Software Engineering Technical Leader - Backend

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 187,000 - 268,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision insurance

401(k) with Cisco matching

Paid parental leave

Short/long-term disability coverage

Life insurance

Annual bonuses for non-sales roles

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is hiring for a senior backend architect in a hybrid role, requiring 3 days onsite weekly at the San Jose, Santana Row office.

You will lead technical strategy across cloud and on-prem services, own roadmaps, and raise engineering excellence through secure coding and CI/CD practices. You will collaborate with Product, UX, Architects, and customers to resolve complex production issues, improve security monitoring, and advance platform evolution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of experience; Master's with 6+ years preferred.
• Experience with distributed systems, databases or query optimization.
• Experience with cloud technologies (AWS, Azure or GCP).
• Experience with Python or Go/Golang.
• Experience with AI tools (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 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 and customers to resolve production issues 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 and deployment models.

Skills

Backend coding

System design

Python

Go

AI tools (Claude/Codex)

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/28/2026 This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week onsite at our San Jose, Santana Row, Cisco office.

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 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.

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.
• Experience or knowledge 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.

• 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

Cisconians power the future. We make impact as a team, innovating fast and fearlessly to create meaningful solutions on a large scale. The depth and breadth of our technology doesn't just benefit our customers – it also means limitless opportunities for us to experiment and learn. We understand the power each of our unique backgrounds bring when we work together. Because of that, we have a global network of thinkers, doers, experts, and curious creators who help one another do their life's best work.