Software Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco Systems; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 214,000 - 310,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems is seeking a Technical Leader to guide complex Nexus data center deployments from architectural planning through production readiness. You will act as a trusted advisor on data center technologies and drive engineering and product priorities based on customer feedback.

A strong emphasis on automation, scalable operations, and cross-functional collaboration defines this role. You will mentor senior engineers, influence Cisco's Nexus portfolio, and help shape the next generation of

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher with 8+ years in data center networking
• Experience with Cisco Nexus or similar large-scale data center switching
• CCIE or equivalent networking certification preferred

Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy and execution of Nexus data center deployments from planning to production readiness
• Serve as trusted authority on data center technologies like Nexus, EVPN/VXLAN, BGP, and automation
• Translate customer feedback into product improvements and engineering priorities
• Lead cross-functional initiatives across Engineering, Product Management, Sales, and Partners
• Mentor senior engineers and drive architectural reviews to elevate technical excellence
• Develop automated tooling and AI-enabled workflows to improve deployment consistency

Skills

Data center networking

Architectural decisions

Mentoring

Executive communication

Automation & AI workflows

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Master's degree (advantageous)

CCIE or equivalent certification

Tools

Nexus Dashboard

Nexus switching

EVPN/VXLAN

BGP

RoCEv2

PFC

PTP

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/20/2026

Meet the Team

Our team sits at the center of Cisco Data Center Engineering and the real-world networks our most strategic customers depend on. We work on the designs, deployments, escalations, and product feedback loops that shape how modern data centers are built and operated. The work is deeply technical, highly visible, and grounded in trust: customers bring us their hardest problems, and we help them reduce risk, move faster, and turn complex infrastructure into a competitive advantage.

Your Impact

As a Technical Leader, you'll be at the center of the data center moments that matter most: guiding complex Nexus deployments, resolving business-critical customer challenges, influencing architectural decisions, and redefining field insights into the next generation of Cisco innovation. You will combine deep networking expertise, automation, AI-driven workflows, and sound engineering judgment to help customers build modern, scalable, and resilient data center environments with confidence. This role is ideal for someone who wants to remain close to the technology, influence product direction, and elevate the technical quality of teams across Cisco.

• Own the technical strategy and execution of Cisco's most sophisticated Nexus data center deployments, guiding customers from architectural planning through production readiness.
• Serve as a trusted authority on sophisticated data center technologies, including Nexus switching, Nexus Dashboard, EVPN/VXLAN, BGP, RoCEv2, PFC, multicast, PTP, automation, and large-scale operational environments.
• Drive resolution of the highest-severity customer challenges spanning software, hardware, design, automation, and operations, while translating lessons learned into product improvements and standard processes.
• Influence the future of Cisco's Nexus portfolio by converting customer feedback, adoption barriers, and competitive insights into actionable engineering and product priorities.
• Champion automation and AI-enabled operational workflows that improve efficiency, accelerate problem resolution, and increase deployment consistency at scale.
• Evaluate and guide critical trade-off decisions across performance, scalability, resiliency, security, supportability, customer experience, and time-to-market.
• Lead multi-functional initiatives involving Engineering, Product Management, Customer Experience, Sales, Partners, and Customers to deliver successful outcomes from technical discovery through implementation.
• Communicate complex technical strategies, risks, and recommendations with transparency and confidence to engineering leaders, customers, and executive stakeholders.
• Mentor senior engineers, raise the quality bar for architecture and design reviews, and cultivate a culture of technical excellence across the organization.
• Develop scalable feedback mechanisms, proactive tooling, and continuous improvement programs that reduce customer impact and accelerate adoption of Cisco technologies.
• Use strong analytical and problem-solving skills to solve original technical problems.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience, or 10+ years of related experience.
• 10+ years of data center networking experience across design, deployment, troubleshooting, and operations.
• Experience with Cisco Nexus or comparable large-scale data center switching platforms.
• Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) or equivalent experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience delivering industry standard methodologies within customers’ data center infrastructure, including RoCEv2, PFC, BGP, EVPN, VXLAN, multicast, and PTP.
• Experience with Cisco Data Center networking offerings, including Nexus stand-alone, Nexus Dashboard, software, and automation development.
• Experience serving as a technical leader across Cisco, customer, and partner organizations.

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 $214,100.00 to $309,800.00 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:

$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.

Cisco is an Affimative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.

Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.