Cisco

Software Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco • $186K — $267K *
Information Technology
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree with 8+ years, Master's with 6+ years, or PhD with 3+ years of experience in related fields.
  • Proven experience with Datacenter switches and networking technology.
  • Experience in handling customer escalations and resolving issues in L2/L3 technologies, especially NXOS infrastructure.
  • Familiarity with L2/L3/VXLAN forwarding and AI-Networking.
  • Proficiency in scripting and development within networking environments.
  • Strong communication skills for engaging technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

  • Lead software development aligned with Cisco's Design Thinking Principles, focusing on UX.
  • Solve complex problems, providing innovative solutions from technical design to execution.
  • Manage and guide projects involving multiple teams, overseeing workstreams holistically.
  • Drive the software engineering roadmap and advocate for new product features.
  • Write clean functional code and perform unit testing to set coding standards.
  • Identify and address risks within production systems, implementing robust monitoring tools.
  • Mentor peers and facilitate knowledge sharing within the team.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies in AI Networking.
  • Collaborative and innovative team environment.
  • Access to professional development resources and mentorship.
  • Participation in knowledge sharing and community engagement initiatives.
Full Job Description
The application window is expected to close on: 09/29/2026
Meet The Team

The Datacenter Switching team at Cisco is at the core of AI Networking.

We are responsible for designing and developing the next generation of high-performance networking solutions for massive-scale cloud and AI environments. Our work focuses on the Cisco Nexus 9000 Series (Nexus 9K) switches, which serve as the foundational building blocks for modern data center architectures. Nexus 9K switches are critical in modern data centers for providing the high-density, low-latency, and power-efficient performance required for leaf-and-spine fabrics.

We focus on building and optimizing Cisco's architecture to meet the demands of modern data center workloads and automated cloud environments.The team drives innovation in GPU-Connectivity with architectures to support high-compute clusters. Our scope includes the development of diverse fabric technologies, such as Pure L3, VXLAN, and SRv6 fabrics. Engineers on this team solve complex challenges in programmability, scalability, and telemetry at the core of the global internet infrastructure.

Your Impact

As a Tech Lead, You are responsible for developing software consistent with Cisco 'Design Thinking Principles' with a focus on simplification and UX (User Experience) at its core, using secure coding practices, ensuring user privacy, and following software development procedures. Partners with other teams, including design and product management to create the right solution for the customers. Creates technical design documentation to be used by the team as well as contributing to user documentation to be used by end users. Debugs and addresses software issues during development and in production systems to support customers. Brings new ideas for product innovation and helps improve software development processes.

What You'll Do:
• Uses specialized expertise in one or more areas to interpret internal or external business issues and recommends standard processes.
• Solves complex problems and takes abroad perspective to identify innovative solutions. May lead small-to-medium features from technical design through completion.
• May lead projects that span multiple teams; manages workload and workstreams holistically.
• Influences a defined software engineering roadmap.
• May lead medium-to-large features from technical design through completion.
• Guides in the development and implementation of the software development lifecycle, and agile engineering strategies across applicable teams and partners.
• Leads and mentors others, and improves the technical design of solutions Advocates for new features within a product to address customer needs.
• Articulates design choices based on an expert understanding of market awareness, product adoption, and competition.
• Innovates new products to address unmet customer needs
• Influences and tracks metrics to measure success
• Writes functional clean code and unit tests at a level that sets the standard for coding across teams.
• Influences architectural decisions with a focus on security, scalability and reliability.
• Contributes to threat modeling of a product.
• Proactively identifies, prioritizes, and resolves risk and issues in production systems.
• Designs and implements robust monitoring tools that provide visibility and reliability and acts on the data and alerts to increase future performance.
• Leads postmortems and reviews root cause analysis, ensures on call coverage.
• Expert on multiple functional components
• May contribute to knowledge sharing among the wider professional community with technical blogs or publications.
• Scopes work accurately and provides reliable estimates for project milestones and completion.
• Communicates delivery trade-offs and negotiates with multi-functional partners to align on direction and outcomes.
• Mentors peers or others on the team
• Facilitates/encourages knowledge sharing in the team (e.g., brownbags, demos, design sessions)

Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience.
• Experience with Datacenter Switches and Networking.
• Experience in dealing with customer escalations, solving issues, on L2/L3 technologies, NXOS infrastructure

Preferred Qualifications
• L2/L3/VXLAN forwarding, AI-Networking - Customer Support/Escalation handling experience, with scripting/development knowledge in networking.
• Comfortable with using AI tools such as Copilot and Cursor
• Proven ability to design and maintain scalable infrastructure automation using Python.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to bridge technical and non-technical stakeholders to drive project alignment.

About Cisco

Cisco Careers

Join the vibrant team at Cisco, a global leader in networking and cybersecurity solutions, where innovation and leadership thrive. Cisco offers a plethora of job opportunities that cater to a range of skills and experiences, making it an ideal place for both seasoned professionals and those seeking an internship to jumpstart their career. Work You’ll Do At Cisco, you’ll be part of a culture that values diversity, leadership, and professional growth. Engage in work that matters with a team that combines technology, creativity, and the power of human connection to redefine networking. Cisco’s commitment to innovation isn’t just about technology, but also about transforming the way we work and collaborate. Cisco’s employment philosophy supports career advancement and nurtures a leadership pipeline that is equipped with diversity training and opportunities for growth. Whether you’re applying your skills to drive our latest innovations or using our vast networking capabilities to solve complex problems, at Cisco, every role is impactful. Join Our Dynamic Team Explore job opportunities in areas ranging from engineering to marketing, sales to cybersecurity. Cisco is hiring individuals who are passionate, curious, and ready to drive change. Positions at Cisco offer competitive benefits, a supportive culture, and the chance to work with cutting-edge technology. Internship Programs Kickstart your career with a Cisco internship. Gain invaluable industry experience, enhance your resume, and build professional networks that last a lifetime. Our internships provide hands-on experience and the chance to work on projects that matter. Leadership and Development Cisco is committed to fostering leadership skills and providing employees with the training needed to succeed. Our leadership programs help you develop new skills, manage teams effectively, and lead with confidence. Cisco’s commitment to professional development ensures that your career path is as dynamic as our technologies. Benefits and Culture Cisco understands the importance of a balanced life. Our benefits package is designed to ensure that our team members are healthy, happy, and secure. At Cisco, you’ll find a supportive culture that encourages open communication, teamwork, and mutual respect. Stay Connected Join Cisco’s Talent Network Stay informed about new positions that match your skills and interests. At Cisco, we value the curiosity and unique perspectives of our team members. Subscribe to receive personalized job alerts and insider tips directly from our hiring managers. Explore Cisco Jobs Ready to advance your career at Cisco? Search open positions, prepare your resume, and get ready for an interview that could lead to your next big opportunity. At Cisco, we’re not just filling positions—we’re investing in leaders. Keep Up to Date Stay ahead with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work here. READ CAREERS BLOG Job Alert Emails Customize your subscription to receive job alerts, the latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities that await you at Cisco.
Learn more about Cisco
Size
79,500 employees
Market Cap
$194.5 billion
Industry
Net Income
$10.1 billion
Founded
2014
5 Year Trend
+1.4%
Revenue
$48 billion
NASDAQ

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Cisco

More Information Technology Jobs

Find similar Software Engineering Technical Leader jobs: