Software Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco•San Jose, CA

9h•$214,100 - $356,300•Remote

About The Position

Our team sits at the center of Cisco Data Center Engineering and the real-world networks our most strategic customers depend on. We work on the designs, deployments, escalations, and product feedback loops that shape how modern data centers are built and operated. The work is deeply technical, highly visible, and grounded in trust: customers bring us their hardest problems, and we help them reduce risk, move faster, and turn complex infrastructure into a competitive advantage. As a Technical Leader, you'll be at the center of the data center moments that matter most: guiding complex Nexus deployments, resolving business-critical customer challenges, influencing architectural decisions, and redefining field insights into the next generation of Cisco innovation. You will combine deep networking expertise, automation, AI-driven workflows, and sound engineering judgment to help customers build modern, scalable, and resilient data center environments with confidence. This role is ideal for someone who wants to remain close to the technology, influence product direction, and elevate the technical quality of teams across Cisco.

Requirements

Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience, or 10+ years of related experience.
10+ years of data center networking experience across design, deployment, troubleshooting, and operations.
Experience with Cisco Nexus or comparable large-scale data center switching platforms.
Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) or equivalent experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience delivering industry standard methodologies within customers’ data center infrastructure, including RoCEv2, PFC, BGP, EVPN, VXLAN, multicast, and PTP.
Experience with Cisco Data Center networking offerings, including Nexus stand-alone, Nexus Dashboard, software, and automation development.
Experience serving as a technical leader across Cisco, customer, and partner organizations.

Responsibilities

Own the technical strategy and execution of Cisco's most sophisticated Nexus data center deployments, guiding customers from architectural planning through production readiness.
Serve as a trusted authority on sophisticated data center technologies, including Nexus switching, Nexus Dashboard, EVPN/VXLAN, BGP, RoCEv2, PFC, multicast, PTP, automation, and large-scale operational environments.
Drive resolution of the highest-severity customer challenges spanning software, hardware, design, automation, and operations, while translating lessons learned into product improvements and standard processes.
Influence the future of Cisco's Nexus portfolio by converting customer feedback, adoption barriers, and competitive insights into actionable engineering and product priorities.
Champion automation and AI-enabled operational workflows that improve efficiency, accelerate problem resolution, and increase deployment consistency at scale.
Evaluate and guide critical trade-off decisions across performance, scalability, resiliency, security, supportability, customer experience, and time-to-market.
Lead multi-functional initiatives involving Engineering, Product Management, Customer Experience, Sales, Partners, and Customers to deliver successful outcomes from technical discovery through implementation.
Communicate complex technical strategies, risks, and recommendations with transparency and confidence to engineering leaders, customers, and executive stakeholders.
Mentor senior engineers, raise the quality bar for architecture and design reviews, and cultivate a culture of technical excellence across the organization.
Develop scalable feedback mechanisms, proactive tooling, and continuous improvement programs that reduce customer impact and accelerate adoption of Cisco technologies.
Use strong analytical and problem-solving skills to solve original technical problems.

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
grants of Cisco restricted stock units
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 (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, 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 (for non-sales roles)
performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary (for sales roles)