This is a hybrid role based out of Cisco's Seattle or San Jose office.

Meet the Team

The Cisco AI Research team is a dynamic group of scientists and engineers dedicated to building the future of proprietary intelligence. Our core mission is to develop purpose-built large language models tailored specifically for Cisco’s networking, security, and observability domains. We operate at the intersection of basic and applied research, ensuring that Cisco maintains its technological edge without reliance on external AI providers. Our team is composed of doers and experts who thrive in a collaborative environment, blending deep technical rigor with a shared passion for solving complex, real-world problems at a global scale.

Your Impact

As a Lead Software Engineer , you will build secure, cloud-native networking and simulation platforms that power Cisco's domain-specific LLMs. Partnering across AI research, security, product, and infrastructure engineering, you will architect simulation topologies, automate controller ecosystems, and translate cutting-edge AI and networking concepts into robust, production-grade capabilities.

• Architect high-fidelity, secure network topologies using Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) and establish data contracts and validation pipelines to ensure provenance and integrity for AI training and evaluation data.

• Lead the secure automation and integration of Cisco controllers (Nexus Dashboard, Catalyst Center, Intersight, Cisco HyperFabric) across on-premises, hybrid, and cloud-native environments.

• Design, build, and test high-performance distributed software, setting engineering standards for network programmability, cloud architecture, and simulation-driven workflows.

• Apply zero-trust principles, threat modeling, RBAC/IAM, and secrets management to secure controller integrations, simulation platforms, and data pipelines.

• Implement telemetry and monitoring for simulation performance and cloud infrastructure, driving postmortems and root-cause analyses into preventive platform controls.

• Mentor peers through design reviews and knowledge sharing, shape the engineering roadmap, and communicate technical trade-offs to cross-functional stakeholders.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field + 8 years of related experience, OR Master’s degree in STEM + 6 years of related experience, OR PhD in STEM + 3 years of related experience (or equivalent related work experience).

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience designing, developing, and testing production-grade software using modern programming languages (e.g., Python, Go, C++, or Java).

• 4+ years of professional experience in enterprise/datacenter networking protocols (e.g., TCP/IP, BGP, EVPN, VXLAN) and network simulation/modeling platforms (e.g., Cisco Modeling Labs [CML], EVE-NG, or GNS3).

• 3+ years of experience with cloud-native infrastructure, distributed systems architecture, and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).

• 3+ years of experience integrating and automating network controllers, SDN platforms, or infrastructure management systems via REST APIs/SDKs (e.g., Nexus Dashboard, Catalyst Center, Intersight).

• 2+ years of experience implementing secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC) practices, including threat modeling, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and secrets management.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven experience developing, securing, and validating high-fidelity simulation models within Cisco Modeling Labs (CML).

• Demonstrated expertise managing and automating Cisco controller environments, including Nexus Dashboard, Catalyst Center, Intersight, Secure Firewall Management Center, and Cisco HyperFabric.

• Strong understanding of data-contract design, schema evolution, data provenance, and automated validation methodologies for large-scale modeling, AI training, and evaluation environments.

• Experience designing and operating cloud-native systems using containers, Kubernetes, infrastructure as code, CI/CD pipelines, APIs, distributed data services, and modern observability platforms.

• Practical knowledge of application and infrastructure security, including secure software supply chains, vulnerability management, identity and access management, threat modeling, encryption, secrets management, and security automation.

• Demonstrated record of technical innovation through rapid prototyping, applied research, invention disclosures, patents, open-source contributions, technical publications, or the successful incubation of new capabilities.

Why Cisco? 

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. 

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you. 

Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:

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:

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

* 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.