Software Engineering Technical Leader - Backend

Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 187,000 - 308,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental & Vision

401(k) match

Parental Leave

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a Senior Backend Engineer to lead strategic backend and data-processing initiatives across cloud and on-prem environments.

You will own architectural integrity, guide cross-functional teams, and drive secure, scalable solutions with measurable customer impact. You will mentor engineers, run architecture reviews, and ensure alignment with Agile practices, observability, and CI/CD standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of experience; Master's degree with 6+ years.
• Experience with developing software for distributed systems, databases, or query optimization.
• Experience with cloud technologies such as AWS, Azure or GCP.
• Experience with Python or Go/Golang.
• Experience with AI tools (such as Claude/Codex) to drive development and testing efficiency.
• Backend coding and system design experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical strategy and execution for multiple teams and backend/platform product areas across cloud and on-prem deployments, ensuring scalable, performant, reliable, secure, and maintainable systems.
• Own the technical roadmap and architectural integrity of backend services and data-processing workflows, bridging the gap between requirements and implementation using Agile guidelines. Raise engineering excellence through documentation, code review, secure coding, testing, observability, architecture standards, and CI/CD practices.
• Partner with Product Management, UX, Architects, multi-functional teams, and customers to resolve complex production issues, support customer concerns, and deliver solutions that improve security monitoring, threat detection, compliance, and incident investigations.
• Mentor engineers, lead design sessions and architecture reviews, and build deep knowledge of product architecture, deployment models, and real-world operating environments to advance platform evolution and customer value.

Education

Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of experience; Master's degree with 6+ years

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Python

Go

Job description

Meet the Team

The Splunk Enterprise Security team develops a data-driven SIEM designed to streamline security monitoring, threat detection, and compliance workflows. Our platform helps enterprise customers monitor, detect, and protect against growing cyber threats across cloud and on-prem environments. Engineers partner closely with Product Management, Architects, UX, multi-functional teams, and customers to shape the roadmap and deliver significant platform capabilities. Working directly with customers is a core value, and our lean process empowers engineers to address sophisticated problems with measurable customer impact.

Your Impact

• Lead technical strategy and execution for multiple teams and backend/platform product areas across cloud and on-prem deployments, ensuring scalable, performant, reliable, secure, and maintainable systems.
• Own the technical roadmap and architectural integrity of backend services and data-processing workflows, bridging the gap between requirements and implementation using Agile guidelines. Raise engineering excellence through documentation, code review, secure coding, testing, observability, architecture standards, and CI/CD practices.
• Partner with Product Management, UX, Architects, multi-functional teams, and customers to resolve complex production issues, support customer concerns, and deliver solutions that improve security monitoring, threat detection, compliance, and incident investigations.
• Mentor engineers, lead design sessions and architecture reviews, and build deep knowledge of product architecture, deployment models, and real-world operating environments to advance platform evolution and customer value.

Minimum Requirement

• Bachelor's degree with8+ years of experience,Master'sdegree with 6+ years.

• Experience withdeveloping software fordistributedsystems,databasesorquery optimization

• Experience with cloud technologies such as AWS, Azure or GCP

• Experience withPython orGo/Golang.

• Experience with AI tools (such asClaude/Codex) to drive developmentand testingefficiency.
• Backend coding and system design experience.
  

Preferred Requirements

• Experience writing code that has been released into production

• Experience with performance bench marking using tools like WPT

• Experience with search technologies, data processing, or query execution.
• Experienceorknowledge of Splunk Query Language (SPL)

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.