Software Engineering Technical Leader (Hybrid)

020 Cisco Systems, Inc.; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 214,000 - 310,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

401(k) with Cisco matching

Restricted stock units

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc. is seeking a senior backend/platform leader to drive the technical strategy across cloud and on‑prem deployments. You will own roadmaps, ensure architectural integrity, and guide teams through design reviews and secure coding practices.

The role emphasizes collaboration with product, UX, and customers, with a focus on scalable, secure, and observable systems and a strong culture of engineering excellence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field with substantial software development experience.
• Experience applying data structures, algorithms, and system design to deliver complex features end to end.
• Experience with React/BackboneJS and modern JavaScript frameworks.
• Experience building, operating, and scaling production systems in cloud and on‑prem environments with CI/CD pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical strategy and execution for backend/platform product areas.
• Own the technical roadmap and architectural integrity of services and data workflows.
• Mentor engineers and lead design sessions and architecture reviews.
• Collaborate with Product Management, UX, and customers to deliver secure, scalable solutions.

Skills

Data structures

Algorithms

System design

React

BackboneJS

CI/CD

Jenkins

GitLab

Python

Java

C/C++

Cloud

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science

Master’s degree (optional)

Tools

Jenkins

GitLab

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/29/2026

This position is a hybrid role, requiring the employee to work both onsite and remotely. Candidates should be comfortable with a flexible work arrangement that balances in-office collaboration and remote work. Specific onsite days and remote days will be coordinated with the team and manager.

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 Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science + 12 years of software development experience, or Masters + 8 years of related experience Experience applying data structures, algorithms, and system design to own and deliver complex features end to end. Expertise in client-side scripting and JavaScript frameworks (React and/or BackboneJS) Experience designing, building, operating, and scaling production systems in cloud and on-prem environments within Agile/DevOps workflows using CI/CD pipelines such as Jenkins or GitLab. Experience with data-driven security tooling or security analytics platforms, secure design patterns, backend security principles, and resolving complex customer or production issues. Expertise in Backend technologies such as Python, Java, C/C++, or similar languages.

Preferred Qualifications

Deep understanding of modern AI tools, ML methodologies, data pipelines, and large-scale data processing systems. Consistent record of driving technology innovation by translating industry trends into scalable platform capabilities. Strong passion for designing highly reliable, maintainable, and distributed backend systems. Experience mentoring engineering teams and leading multi-functional platform initiatives.

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. 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.