Cisco Networking is dedicated to delivering industry-leading, cloud-managed solutions that power global connectivity. Our team is responsible for the backend services, scalable APIs, and operational systems that support the next generation of network management. We foster a culture of collaboration, working closely with product management, networking engineers, platform teams, and Quality Assurance (QA) to build high-quality, production-ready solutions that enhance the customer experience.
Your ImpactAs a Software Engineer on this team, you will design and build the backend architecture that enables seamless cloud-managed networking. You will play a critical role in developing workflows for device inventory, configuration, telemetry, and operational visibility. Your work will directly influence the reliability and scalability of our platforms, as you debug production issues, enhance observability, and mentor junior engineers. By bridging the gap between sophisticated software engineering and practical Layer 2/Layer 3 networking, you will ensure our customers receive robust, high-performance networking tools.
Minimum qualification- 6+ years of professional software development experience, with a focus on backend engineering in production environments.
- Expertise in Ruby on Rails, which is the primary backend technology for this role.
- Proficiency in at least one additional backend language (e.g., Python, Go, or Java).
- Demonstrated experience designing scalable services, REST/gRPC APIs, complex data models, and microservices in cloud environments.
- Strong practical understanding of Layer 2 networking fundamentals, including VLANs, Address Resolution Protocol (ARP), packet flow, and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)/Infrastructure Provisioning (IP) troubleshooting.
- Experience with relational databases, including schema design, query performance, and indexing strategies.
- Proven ability to debug production issues using logs, metrics, and observability tools (e.g., Grafana, Kibana, or CloudWatch).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical tradeoffs to diverse stakeholders.
- NETWORKING PRODUCTS: Experience building products in networking, cloud-managed infrastructure, network management, switching, routing, wireless, or security domains.
- CLOUD PLATFORMS: Exposure to AWS or similar cloud platforms, including services such as EC2, EKS, S3, RDS, CloudWatch, or equivalent services.
- DEVOPS EXPOSURE: Working knowledge of CI/CD, containers, Kubernetes, Docker, infrastructure-as-code, and safe production deployment practices.
- OBSERVABILITY: Experience with Grafana, Kibana, Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, ELK/OpenSearch, or similar monitoring, logging, and tracing tools.
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
- 6+ years of professional software development experience with a focus on backend engineering in production environments.
- Expertise in Ruby on Rails.
- Proficiency in at least one additional backend language (e.g., Python, Go, or Java).
- Experience designing scalable services, REST/gRPC APIs, complex data models, and microservices in cloud environments.
- Strong practical understanding of Layer 2 networking fundamentals, including VLANs, ARP, packet flow, and TCP/IP troubleshooting.
- Experience with relational databases, including schema design, query performance, and indexing strategies.
- Proven ability to debug production issues using logs, metrics, and observability tools (e.g., Grafana, Kibana, CloudWatch).
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to articulate technical tradeoffs to diverse stakeholders.
- Experience building products in networking or cloud-managed infrastructure (switching, routing, wireless, or security domains).
- Exposure to AWS or similar cloud platforms (EC2, EKS, S3, RDS, CloudWatch).
- Working knowledge of CI/CD, containers, Kubernetes, Docker, infrastructure-as-code, and safe production deployment practices.
- Experience with observability tools such as Grafana, Kibana, Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, ELK/OpenSearch.
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 — Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, mental health support via an EAP, and access to on-site or virtual health centers indicate robust healthcare offerings. Wellness programs, fitness resources, and specialized services further reinforce coverage depth.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous PTO, a global minimum for paid parental leave, and unique programs like company-wide recharge days and paid volunteer time expand time-away options. Additional offerings such as Critical Time Off and adoption assistance add flexibility for life events.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Restricted stock units and a discounted employee stock purchase plan are meaningful elements of total compensation. The prominence of equity can materially augment overall pay packages alongside salary and bonuses.
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.
