identifies and acts upon opportunities to assist others.
• Mentors peers and/or engineering interns.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD +4 years of related experience
• Demonstrative skills in C and/or C++ and Python programming language
• Experienced with Embedded and/or router/switch software development
• Debugging with tools like GBD
• Demonstrated experience with L2/L3/ACL/QOS Packet Forwarding and/or CPU packet path
• Experience with traffic generator tools such as IXIA & Spirent

Preferred Qualifications

• SDK development on NPU/DPU/Networking ASICs is highly desirable.
• Proven experience in fostering collaboration across diverse teams to achieve goals, resolve challenges, and drive innovation in a cross-functional environment.
• Hands-on experience with SDKs to include integration, debugging and optimization of the SDKs in software projects.
• Practical experience and knowledge working with network processors and/or packet forwarding ASICs including development, deployment and troubleshooting in real-world applications.

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.

The starting salary range posted for this position is $167,700.00 to $245,200.00 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 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.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

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.

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