Software Engineering Technical Leader - Networking

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

The Common Hardware Group (CHG) creates innovative hardware platforms central to the AI era, powering Cisco’s core Switching, Routing, and Wireless products for organizations globally. Our innovations in silicon, optics, and hardware platforms—like Silicon One—are shaping the technology industry. We're a distributed team of creative experts, bringing our unique backgrounds and bold ideas to push boundaries and help each other grow. Because full product development—from design to qualification to production—is within our team, we’re able to think differently, experiment more, and work quickly. Join us to power the future of the digital world

The Silicon One Customer Engineering team serves as the technical bridge between Cisco’s high-performance silicon and real-world network deployments. By translating complex customer requirements into optimized software for the Silicon One NPU, the team directly influences the scalability and efficiency of modern AI/ML and internet infrastructure. This role is central to the product lifecycle, as engineers collaborate with architecture and hardware teams to ensure that software features align with the evolving demands of high-density, low-latency systems.

The team is a high-caliber group of software engineers and technical leads who prioritize ownership, mentorship, and technical rigor. The environment is collaborative and focused on solving complex challenges in control and data plane development using C++ and Python. What makes this team unique is the opportunity to influence the design of future ASIC generations while maintaining full ownership of the software development process, from initial requirements to final implementation.

• Direct Impact: Influence the development of next-generation ASIC products by bridging the gap between hardware architecture and software programming models.
• Technical Scope: Develop and maintain scalable control and data plane software for the Silicon One NPU, specifically addressing AI/ML and high-density networking demands.
• Full Lifecycle Ownership: Manage the software development process from initial customer requirement gathering and feature scoping through to final implementation and delivery.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with internal architecture, hardware, and software teams to design innovative applications and software customizations.
• Skill Application: Utilize modern C++, Python, and specialized network processing languages to build high-performance, low-latency software layers.
• Mentorship Culture: Engage in a team environment that emphasizes technical guidance, code reviews, and the development of clean, user-friendly APIs.

• Bachelor’s degree in CS/EE or a related technical field with 8+ years of software development experience, OR a Master’s degree with 6+ years of related experience.
• 5+ years of experience in a formal people management or team lead role for software engineering teams.
• 8+ years of professional experience developing software using C, C++, or Python.
• 5+ years professional experience implementing L2/L3 networking protocols, specifically BGP, OSPF, and MPLS.
• Experience identifying and resolving software defects using debugging tools including GDB or PDB.
• Experience applying algorithms and data structures to develop and optimize software in a production environment.

• Experience with SONiC, SAI or another Network OS.
• Experience with NPU/ASIC software architecture, design, and development, including the application of SDKs in networking systems.
• Prior work with large-scale software systems and distributed computing.
• Experience leading projects that involve complex system integration and customization.
• Experience in working with hardware teams, quality assurance, and customer support to deliver end-to-end solutions.

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. 

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:

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

* 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.