Silicon One NOS Integration Engineer

Cisco•Milpitas, NC

15d•$165,000 - $277,600•Onsite

About The Position

The application window is expected to close on: 09/25/2026. Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received. You will be working with best-in-class engineers and technical visionaries on a highly productive team that owns next generation production development. The team is responsible for delivering advanced simulation solutions and infrastructure for internal and external customers. Their scope covers compute infrastructure, NPU modeling, system simulation, and advanced AI tool development. They support IOS-XR, SONIC, and NXOS network operating systems. A large portion of their technology is made available to customers to streamline their adoption of Cisco hardware portfolio. As a SONiC Platform Engineer, you will be at the forefront of the industry’s transition toward open-source networking. You will be responsible for porting and optimizing the SONiC operating system to run on models of Cisco's highest end routers & switches, based on the Silicon One ASIC family and Nexus platforms. This role bridges the gap between open-source community code and carrier-grade networking hardware.

Requirements

Bachelors + 7 years of related experience OR Masters + 4 years of related experience OR PhD + 1 year of related experience.
4+ years of experience in Hardware Bring-up or NOS Platform Engineering.
Experience qualifying networking platforms for high-scale data center deployments.
Experience with Python for building automated test frameworks and interacting with REST/gRPC APIs
Experience with Linux

Nice To Haves

Strong understanding of SONiC architecture, specifically the interaction between Redis (ConfigDB/StateDB), SwSS, and Syncd.
Experience with ASIC SDKs and the SAI (Switch Abstraction Interface) standard.
Expert knowledge of Linux kernel drivers, systems, and containerization (Docker) in a networking context.
Hands-on experience with traffic generators (Spirent, IXIA) and open-source test tools like Scapy and PTF.

Responsibilities

Lead the effort to port SONiC onto new Cisco ASICs (Silicon One) and virtual platforms. This includes configuring ONIE (Open Network Install Environment), managing bootloaders, and ensuring the Debian-based OS initializes correctly on bare-metal hardware.
Integrate and fine-tune the Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI) and Syncd layers. Ensure that the hardware-specific SDK calls are correctly mapped to SONiC’s logical state.
Own the "bring-up" of peripheral components, including thermal sensors, fans, PSUs, and optics through Platform APIs and BSP (Board Support Packages).
Design and execute end-to-end qualification cycles. Ensure that the platform meets performance and stability benchmarks before it reaches the customer.
Develop and maintain massive regression test suites using Pytest, PTF (Packet Test Framework), and Ansible. Automate the detection of regressions in the data plane (forwarding) and control plane (BGP/LACP) across every software build.
Perform deep-dive root-cause analysis of failures during bring-up, using tools like GDB, Tcpdump, and ASIC-level registers to identify if a bug resides in the OS, the SAI layer, or the hardware itself.
Optimize development workflow use cutting edge LLM based tools.

Benefits

medical, dental and vision insurance
a 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, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees (non-exempt)
flexible vacation time off program (exempt)
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
annual bonuses
performance-based incentive pay