Your Impact
You will help build a large hybrid platform that Cisco's biggest customers run inside their own environment, bringing Cisco services close to their devices and data. Most of your work is on the on‑premises, edge side of this platform and its Kubernetes foundation — the layer that installs the platform, connects it to the cloud, keeps it in sync, and keeps it secure, even in air‑gapped environments with no external network access. Because the platform spans both sides, you may also work on the cloud services it connects to, so end‑to‑end problems can be solved wherever they live.
You will write secure, well‑tested software and follow industry‑leading engineering standards, guided by Cisco's 'Design Thinking Principles' and a focus on simplification. Working closely with design and product management, you will deliver solutions that matter to customers, document your work for both engineers and end users, and resolve complex problems in development and production to keep customers successful.
Design and build the microservices and Linux components that install, configure, and run the platform on Kubernetes.
Develop production services in Go and Python that manage the platform's lifecycle and connect it to the cloud — and, when the work calls for it, contribute to the cloud services on the other side of that connection.
Automate the platform's build, install, and upgrade with Ansible across standard, hardened, and air‑gapped Linux and Kubernetes environments.
Improve how the on‑premises platform and the cloud communicate — secure connectivity, message routing, and reliable data and file transfer.
Partner with design and product management to deliver customer‑centric solutions.
Create technical design documentation and contribute to end‑user documentation.
Debug and resolve issues in development and production to support customers.
Drive product innovation and improve how the team builds software.
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's degree + 8 years of related experience, or Master's degree + 6 years of related experience
Deep, hands‑on experience designing, building, and operating microservices in production.
Commercial experience developing production systems in Go.
Working proficiency in Python for platform, tooling, or service code.
Strong experience with Linux/Unix and expert‑level Kubernetes, including designing resilient, highly available architectures.
Practical experience with Ansible and at least one other infrastructure‑as‑code technology (Terraform, Puppet, Chef, or Helm) in a Git‑based workflow.
Solid understanding of how distributed systems communicate securely and reliably - connecting on‑premises software to cloud services and moving data between them.
Ability to scope work accurately and provide reliable estimates.
Ability to translate business needs into technical direction and recommend industry standards.
Expertise in interpreting business issues and recommending industry standards.
Preferred Qualifications
Any exposure to edge or on‑premises deployments is a bonus — including air‑gapped or restricted‑network setups — but it's something you can also learn on the team.
Experience leading small‑to‑medium features from technical build through completion.
Demonstrated ability to mentor peers and facilitate knowledge sharing (e.g., brownbags, design sessions).
Experience leading postmortems, root cause analysis, and managing on‑call coverage.
Strong communication skills to negotiate delivery trade‑offs with cross‑functional partners.
Experience influencing architectural decisions with a focus on security, scalability, and reliability.
Fluency with agentic AI development tools — comfortable using them day to day and knowing where they add the most value.
Familiarity with FIPS‑mode cryptography, hardened Linux baselines, or other compliance‑driven engineering.
Working knowledge of Java is a plus for maintaining existing services in the platform.
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 degree and 8 years of related experience, or a master’s degree and 6 years of related experience
- Deep hands-on experience designing, building, and operating production microservices
- Commercial experience developing production systems in Go
- Working proficiency in Python for platform, tooling, or service code
- Strong experience with Linux or Unix
- Expert-level Kubernetes experience, including resilient and highly available architecture design
- Practical Ansible experience and at least one of Terraform, Puppet, Chef, or Helm in a Git-based workflow
- Understanding of secure and reliable distributed-system communication between on-premises software and cloud services
- Ability to scope work accurately and provide reliable estimates
- Ability to translate business needs into technical direction and recommend industry standards
- Experience with edge or on-premises deployments, including air-gapped or restricted-network environments
- Experience leading small-to-medium features from technical build through completion
- Ability to mentor peers and facilitate knowledge sharing
- Experience leading postmortems, root cause analysis, and managing on-call coverage
- Strong communication skills for negotiating delivery trade-offs with cross-functional partners
- Experience influencing architectural decisions focused on security, scalability, and reliability
- Fluency with agentic AI development tools
- Familiarity with FIPS-mode cryptography and hardened Linux baselines
- Working knowledge of Java
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
