The application window is expected to close on: 08/24/2026
Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
This is a hybrid role based out of Cisco's San Jose office.
Your Impact As a Technical lead, you will be responsible for leading major business projects that impact the entire function. You will act independently to define architectural strategies, solve unique and highly complex problems of substantial significance, and deliver innovative solutions that directly influence the direction of our business. You will serve as a key resource for the organization, applying deep technical expertise to ensure our AI platform remains at the forefront of the industry.
- Lead major, large-scale engineering projects with enterprise-wide impact, defining the architectural roadmap for Cisco's AI-powered backend systems.
- Proactively identify and resolve highly complex technical challenges that impact the strategic direction and resource allocation of the business.
- Develop and implement innovative strategies that enhance product value for customers and clients, setting new standards for platform reliability and performance.
- Act as a subject matter expert, providing guidance on advanced technical issues and influencing cross-functional leaders to adopt best practices.
- Utilize independent judgment to determine methods and techniques for complex system design, ensuring alignment with long-term organizational objectives.
Minimum Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in STEM + 15 years of related experience, or Master's degree in STEM + 12 years of related experience, or PhD in STEM + 8 years of related experience.
- 10+ years of hands-on experience architecting and scaling backend platforms in a production environment.
- 10+ years of professional programming experience using Python and/or Go.
- Experience deploying and managing services on major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) with a focus on enterprise-grade reliability.
- Proficiency in containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and complex microservices architectures.
Preferred Qualifications - Proven track record of integrating and building with Generative AI technologies and LLM frameworks at scale.
- Deep, comprehensive understanding of modern AI tools, ML methodologies, and complex data pipelines.
- Demonstrated ability to drive technology innovation by translating emerging industry trends into scalable, actionable backend execution.
- Exceptional ability to design highly reliable, maintainable, and distributed systems that serve as the foundation for global products.
- Experience leading cross-functional platform initiatives and mentoring senior engineering staff to build organizational capability.
Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:The starting salary range posted for this position is $214,100.00 to $309,800.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.
Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
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. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.
U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco's policies:
- 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
For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco's policies.
Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:
- .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;
- 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;
- 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and
- Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.
For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.
The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:
New York City Metro Area:
$214,100.00 - $356,300.00
Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$192,400.00 - $317,200.00
* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco's sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.
** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.
