Software Engineer (Hybrid)

Cisco•Research Triangle Park, NC

13d•$126,500 - $252,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The application window is expected to close on: 05/25/2026. This is a hybrid role with three days per week at Cisco’s RTP office. Cisco is a global leader in networking and IT, dedicated to transforming how people connect, communicate, and collaborate. Our Routing SD-WAN Group is at the forefront of innovation, delivering intelligent, secure, and scalable WAN edge solutions that empower enterprises to connect and protect their networks from the edge to the cloud. Our Routing Platform Software team within Routing SD-WAN builds industry-leading headend SD-WAN and edge routing platforms. We are reinventing the WAN with controller-based, intent-driven networking that delivers secure connectivity to users and devices across cloud, on-prem, and SaaS applications. You will join a high-energy group working on next-generation routing and services at global scale, connecting thousands of devices and millions of users.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, 5 years of industry experience with end-to-end software development in networking stack, including control plane, data plane, and controller architecture.
Strong proficiency in C/C++ with a focus on systems programming and Linux environments.
Expertise or experience in multicast, IPv6, quality-of-service, segmentation, segment routing, in addition to general networking concepts.
Solid understanding of routing architectures and Layer 2 networking protocols.
Ability to debug complex system level issues spanning various software domain and boundary.
Experience with LAN/WAN communication interfaces and Layer 2/Layer 3 technologies.
Experience with AI/ML techniques and tools for development (e.g., codex, copilot, code assistants, static analysis tools, test automation platforms).

Nice To Haves

Past experience working in a controller driven architecture is a plus.
Knowledge of Routing protocols, data plane and packet processors, and experience in industry deployed networking stacks , OSPF, BGP, and knowledge in controller driven architecture.
Network software development for HW and cloud instances.
Ability to develop and debug solutions that span multiple network instances: controllers, edges, hubs, spokes…
Experience with network level debugging using wire-shark, packet trace/capture.
Knowledge of BFD (Bi-directional Forwarding Detection)

Responsibilities

Develop various networking (routing / forwarding) functionalities for our industry leading SD-WAN and routing solution. Some of the key areas of focus will be segmentation, segment routing, multicast, IPv6, quality-of-service, and various general networking concepts. Your work will span controllers and edge network appliances.
Collaborate with product management, technical marketing, and various cross functional teams that power the Cisco innovation.
Define new architectures or enhance existing ones to provide solutions to our customers.
Leverage modern AI tools to enhance software development practices to help drive greater efficiency, quality, and innovation across the team.
Full stack software development for our industry leading networking stack.
Work with multi-functional teams to plan, design, implement and integrate the solution keeping in mind the scaling and tight performance requirements.
Be part of the full stack team (controller and dataplane) and will be enabled to work across domains.
Work with our partner teams such as security, analytics, and NMS to deliver the end-to-end solution for SDWAN and Enterprise routing.
Use modern AI tools and technologies to achieve highest level of efficiency in product development and solution delivery.
Work with key stakeholders to explore areas of innovation and improvement to drive product evolution.

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
Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer