Software Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 187,000 - 268,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco's Distributed System Engineering (DSE) group drives development for data-center products powering AI/ML workloads and high-traffic networks. You will join an agile team to design, develop and test data-center features on the Cisco 8000 Platform using SONiC, focusing on L2/L3 forwarding, ACLs, QoS, and related areas.

The role requires strong C/C++ programming, Python for automated testing, and Linux proficiency, with opportunities to contribute across kernel debugging, CI/CD and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher with 8+ years related experience; or Master's with 6+ years; or PhD with 3+ years.
• 5+ years of programming in C/C++.
• 3+ years of Python for automated test suites (Pytest).
• 3+ years of Linux experience.

Responsibilities

• Build data-plane and control-plane software for Cisco 8000 Platform.
• Develop forwarding, services data-plane features; test and validate.
• Write clean, maintainable code in C++ and Python; collaborate in agile team.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Python

Linux

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

GIT

Jira

Jenkins

CI/CD tools

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/26/2026

Meet The Team

The Cisco Distributed System Engineering (DSE) group owns the development of products that power the world’s largest networks, driving the industry’s transformation to support the growing demands of AI/ML workloads and increasing internet usage. By using open-source technologies and advancing Systems and Silicon Architecture, the team builds large-scale distributed systems, collaborates with open-source communities, and delivers end-to-end product development and production support in a fast-paced environment.

Your Impact

As a Networking Engineer, you'll join an agile team engaged in the design, development and testing data-center features set in Cisco 8000 Platform using SONiC network operating system. In this role you’ll have chance to define, develop and learn about many feature sets such as L2/L3 forwarding, ACLs, QoS, Mirroring, etc.

• Building and delivering data plane and control plane software
• Developing ‘forwarding’ and ‘services’ data plane feature sets
• Coding in C++ and Python to produce clean, maintainable code

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience.
• 5+ years of programming experience in C/C++
• 3+ years of experience using Python to build automated test suites for kernel module validation, including experience with frameworks like Pytest
• 3+ years of experience with Linux

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge of Linux Kernel
• Knowledge of Open Standard Networking Systems and APIs: SONiC, SAI, etc.
• Knowledge of Networking protocols such as TCP/IP, BGP, VxLAN, EVPN, ACLs
• Experience using debugging tools such as GDB, PDB
• Understanding of tools such as GIT, Jira, Jenkins and CI/CD pipeline tools

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.