Lab Engineer, Lab Operations

Cisco•Milpitas, MI

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Cisco Validated Infrastructure Services (CVIS) team establishes and proves the performance of large AI clusters before they are handed over to customers. This involves deploying each cluster, validating it against performance baselines, and delivering evidence that it is ready for service. The platform supporting this work is full-stack, combining workflow and API services, network and infrastructure automation, and a UI for running validation across labs and customer environments. As a Lab Engineer, you will provide technical expertise and support for Linux, Windows, and Virtual environments operating in advanced engineering labs. The ideal candidate will have a strong foundation in systems administration, basic networking, and virtualization, with an innovative mindset and a passion for solving complex problems. This role requires collaboration within a dynamic, Agile-driven team to deliver high-quality results while maintaining lab environments that are safe, compliant, and aligned with Cisco standards.

Requirements

Bachelors + 2 years of related experience, or Masters + 0 years of related experience, or equivalent related work experience.
2 + years of experience working within a Lab environment or Datacenter environment as a Systems Admin, Systems Engineer or Lab Engineer.
Experience working with Linux or other Linux based operating systems such as RHEL/Ubuntu and Windows operating systems.
Working experience with auto-mounters and communication protocols: NFS, TFTP, FTP, SSH, SCP, DNS, LISP, NIS+.
TCP/IP, subnetting, routing protocols, Ethernet media.
Experience with LAN switching and configuration of VLAN’s and Spanning Tree Protocol.

Nice To Haves

Cisco certification: CCNA or CCNP, CCIE certification considered a plus.
Proficient understanding of Active Directory (AD) and the capability to diagnose issues with Linux AD integrations using Vintela.
Good communication and collaboration skills to work across multiple GLS teams, with local clients and leaders, and with partner organizations (Cisco IT, WPR, Security & Trust Org (STO), etc.).
Knowledge of KVM, Openstack, Docker and ESXi.
Knowledge of scripting and web services: Python, Bash Shell, Apache, NGINX.
Knowledge of networking monitoring tools: Nagios, Zabbix, Wireshark.

Responsibilities

Execute physical deployments and install server hardware for high-performance GPU clusters.
Organize racks and structured network cabling to support reliable, efficient operations.
Monitor power consumption, cooling performance, and thermal conditions in data center and lab environments.
Identify issues that could cause hardware throttling during intensive AI model training.
Track critical equipment and maintain inventory of hardware, optical transceivers, network cabling, and spare components to support timely maintenance and minimize cluster downtime.

Benefits

Medical insurance
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
Paid parental leave
Short and long-term disability coverage
Basic life insurance
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
4 paid days off for personal wellness
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year (for non-exempt employees)
Flexible vacation time off program (for exempt employees)
80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter
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
Annual bonuses (for non-sales roles)
Performance-based incentive pay (for sales roles)