Software Engineering Technical Lead, Mobility Engineering

Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 210,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) with Cisco match

Paid parental leave

Flexible vacation

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. in San Jose, CA seeks an Escalation Engineer for Mobility NF products in a Kubernetes environment on Cisco UCS compute nodes.

You will independently handle high-priority customer escalations, work with hardware and software engineering, and drive issue resolution with global TAC teams. The role requires deep knowledge of Linux, Kubernetes, 5G core architectures, and experience in cross-functional coordination across time zones.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher with related experience in mobility or core networks.
• Experience with 5G packet core architectures and 3GPP specifications.
• Proven ability to diagnose hardware, software and performance issues across compute environments.

Responsibilities

• Handle high-priority customer escalations for Mobility NF products.
• Collaborate with Hardware and Software Engineering to resolve issues.
• Drive customer satisfaction and provide product feedback to Engineering teams.
• Coordinate with global Mobility TAC and UCS TAC/escalation teams.
• Interact with local and remote teams to resolve escalations across time zones.

Skills

Linux

Kubernetes

5G core

Escalation management

Root-cause analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

Cisco UCS

OpenShift

Docker

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/29/2026

Meet the Team

The Mobile Core Business Unit (MCBU) at Cisco focuses on delivering advanced mobile core network solutions that enable service providers to build and operate next-generation mobile networks. The team works on integrating ground breaking technologies such as 5G core, virtualized network functions, and cloud-native architectures to support scalable, secure, and high-performance mobile services. MCBU collaborates closely with other Cisco business units and partners to accelerate innovation, optimize network transport, and enhance mobile edge capabilities, ensuring customers can efficiently deploy and handle mobile infrastructure for evolving connectivity demands.

Your Impact

You will be part of the MCBU, working as an Escalation Engineer focusing on various Mobility network function (NF) product applications that run in a Kubernetes environment on Cisco UCS compute nodes. The NFs include a mix of 5G control- and user-plane products.

The ideal candidate possesses knowledge of a broad spectrum of compute hardware and mobility technologies as well as Linux, Kubernetes, and related orchestration frameworks like Openshift. In this role you will:

• Independently handle high-priority customer escalations to solve, diagnose, and debug UCS compute hardware, Mobility applications, and core network issue.
• Work closely with Hardware and Software Engineering to work toward problem resolution and to address customer issues.
• Drive customer satisfaction and for providing product improvement feedback to Engineering teams.
• Establish strong working relationships with the global Mobility TAC and UCS TAC/escalation teams.
• The MCBU escalation team covers all time zones. As a part of our team in San Jose, you will interact with local and remote engineering, marketing, and release engineering teams to resolve customer escalations in a collaborative manner.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience, or equivalent related work experience.
• Experience applying 3GPP specifications to the design, deployment, integration, or support of 5G packet core architectures.
• Experience diagnosing and resolving hardware, software, and performance issues across compute environments using system logs, performance data, debugging tools, and root-cause analysis.
• Experience leading customer-facing technical escalations, coordinating cross-functional teams, communicating status and technical findings, and driving issues through documented resolution.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with languages such as C, C++, or Go; Scripting experience in Python or Shell, and a functional understanding of REST APIs or a background in Application development or SQA within Mobility.
• Expertise in AIOps methodologies, and data visualization capabilities
• Familiarity with StarOS would be a plus
• Experience with 5G call model simulation tools
• Some experience working with networking protocols including TCP/IP, HTTP, SSL, HTTPS, BGP, BFD, IPSec

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.

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $186,900.00 to $267,700.00 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:

$186,900.00 - $307,800.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$166,300.00 - $274,100.00

* 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.