Software Engineering Technical Leader (Hybrid)

Overview

Lead customer escalations and technical validation of Cisco network solutions for Scale Data Center Infrastructure customers, bridging lab environments and real-world customer deployments.

What you'll do

• Lead customer escalations and end-to-end technical validation of network solutions, reproducing customer environments and verifying operational workflows.
• Drive proactive issue discovery and resolution by designing structured test plans, performing hands-on lab testing, and coordinating root-cause analysis with engineering teams.
• Define and maintain qualification matrices for platforms, optics, and software, ensuring readiness and reliability before production use.
• Communicate technical findings and risks to both customer teams and Cisco stakeholders, building trust and transparency.
• Elevate operational standards by developing evidence-driven processes that prevent customer-impacting issues.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related field, with 12+ years of experience in network engineering, systems validation, customer engineering, or network operations.
• Experience with scalable data center architectures, including leaf-spine topologies, routing underlays, network overlays, redundancy, high availability, convergence, capacity planning, and failure-domain design.
• Applied experience leading solution-level validation, design qualification, or deployment-readiness initiatives for complex data center environments.
• Experience with network automation, including automated provisioning, configuration validation, test execution, telemetry collection, and operational workflow integration.
• Experience with lab instrumentation, traffic generators, packet-capture tools, network test platforms, and performance-analysis tools.

Nice to have

• Proven ability to solve complex, multi-layer issues spanning hardware, software, protocols, optics, automation, and system-level interactions.
• Strong technical leadership, multi-functional collaboration, and communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical findings into clear risks and actionable recommendations.
• Experience supporting cloud infrastructure or hyperscale cloud customers, with proficiency in IPv4/IPv6, Layer2 switching/design, Layer3 routing protocols, and network optics.
• Familiarity with Cisco network platforms, automation, and telemetry systems, complemented by strong technical writing and customer-facing presentation skills.
• Demonstrated ability to lead across organizational boundaries and global time zones, with a proactive approach to problem-solving and operational clarity.

Details

• Hybrid role with three days per week at Cisco's San Jose office.
• Application window expected to close on 10/25/2026.
• Starting salary range for U.S./Canada locations: $186,900.00 to $267,700.00, excluding incentive compensation, equity, or benefits.