Software Engineer, Test Automation

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

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in San Jose seeks a software engineer to build test infrastructure for AI-powered SOC. You will translate quality challenges into scalable testing solutions and drive benchmarking and validation of hypotheses with peers.

The role emphasizes Python and Go, large-scale testing ecosystems, and security/compliance, with opportunities to influence the development lifecycle through contract testing and audit log validation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree plus 8+ years of software development and test automation experience.
• Strong programming in Python and Go with scalable testing infrastructure skills.
• Experience with security compliance frameworks and modern performance testing.
• Experience using AI to build automation and testing solutions.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to PQ foundations and evaluation frameworks for AI agents and systems.
• Develop AI-based testing solutions to mitigate risk and ensure integrity.
• Collaborate in code/design reviews and validate technical hypotheses.
• Implement lifecycle of proof-of-concepts with standardized experimentation.
• Ensure testing processes deliver high-quality, reliable outcomes.
• Apply validation techniques including LLM-as-judge and tenant isolation.

Skills

Python

Go

Test automation

Large-scale testing

Security compliance

AI-based automation

LangChain

LangSmith

Playwright

LLM APIs

Prompt engineering

Contract testing

Audit log validation

OCSF validation

K6

JMeter

Caldera

Tenant isolation probes

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Playwright

LangChain

LangSmith

OCSF

K6

JMeter

Caldera

LLM APIs (Claude, Codex)

Prompt engineering tools

Job description

Meet the Team

Are you ready to shape the future of AI-powered quality? We are seeking a software engineer to build test infrastructure for our AI-agentic Security Operations Center (SOC)! Together, we define the strategic direction that secures the absolute reliability and performance of our most complex systems. We work to mentor world-class engineering talent, drive the adoption of groundbreaking benchmarking, and catalyze the evolution of our quality ecosystems. Join us as we work to transform high-level challenges into scalable, high-impact solutions.

Your Impact

This role is designed for an engineer who translates quality challenges into technical solutions, driving engineering efficiency through evaluation strategies and implementation. In this role, you will collaborate with team members and implement benchmarking protocols that support our technical performance goals.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development of PQ foundations and evaluation frameworks, ensuring assessment capabilities for AI agents, workflows, and system processes.


• Find opportunities in testing methodologies and develop AI-based solutions or agents to mitigate risk and enhance system integrity.


• Support the team by collaborating with members, participating in code and design reviews, and assisting in the validation of technical hypotheses.


• Implement the lifecycle of proof-of-concepts (POCs), adhering to standards for experimentation and the validation of testing paradigms.


• Ensure that testing processes deliver reliable, high-quality outcomes, maintaining alignment with team quality goals.


• Implement validation techniques, including LLM-as-judge methodologies, tenant isolation probes, and behavioral regression suites.


• Partner with engineering teams to implement contract testing, audit log validation, and security compliance, ensuring integration of quality across the development lifecycle.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree plus 8+ years of experience in software development and test automation, including experience building large-scale testing ecosystems.


• Demonstrated experience in programming, specifically Python and Go, with a proven ability to design scalable, maintainable, and high-performance testing infrastructure.


• Demonstrated experience with security compliance frameworks.


• Demonstrated experience with modern performance testing methodologies.


• Demonstrated experience using AI to build automation (writing AI skills to build test automation).

Preferred Qualifications

• Capacity to translate quality challenges into structured and actionable technical implementations.


• Ability to innovate within the AI/ML landscape, applying modern tooling to drive detection efficacy and system reliability.


• Go, Python, Contract testing frameworks, Playwright.


• Open Cybersecurity Schema Framework (OCSF) validation libraries, vacuum linter, Caldera, tenant isolation probes, and audit log validation.


• Expertise in LLM APIs (Claude, Codex), prompt engineering, and the design of agentic workflows.


• Proficiency in LangChain and LangSmith to ensure model reliability, AI behavioral regression, and LLM-as-judge frameworks.


• K6, Terra Virtual Machine (Security Suite), and JMeter.

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.

Salary and Benefits

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. 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.

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.