Meet the Team
We are looking for a highly motivated Senior Software Engineer to join Cisco's AI Software and Platform organization. In this role, you will design, build, and operate scalable, Distributed AI platforms that power next-generation AI-driven products and services. You will take ownership of sophisticated technical initiatives, drive engine perfection, mentor junior engineers, and collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, Reliable, and highly available cloud-native solutions. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy solving large-scale distributed systems problems, building platforms, and driving technical innovation from design through production.
Your Impact
Software Development & Platform Engineering
• Design, develop, test, deploy, and maintain highly scalable AI platform services and distributed microservices.
• Own end-to-end delivery of complex product features, from technical design through production deployment and operational support.
• Drive architecture and design discussions while ensuring solutions are scalable, Resilient, secure, and maintainable.
• Build cloud-native services for data ingestion, processing, orchestration, storage, and AI workflows.
• Design and implement REST/gRPC APIs, service integrations, and event-driven architectures.
• Optimize system performance, scalability, reliability, and resource utilization across distributed environments.Cisco Confidential• Develop high-quality, well-tested, and maintainable software using Go, Python, or
Other modern programming languages.
• Build and maintain automated testing, CI/CD pipelines, and deployment automation to improve engineering velocity.
• Troubleshoot sophisticated production issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement long-term improvements.
• Participate in on-call rotations and contribute to improving operational perfection and system observability.
• Build AI-powered products used by customers around the globe.
• Work on cutting-edge technologies spanning AI, cloud computing, distributed
Systems, and cybersecurity.
• Own high-impact technical initiatives from concept to production. Collaborate with world-class engineers in a highly innovative environment.
AI Platform & Cloud Technologies
• Design and integrate AI platform capabilities using Large Language Models (LLMs), AI Agents, Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and Model Context Protocol (MCP).
• Build scalable AI orchestration pipelines and integrate internal or external AI services Into Cisco platforms.
• Evaluate emerging AI technologies and recommend their adoption where
appropriate.
• Contribute to AI platform architecture while ensuring responsible AI practices,
Security, and performance.
Technical Leadership
• Lead technical design reviews and provide architectural guidance for new initiatives.
• Mentor junior engineers through design discussions, code reviews, and technical
coaching.
• Drive engineering best practices including coding standards, testing strategies, Documentation, and operational excellence.
• Collaborate with Product Management, UX, Security, DevOps, and cross-functional engineering teams to deliver high-quality customer solutions.
• Influence technical roadmaps and continuously improve engineering processes and platform capabilities.
Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8-12 years of professional software engineering experience. Strong expertise in data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, and software design principles.
• Strong programming skills in Go, Python, Java, or C++.
• Experience designing and developing cloud-native microservices and distributed systems.
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and containerized application
development.
• Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, or Cassandra.
• Experience building RESTful APIs and distributed service architectures.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git-based development workflows, and automated testing.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience building AI/LLM-powered applications using frameworks such as
LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, or similar.
• Understanding of Model Context Protocol (MCP), AI Agents, Agentic AI,
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), vector databases, and prompt engineering.
• Experience with event-driven systems, Kafka, RabbitMQ, or similar messaging
technologies.
• Strong understanding of networking concepts including HTTP/HTTPS, TCP/IP, gRPC,
OAuth, and API security.
• Experience with observability platforms including OpenTelemetry, Prometheus,
Grafana, Splunk, or similar.
• Exposure to Infrastructure as Code such as Terraform, Helm, or CloudFormation.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum development environments.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor engineers.
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.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field, or equivalent experience
- 8-12 years of professional software engineering experience
- Strong expertise in data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, and software design principles
- Strong programming skills in Go, Python, Java, or C++
- Experience designing and developing cloud-native microservices and distributed systems
- Hands-on experience with Kubernetes and Docker (containerized application development)
- Experience with SQL and NoSQL databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, or Cassandra
- Experience building RESTful APIs and distributed service architectures (including gRPC)
- Familiarity with cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git-based development workflows, and automated testing
- Participate in on-call rotations and support production operations
- Lead technical design reviews and mentor junior engineers
- Experience building AI/LLM-powered applications using frameworks such as LangChain, LlamaIndex, Semantic Kernel, or similar
- Understanding of Model Context Protocol (MCP), AI Agents, RAG, vector databases, and prompt engineering
- Experience with event-driven systems, Kafka, RabbitMQ, or similar messaging technologies
- Strong understanding of networking concepts including HTTP/HTTPS, TCP/IP, gRPC, OAuth, and API security
- Experience with observability platforms such as OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk
- Exposure to Infrastructure as Code such as Terraform, Helm, or CloudFormation
- Experience working in Agile/Scrum development environments
- Demonstrated ability to lead technical initiatives and mentor engineers
Cisco Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Cisco and has not been reviewed or approved by Cisco.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as robust with multiple plan options and access to onsite/virtual LifeConnections Health Centers on major campuses. Company materials also highlight mental-health resources and comprehensive preventive care, supporting strong core medical benefits.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time away includes company‑wide recharge days, a paid birthday, a year‑end shutdown, and paid Critical Time Off for emergencies. Paid volunteer days further expand opportunities to step away and recharge.
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Parental & Family Support — Policies include a global minimum for paid parental leave for primary caregivers, caregiving concierge services, and on‑site children’s learning centers in select locations. In the U.S., family‑building support is consolidated under Carrot with a defined lifetime maximum, indicating structured assistance across fertility, preservation, adoption, and surrogacy.
Cisco Insights
What We Do
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) enables people to make powerful connections--whether in business, education, philanthropy, or creativity. Cisco hardware, software, and service offerings are used to create the Internet solutions that make networks possible--providing easy access to information anywhere, at any time. Cisco was founded in 1984 by a small group of computer scientists from Stanford University. Since the company's inception, Cisco engineers have been leaders in the development of Internet Protocol (IP)-based networking technologies. Today, with more than 71,000 employees worldwide, this tradition of innovation continues with industry-leading products and solutions in the company's core development areas of routing and switching, as well as in advanced technologies such as home networking, IP telephony, optical networking, security, storage area networking, and wireless technology. In addition to its products, Cisco provides a broad range of service offerings, including technical support and advanced services. Cisco sells its products and services, both directly through its own sales force as well as through its channel partners, to large enterprises, commercial businesses, service providers, and consumers.
