Software Engineer

Cisco•Milpitas, CA

12h•$167,700 - $245,200

About The Position

The Cisco 8000 Layer 3 Forwarding team develops IOS XR software that powers packet forwarding on Cisco Silicon One networking ASICs. Within Cisco’s Distributed Systems Engineering organization, the team builds scalable, high-performance routing platforms for service providers and hyperscale networks, supporting cloud infrastructure and AI/ML workloads. The work connects routing decisions to hardware forwarding behavior, including programming routes and next hops and optimizing forwarding scale, performance, and reliability. The team collaborates with routing control plane teams and Cisco Silicon One ASIC and SDK engineering teams. The Software Engineer contributes throughout the software development lifecycle, from design and implementation to validation and production troubleshooting. The role involves designing, developing, automating, and testing software and features for complex network architectures using C/C++, defining and qualifying end-to-end or solution architectures, debugging network problems, and developing solutions informed by customer use cases. The engineer helps improve Cisco IOS XR and delivers reliable, high-quality software for AI/ML, hyperscaler, and service provider customers.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and 7 years of related experience, or a master’s degree and 4 years of related experience, or a Ph.D. and 1 year of related experience.
Experience in all phases of the software development cycle, with some exposure to agile development methodologies.
Programming experience in C, C++, or Python.
Development experience with network routing protocols.
Experience using AI tools to improve engineering productivity, such as optimizing complex routing protocols and reducing latency.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with Linux and modern development and debugging tools such as GDB, VTune, Valgrind, and Perf.
Deep understanding of L2/L3 to L7 technologies, including OSPF, ISIS, BGP, BFD, and MPLS.
Familiarity with virtual machines and virtualization technologies.
Automation experience with Python, Tcl, REST, and Jenkins.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the development and enhancement of Cisco IOS XR software.
Develop and improve software solutions for AI/ML, hyperscalers, and service providers.
Take ownership of tasks and features and acquire new skills as needed.
Address innovative challenges and resolve complex technical problems.
Work with fellow engineers to deliver new functionality and enhancements to customers.
Use Microsoft Copilot and Cisco internal AI/ML solutions to improve development efficiency.
Develop software features or design fully automated tests.
Investigate and troubleshoot issues to deliver reliable solutions.
Use test tools to maintain quality standards and ensure software meets benchmarks.
Work across network technology areas such as programmability and routing infrastructure.
Deliver robust, high-quality software that improves customer experience and satisfaction.
Continuously improve Cisco IOS XR software to meet evolving customer needs.

Benefits

Medical insurance.
Dental insurance.
Vision insurance.
401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution.
Paid parental leave.
Short- and long-term disability coverage.
Basic life insurance.
Paid holidays and a floating holiday for non-exempt employees.
Paid birthday leave, year-end holiday shutdown, and personal wellness days.
Paid vacation or flexible vacation time off, depending on employee classification.
Paid sick time.
Additional paid time away may be requested for critical or emergency family issues.
Optional paid volunteer days.
Annual bonuses for eligible non-sales employees.
Potential Cisco restricted stock unit grants, subject to eligibility and continued employment.