Principal Software Engineer

About this role

The application window is expected to close on: 10/11/2026 Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received .

This is a hybrid position working onsite in San Jose.

Meet the Team 

You will join Cisco’s Platform & Identity Engineering Group, a foundational group responsible for building and scaling the core platform services that power Cisco’s products and experiences. The team focuses on delivering secure, scalable platform capabilities that enable consistent management of security products across Cisco’s portfolio.  This organization partners closely with engineering, security, and product teams across multiple technology and business groups to provide the underlying systems that support Cisco’s innovation. The work spans cloud, security, and platform infrastructure, with an emphasis on reliability, interoperability, and long-term scalability. 

Your Impact • Innovate, develop, and drive data platform and security-focused troubleshooting application as foundational platform components that enable visibility, analytics, automation, and operational insights across the Security portfolio.

• Act as an internal, external, and industry expert, applying deep technical expertise to provide guidance and consultation on complex challenges.

• Serve as a domain expert or cross-domain integrator, leveraging breadth of knowledge to connect emerging technology trends and assess their impact on Cisco products.

• Guide and set standards for the technical direction of Cisco’s software and technology solutions, influencing industry trends, business leaders, and Cisco’s technical community.

• Ensure the development, execution, and enablement of technology strategies that deliver long-term business impact.

• Stay ahead of evolving technology and industry trends, shaping innovation and enabling Cisco to maintain a strong competitive advantage.

• Partner across engineering, product, and business teams to translate strategic vision into scalable, high-impact solutions.

• Mentor and influence senior technical leaders, driving architectural consistency and engineering excellence across the organization.

Minimum Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field with 12+ years of experience designing and developing large-scale software, platform, or distributed systems.

• Experience building and scaling highly available, secure, and distributed systems in cloud or hybrid environments.

• Experience writing high-quality, production-grade code using modern programming languages (e.g., Go, Rust, or C++).

• 5+ years of experience with security, privacy, and data protection principles as applied to platform and identity systems.

Preferred Qualifications • Advanced degree (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

• Recognized technical leadership as a domain expert or cross-domain integrator influencing architecture across multiple product lines or business units.

• Experience driving platform strategy in large-scale enterprise or cloud environments.

• Experience integrating systems with broader platform services such as observability, data platforms, or AI/ML-driven systems.

• Track record of influencing technical direction and aligning stakeholders across a large, matrixed organization.

• Experience defining technical architecture and driving end-to-end system design across multiple teams or organizations.

• Contributions to industry standards, open-source projects, patents, or publications.

• Ability to translate emerging technology trends into long-term strategic direction and business impact.

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:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $250,600.00 to $362,600.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits. 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, pai

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