Software Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco Systems, Inc.•San Jose, CA

31d

About The Position

The Security Platform Service Group Customer Journey Test Automation Team is central to ensuring seamless, high-quality experiences for our customers across every interaction. As we continue to elevate our security platforms to address evolving customer expectations-including end-to-end journey validation, integration across diverse security systems, and support for complex, distributed environments-we are seeking skilled engineers to drive innovation and reliability. That's where you come in. The Senior Staff Software Engineer plays a pivotal role in championing test automation excellence and upholding the highest quality standards throughout our customer journeys. This position offers the opportunity to lead from the front-shaping our automation strategy, influencing architectural decisions, and setting the benchmark for quality at scale. Join us to mentor top automation talent, influence the customer experience across global teams, and help deliver secure, high-performing solutions to customers worldwide. Make your mark and help shape the future of quality!

Requirements

8+ years of experience in software quality engineering, with at least 3+ years in a senior or staff-level QA or SDET role.
Proven expertise in designing and maintaining complex automation frameworks and CI/CD-integrated test ecosystems.
Strong proficiency with one or more scripting/programming languages (Python, Java, Shell, or JavaScript).
Deep understanding of software testing methodologies, automation patterns, and distributed systems testing.
Hands-on experience with cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure) and container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) and observability tools (e.g., Grafana, Prometheus, ELK) for test telemetry and analytics.
Experience integrating automated tests into CI/CD platforms like Jenkins, GitHub Actions, or GitLab CI/CD.
Strong analytical skills with the ability to diagnose complex issues and propose detailed improvements.

Nice To Haves

Experience testing large-scale SaaS, networking, or security platforms.
Knowledge of performance, chaos, and reliability testing methodologies.
Exposure to AI-driven test automation, shift-left testing, or continuous quality engineering.
Prior experience in mentoring or leading QA teams and shaping organizational testing strategies.

Responsibilities

Define and execute QA strategy, automation roadmap, and measurable quality objectives for distributed systems.
Architect, design, and enhance automation frameworks for functional, integration, performance, and reliability testing.
Collaborate with Product, Engineering, DevOps, and Site Reliability teams to promote a quality-first mindset across the software development lifecycle.
Drive improvements in test infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and automation coverage to enable seamless, repeatable deployments.
Champion best practices in automation, test data management, observability, and continuous validation.
Identify process gaps, streamline workflows, and ensure scalable testing in cloud-native and hybrid environments.
Lead root cause analysis and implement preventive measures to improve product stability and reliability.
Mentor QA and development engineers while evaluating new tools and technologies to advance automation and operational efficiency.

Benefits

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco's plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance.
Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.
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
Non-exempt employees receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees
Exempt employees participate in Cisco's flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)
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

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