Software Engineering Technical Leader

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

The application window is expected to close on: 09/18/2026

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Meet the Team

The Cisco Distributed System Engineering (DSE) group is at the forefront of developing products that power the largest networks in the world. As the networking industry undergoes a massive transformation to build next-generation infrastructure for AI/ML workloads, this team is uniquely positioned to capture that market transition. You will work among a team of passionate engineers building large-scale distributed systems by harnessing open-source technologies while pushing the boundaries of Systems and Silicon Architecture.

Your Impact

You will be part of a team of engineers involved in the development of software for our next-generation data center switching, which is critical for AI Infrastructure for Hyperscalers and the Cisco Hyperfabric project.

Key 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.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors + 12 years of experience, or Masters + 8 years of experience or related work experience.
• Experience developing routing/switching features, with test automation
• Experience with Object Oriented programming languages
• Experience with configuring, debugging networking systems and solutions
• Experience using scripting languages including Python
• Knowledge of control & data plane technologies including L2, L3, BGP, EVPN, VXLAN
• AI Assisted development using tools like Cursor, CoPilot, Windsurf

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to open source NoS SONiC
• Familiarity with RDMA, RoCE and HPC networks
• Knowledge of QoS and congestion control mechanism in data center network
• GIT, Jira, Jenkins and CI/CD pipeline tools.
• Familiarity with AI Assisted development tools like co-pilot, cursor, windsurf

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 $177,600.00 to $257,400.00 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 ofunused sick timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto 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:

$214,100.00 - $356,300.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$192,400.00 - $317,200.00

* 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.