Software Engineering Technical Leader (Hybrid)

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

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Performance-based bonuses

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a senior network validation professional to lead end-to-end testing and issue resolution for Scale Data Center Infrastructure solutions.

You will reproduce customer environments, design test plans, and coordinate root-cause analysis with engineering teams. The role focuses on readiness of leaf-spine data center architectures, with emphasis on reliability, high availability, and proactive problem-solving across global teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• 12+ years of experience in network engineering, systems validation, customer engineering, or network operations.
• Experience with scalable data center architectures, including leaf-spine topologies, routing underlays, network overlays, redundancy, high availability, convergence, capacity planning, and failure-domain design.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer escalations and end-to-end technical validation of network solutions, reproducing customer environments and verifying operational workflows.
• Design structured test plans, perform hands-on lab testing, and coordinate root-cause analysis with engineering teams.
• Define and maintain qualification matrices for platforms, optics, and software, ensuring readiness and reliability before production use.
• Communicate technical findings and risks to both customer teams and Cisco stakeholders, building trust and transparency.
• Elevate operational standards by developing evidence-driven processes that prevent customer-impacting issues.

Skills

Network engineering

Systems validation

Customer engineering

Network operations

Education

Bachelor's degree (EE/CE/CS)

Tools

Lab instrumentation

Traffic generators

Packet-capture tools

Network test platforms

Performance-analysis tools

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 10/25/2026

This is a hybrid role with three days per week at Cisco’s San Jose office

Meet the Team

Join a highly skilled group responsible for validating and ensuring technical readiness of Cisco network solutions for Scale Data Center Infrastructure customers. Our team bridges lab environments and real-world customer deployments, playing a critical role in the reliability and performance of cloud-scale networks. With a diverse mix of engineers and technical leaders across global time zones, we thrive on collaboration and technical depth. The vibe is energetic, solution-oriented, and focused on proactive problem-solving. You’ll be part of a team that directly impacts customer satisfaction and the integrity of Cisco’s Data Center Solution offerings.

Your Impact

Leading customer escalations and end-to-end technical validation of network solutions, reproducing customer environments and verifying operational workflows. Drive proactive issue discovery and resolution by designing structured test plans, performing hands-on lab testing, and coordinating root-cause analysis with engineering teams. Define and maintain qualification matrices for platforms, optics, and software, ensuring readiness and reliability before production use. Communicate technical findings and risks to both customer teams and Cisco stakeholders, building trust and transparency. Elevate operational standards by developing evidence-driven processes that prevent customer-impacting issues.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related field, with 12+ years' of experience in network engineering, systems validation, customer engineering, or network operations.
• Experience with scalable data center architectures, including leaf-spine topologies, routing underlays, network overlays, redundancy, high availability, convergence, capacity planning, and failure-domain design.
• Applied experience leading solution-level validation, design qualification, or deployment-readiness initiatives for complex data center environments.
• Experience with network automation, including automated provisioning, configuration validation, test execution, telemetry collection, and operational workflow integration.
• Experience with lab instrumentation, traffic generators, packet-capture tools, network test platforms, and performance-analysis tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven ability to solve complex, multi-layer issues spanning hardware, software, protocols, optics, automation, and system-level interactions.
• Strong technical leadership, multi-functional collaboration, and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical findings into clear risks and actionable recommendations.
• Experience supporting cloud infrastructure or hyperscale cloud customers, with proficiency in IPv4/IPv6, Layer2 switching/design, Layer3 routing protocols, and network optics.
• Familiarity with Cisco network platforms, automation, and telemetry systems, complemented by strong technical writing and customer-facing presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead across organizational boundaries and global time zones, with a proactive approach to problem-solving and operational clarity.

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 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:

$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.