Technical Leader, SRE/Go development

Cisco Systems, Inc; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 187,000 - 268,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Systems, Inc is seeking a technical lead for our Kubernetes Site Reliability Engineering team in the United States. The initial focus is migrating a globally distributed service from AWS-hosted Kubernetes clusters to an internal data-center-based platform, with ongoing production operations and platform engineering contributions.

The role requires 8+ years in software/SRE, strong Kubernetes and Go skills, and expertise in networking, observability, and incident response.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software, SRE, or infrastructure engineering experience.
• Experience designing and operating large distributed services on Kubernetes.
• 5+ years of Go or similar systems programming language.
• Experience with incident response, performance analysis, and observability.
• Strong Linux and networking knowledge (IPv4/IPv6, TCP, DNS, TLS).

Responsibilities

• Lead migration of workloads from AWS-hosted Kubernetes to internal platform.
• Ensure operation and reliability of specialized Kubernetes workloads.
• Design, implement, and maintain production Go software for distributed systems.
• Drive SRE readiness via SLIs/SLOs, testing, and on-call support.
• Collaborate with cross-team groups to prioritize changes.

Skills

Kubernetes

Go programming

Linux networking

Incident response

Observability

Tools

OpenTelemetry

Prometheus

Datadog

GitLab CI/CD

Docker

Kustomize

Git

Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 11/19/2026

Meet The Team

Cloud Network Platform Engineering builds and operates the cloud platforms that provide secure, reliable, and scalable connectivity for Cisco products and customers. Within the organization, the Node Connectivity team is responsible for a globally distributed service that connects millions of Meraki devices to the cloud services that manage them.

We are looking for a technical lead to join our Kubernetes Site Reliability Engineering team. The initial focus of this role will be supporting the migration of the globally distributed service from AWS-hosted Kubernetes clusters to an internal, data-center-based Kubernetes platform. Because it has specialized networking requirements, including unique traffic patterns, load-balancing behavior, and cross-region connectivity, this work will help expand the SRE team’s ability to support specialized Kubernetes workloads at scale.

Following the initial migration, the role will continue supporting the production operations while contributing to broader Kubernetes reliability, scalability, and platform engineering initiatives. The scope may evolve over time based on the needs of the Kubernetes SRE organization and the broader Cloud Network Platform Engineering organization.

Your Impact

• Lead the feasibility assessment, technical planning, and phased migration of eligible workloads from AWS-hosted Kubernetes clusters to the internal Kubernetes platform, establishing technical direction and staged delivery plans.
• Support the operation and reliability of specialized Kubernetes workloads with non-standard load-balancing, networking, and traffic requirements. Continue supporting the application after migration, including production readiness, incident response, performance and operational improvements.
• Solve complex issues across applications, Kubernetes, Linux, networking, containers, and infrastructure; improve the scalability, reliability, security, performance, and operability of Kubernetes-hosted services.
• Partner with the Node Connectivity, firmware, cloud infrastructure, security, SRE, and product teams to prioritize support and coordinate cross-system changes; contribute to broader Kubernetes SRE and platform reliability initiatives as priorities evolve.
• Design, implement and maintain production-quality Go software for distributed, concurrent, and networked systems; Drive operational readiness through SLIs/SLOs, comprehensive testing, on-call support, root-cause analysis, and long-term corrective actions.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software, site reliability, or infrastructure engineering experience, including technical leadership of substantial production systems.
• Experience designing, deploying, and operating large distributed services on Kubernetes.
• 5+ years of programming experience in Go or a similar systems programming language.
• Experience supporting production services through incident response, solving, performance analysis, Kubernetes reliability practices, observability, automation, and operational readiness.
• Understanding of Linux and networking concepts, including IPv4/IPv6, TCP, routing, DNS, and TLS; sound judgment in architecture, incident response, prioritization, and technical tradeoffs; and the ability to align stakeholders across teams without relying on formal authority.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience operating Kubernetes across AWS, on-premises, or hybrid environments, using AWS/EKS, Docker, Kustomize, GitLab CI/CD, or similar deployment systems.
• Experience with Kubernetes networking, ingress, load balancing, service discovery, and traffic management for high-throughput or geographically distributed services.
• Experience with gRPC, Protocol Buffers, mutual TLS, PKI, VPNs, tunneling, or network security.
• Experience with production observability platforms such as OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Datadog, or similar tools, along with distributed routing, packet processing, performance optimization, or failure testing.

We encourage you to apply even if your experience does not match every point. Strong engineers learn continuously, improve the systems around them, and help others grow.

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.