Meet the Team
Looking for an exciting next step in your career? The Catalyst Engineering IOS XE Platform Independent team designs and develops high-performance system software for a wide range of Cisco platforms, including enterprise switches, routers, wireless controllers, Industrial IoT devices, and service-provider routing platforms.
Our team is helping lead the enterprise networking industry through continuous innovation during an exciting period of rapid market evolution. The opportunities to learn, innovate, and make an impact are boundless—and your experience and perspective will add to the energy and strength of our team.
Your Impact
As a Software Engineer, you will design and develop next-generation control-plane and data-plane software for Cisco IOS XE and its enterprise networking and security platforms. You will learn about groundbreaking technologies and platforms while developing software for industry-leading networking equipment.
Using AI and AI-assisted technologies, you will translate complex requirements into secure, robust, and scalable solutions. You will lead significant features from development through integration, create innovative intellectual property, and directly influence the performance, reliability, and security of Cisco’s global networking infrastructure.
Responsibilities
Lead large and complex features from requirements definition and architecture through implementation, validation, and production deployment.
Drive technical decisions and system-level trade-offs for platform-independent database infrastructure, including data models and management frameworks that support switches, routers, wireless controllers, and IoT devices.
Establish standards for developing clean, secure, scalable, and maintainable software.
Lead architecture, design, and code reviews, as well as threat-modeling and production-readiness assessments.
Develop strategies, tools, and processes that improve software quality, reliability, performance, and engineering productivity.
Resolve complex customer and production issues by leading root-cause analysis and implementing sustainable corrective actions.
Partner with product management and engineering leaders to establish best practices, influence product roadmaps, and contribute to strategic technology decisions related to telemetry, configuration management, and data modeling within the network operating system.
Negotiate scope, architecture, timelines, and technical trade-offs with cross-functional stakeholders.
Mentor senior engineers, strengthen knowledge-sharing practices, and develop technical leadership across the organization.
Represent the team in technical forums and clearly communicate strategic priorities, risks, decisions, and outcomes to leadership.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree with 9+ years, or a Master’s degree with 6+ years, of relevant experience.
Strong understanding of operating systems such as Linux, Unix, or RTOS, with experience in the Linux kernel, device drivers, and board support packages (BSPs).
Proficiency in C programming and Python scripting for automation, tooling, code generation, and prototyping.
Strong software engineering fundamentals, including modular design, clean coding, unit testing, and code reviews.
Experience developing software or firmware for networking products.
Excellent knowledge of software architecture and system design.
Proven technical leadership experience guiding high-performing teams in designing and delivering high-quality features and solutions.
Hands-on experience with generative AI assistants, natural language processing, and agentic AI technologies or frameworks such as OpenAI models, Gemini, and Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Preferred Qualifications
Hands-on experience with networking protocols such as TCP/IP, BGP, and OSPF, along with complex system architectures.
Implementation experience in one or more of the following areas: high availability, inter-process communication, memory management, distributed communication infrastructure, serviceability, containers, or virtualization.
Experience with NETCONF, RESTCONF, gRPC, Protocol Buffers, cloud technologies, or network automation.
Familiarity with Cisco platforms, IOS XE, and hardware architecture.
Cisco certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, or CCIE are a plus.
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.
Disclaimer
To ensure that we hire the best talent in the right way, we follow a strict hiring process and recently, Cisco has been made aware of fraudulent recruiters claiming to be from the company. Please be advised that any communication from Cisco about careers will:
- be in direct response to an application you have submitted through the company career site
- begin with screening or an interview
- originate from a Cisco email address, and
- be conducted across email, phone, or WebEx
Cisco will never make a job offer without conducting an interview process or ask you for money in any way. If you have been requested to apply for a role or have received an offer from a site other than https://careers.cisco.com or cisco.wd5.myworkday.com, do not provide any personal identifying information, including your Aadhaar or other personal identifying number, birth certificate, banking information, driver's license, or passport.
If you are the target of a recruiting scam, consider filing a report with your local law enforcement authorities. Cisco bears no responsibility, and cannot be held liable, for any claims, damages, expenses, or other inconvenience resulting from or in any way connected to recruiting scams.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree with 9+ years of relevant experience, or master's degree with 6+ years of relevant experience
- Strong understanding of Linux, Unix, or RTOS operating systems, including Linux kernel, device drivers, and board support packages
- Proficiency in C programming and Python scripting
- Strong software engineering fundamentals, including modular design, clean coding, unit testing, and code reviews
- Experience developing software or firmware for networking products
- Excellent knowledge of software architecture and system design
- Technical leadership experience guiding teams in designing and delivering software features and solutions
- Hands-on experience with generative AI assistants, natural language processing, and agentic AI technologies or frameworks
- Experience with TCP/IP, BGP, OSPF, and complex system architectures
- Implementation experience in high availability, inter-process communication, memory management, distributed communication infrastructure, serviceability, containers, or virtualization
- Experience with NETCONF, RESTCONF, gRPC, Protocol Buffers, cloud technologies, or network automation
- Familiarity with Cisco platforms, IOS XE, and hardware architecture
- Cisco CCNA, CCNP, or CCIE certification
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.
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