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# Software Engineer Technical Leader - Network Data Plane - Hypershield

- **Company:** Cisco Systems, Inc.
- **Location:** Portland, OR, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $214,100.0 - $309,800.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** C++ (Programming Language), Code Review, Computer Networks, Computer Engineering, Software Debugging, Network Troubleshooting, Network Layer, Linux System Administration, Network Architecture, Network Protocols, Performance Tuning, Software Engineering, Data Processing, Production Code, Cisco
- **Published:** October 14, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.portlandjobsite.com/job.asp?id=3445713385&tx=FJ5552FFL&pt=1&aff=0B19D771-A501-4A5E-8338-2A822B784D54&utm_source=Job%20Feed&utm_medium=textkernel&utm_campaign=DE&utm_term=0B19D771-A501-4A5E-8338-2A822B784D54

## About the Role

* Bachelor's degree inComputer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field and 12+ years of related experience, orMaster'sdegree with 10+ years, or PhD with 7+ years of related experience.
 * 10+ years of professional software development experience using C or C++ in Linux environments.
 * Experience developing networking or data plane software with strong knowledge of Layer 2, Layer 3, and common networking protocols.
 * Experience developing oroptimizinghigh-performance packet processing applications using DPDK, networking stacks, or similar technologies.
 * Experience designing, implementing, debugging, reviewing, and delivering production-quality systems software.

Preferred Qualifications

 * Experience developing software for Data Processing Units (DPUs),SmartNICs, network processors, or networking appliances.
 * Experience with P4 or other programmable data plane technologies.
 * Experience contributing to networking architecture, systems software design, or large-scale distributed networking solutions.
 * Experience working across cross-functional or geographically distributed engineering teams.

## Description

As a Software Engineer Technical Leader, you'll play a key role in designing, developing, and optimizing the data plane software powering Cisco Hypershield Smart Switches. This is a highly technical, hands-on individual contributor role where you'll spend the majority of your time writing production-quality code, solving complex networking problems, and influencing technical direction through engineering leadership.

You'll work across the full software development lifecycle-from technical design and implementation to debugging, performance optimization, code reviews, and customer issue resolution-while partnering closely with software, hardware, and security engineering teams.

In this role, you will:

 * Design, develop, andoptimizehigh-performance data plane software using modern C/C++ on Linux-based systems.
 * Develop networking software for DPU-based Smart Switch platforms, enabling scalable packet processing and advanced security capabilities.
 * Troubleshoot complex software defects, networking issues, and customer-reported problems while improving performance, scalability, and reliability.
 * Lead technical design discussions,participateinarchitectureand code reviews, and provide technical mentorship across the engineering organization.
 * Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to deliver innovative networking and security capabilities for CiscoHypershieldSmart Switches.