Software Engineer :: C/C++, Python scripting, L2/L3 Networking (5-9 Years)

Overview

Design, develop and integrate high-performance control plane and data plane system software for Cisco IOS XE platforms, including Enterprise Switching, Routing, Wireless and IIoT products.

What you'll do

• Design, develop and test robust, scalable software components and features that meet high technical standards.
• Design and develop control plane and data plane software for Cisco IOS XE Switching, Routing, Wireless, and IIoT products.
• Analyze requirements and problem statements, develop effective software designs, and create detailed design documents and functional specifications.
• Write clean, maintainable code and unit tests with minimal guidance.
• Code, debug, test, and troubleshoot software throughout the development lifecycle with minimal supervision.
• Develop expertise in multiple functional components.
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues to support system stability, security, and performance.
• Drive continuous improvement in development lifecycles, engineering processes, and industry best practices.
• Coordinate project timelines and regularly review, update, and communicate project specifications to team members and stakeholders.
• Develop remediation plans and alternatives to support timely delivery.
• Mentor peers and engineering interns.
• Develop innovative ideas that may lead to patents and create intellectual property for Cisco.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree and 5+ years of related experience, or a master's degree and 3+ years of related experience, or a PhD.
• Proficiency in writing high-quality C or C++ code.
• Experience developing control plane or data plane software.
• Hands-on experience developing or implementing networking protocols such as TCP/IP, BGP, or OSPF.
• Strong understanding of data structures and algorithms.
• Experience with wireless technologies such as 802.11ac, 802.11ax, or 802.11be.
• Knowledge of security and encryption technologies such as SSL/TLS, MKA, or MACsec.
• Experience with Linux, RTOS, or networking operating system internals.
• Experience developing software or firmware for networking products.
• Strong knowledge of software architecture and system design.

Nice to have

• Experience with complex systems architecture.
• Hands-on implementation experience in one or more areas such as high availability, inter-process communication (IPC), memory management, distributed communications infrastructure, serviceability, containers, or virtualization.
• Experience validating networking features using traffic generators and protocol analyzers such as Ixia, Spirent, Wireshark, or tcpdump.
• Ability to learn new technical skills quickly and adapt to evolving business requirements.
• Cisco networking certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, or CCIE.
• Experience building an agentic network diagnostics assistant using Python, OpenAI APIs, RAG, and MCP-based tools to analyze device logs, retrieve relevant technical documentation, and generate evidence-backed troubleshooting recommendations.