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# Senior Software Engineer

- **Company:** Cisco Systems, Inc.
- **Location:** Milpitas, CA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $167,700.0 - $245,200.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Systems Engineering, Automation of Tests, Border Gateway Protocol, Network Operating System (NOS), System Configuration, Software Debugging, Distributed Systems, InfiniBand, Python (Programming Language), Machine Learning, Open Source Technology, Remote Direct Memory Access, Software Engineering, Systems Architecture, Network Switches, Network Routers, Scripting, Computer Networking Systems, Break Fix, Pytest, Machine Learning Operations, Cisco
- **Published:** October 30, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.careerbuilder.com/job-details/senior-software-engineer-milpitas-ca--8dac8f4a-2a57-4a24-b655-7e0293045603

## About the Role

Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Product Development, Cisco Network Systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Distributed Computing, Open Source, System Architecture, Network Switching, Network Routers, * Bachelor's degree in STEM with 7+ years of relevant experience, or Master's degree in STEM with 4+ years, or PhD in STEM with 1+ years.

 * 3+ years of experience in Python automation scripting.

 * 2+ years of experience in configuring, testing, or debugging networking systems and solutions.

 * Experience with PyTest or similar open-source QA automation frameworks.

 * Experience with control and data plane technologies, including L2/L3 networking, BGP, ECMP, and VXLAN-based EVPN fabrics.

Preferred Qualifications:

 * Experience with test frameworks and traffic generators (both commercial and open source).

 * Prior experience in customer-facing roles.

 * Exposure to network operating systems, preferably SONiC very nice to have.

 * Familiarity with RDMA and HPC networks.

 * Understanding of RoCE and InfiniBand protocols.

## Description

The Cisco Distributed System Engineering (DSE) group leads innovation in building products that power the world's largest networks. As the networking industry evolves to support AI/ML workloads and a growing internet user base, our team is uniquely positioned to drive this transformation. We leverage open-source technologies and push the boundaries of Systems and Silicon Architecture

Our solutions team works closely with large webscaler customers to replicate their networks and prepare software and hardware for deployment. We operate in fast-paced sprints across Cisco's product lineup, focusing on SONiC for web-scale environments, including AI/ML, routers, and switches.

Your Impact:

As a Software Engineer, you will be a key contributor to an agile team responsible for designing, developing, and executing tests to qualify network performance for AI/ML capabilities. You will take ownership of end-to-end product testing and provide deep-dive production support, ensuring high-quality deliverables in a dynamic environment.

You will leverage your expertise in Python automation and testing frameworks such as PyTest to streamline and enhance testing processes. Your role involves active participation in the open-source community to drive innovation and integrate best practices into our development lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities include:

 * Engaging in technical discussions with customers to gather and clarify requirements.

 * Building and maintaining testing environments for system and solution validation.

 * Developing and enhancing test frameworks and benchmarking tools.

 * Defining metrics and gathering data for network performance benchmarking.

 * Conducting hands-on troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for complex customer issues.

 * Contributing to technical projects and sharing expertise to foster team-wide excellence and technical growth.