2025406 - Software Engineer, AI & Automation (Hybrid)

• NOTE: Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
• This role is listed as hybrid – eligible candidates will need to live in proximity to the Raleigh, NC office and expect to be present in office on a semi-regular basis.

Meet the Team

Cisco’s Global Certification Team (GCT) secures market access for on-premises products by acquiring critical certifications including Common Criteria, FIPS 140-3, DoDIN/STIG, EUCC, and USGv6. The AI & Automation group develops internal platforms to modernize this process, automating gap analysis and hardware-based testing to reduce manual effort and accelerate product certification lifecycles.

Your Impact

We are seeking a Senior Engineer to develop and build automation and AI tooling that scales our certification efforts. You will serve as a technical lead on core workstreams, transforming complex requirements into reliable, production-grade software. This is a tactical role requiring strong full-stack expertise to build systems that harmonise with network hardware, integrate secure AI services, and mentor team members on technical delivery.

Responsibilities

• Engineering Delivery: Design, build, and maintain full-stack automation and AI tools, including backend services and web interfaces.
• Hardware Automation: Develop systems that work with network hardware to complete tests and collect verifiable, defensible evidence.
• AI Integration: Implement AI services to accelerate analysis and documentation while maintaining strict validation guardrails.
• Technical Leadership: Lead assigned workstreams, provide technical direction, and uphold standards for architecture, CI/CD, and security-by-default practices.
• Team member Collaboration: Partner with certification subject-matter guides to translate regulatory requirements into functional software solutions.
• External Engagement: Support technical discussions with external certification authorities as the need arises.

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in software or platform engineering.
• Proficiency in Python and at least one modern front-end framework (e.g., JavaScript/React).
• Confirmed experience building and consuming REST APIs.
• Tactical experience with containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes or OpenShift).
• Experience designing and implementing CI/CD pipelines and automated testing frameworks.
• Experience with security engineering concepts, secure coding practices, and cryptographic fundamentals.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field
• Leadership & Teamwork: Ability to mentor junior engineers, lead technical workstreams, and distill sophisticated technical concepts for non-engineering partnersdemo.
• Domain Expertise: Familiarity with certification standards such as Common Criteria/NIAP, FIPS 140-3, or STIGs.
• AI/ML Integration: Proven experience integrating LLM APIs into production systems, including implementation of evaluation and reliability guardrails.
• Network Automation: Experience with network device automation (SSH, Paramiko, NETCONF/YANG) and Cisco operating systems (IOS-XE, IOS-XR, NX-OS).
• Tooling & Standards: Experience with machine-readable data formats and software supply-chain security (e.g., SBOM)

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.