below marketmost similar roles pay hereabove market
This role pays more than
97%
of similar roles. Most pay
$169,487–$253,500
— the blue band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$350k
versus about
$211k
for comparable roles.
Based on 240 similar postings.
Employer
About Cisco
Cisco Systems is the world''s leading networking technology company, designing and manufacturing networking hardware, telecommunications equipment, and cybersecurity solutions for businesses and governments. Industry: Networking Technology & Cybersecurity
Cisco currently has
307 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$167,700–$245,000
across 224 roles with salary data.
JOB TITLE: Distinguished Software Engineer, AI Software & Platform (Hybrid)
The Distinguished Software Engineer, AI Software & Platform joins the AI Software & Platform team to serve as a primary technical architect and strategic advisor. This role involves defining the enterprise-wide technical strategy for agentic systems, including multi-agent orchestration, planning/reflection loops, and durable execution patterns. You will bridge the gap between research and production by establishing reference architectures, mentoring staff, and resolving complex "black box" challenges. Key responsibilities include managing model lifecycles, establishing security postures against prompt injection, and driving the adoption of the Model Context Protocol. You will utilize skills in distributed systems, hyperscale cloud platforms, and high-throughput data architectures. The work focuses on solving the unique challenges of agentic workflows within enterprise networking and security infrastructure to ensure reliable, production-grade AI implementation.
What does a Software Engineer earn in California?
Median $214500 from 1193 postings across 76 companies.
Define the enterprise-wide technical strategy for agentic systems, including multi-agent orchestration and durable execution patterns.
Negotiate build-versus-buy trade-offs with executive leadership regarding model frameworks and infrastructure roadmaps.
Drive the adoption of industry-standard interfaces like the Model Context Protocol across the product portfolio.
Establish and enforce engineering standards and reference architectures while mentoring senior technical staff.
Lead the technical resolution of complex "black box" challenges by prototyping and proving breakthrough methodologies.
Own the security posture of agentic systems, including defenses against prompt injection and sandboxing for autonomous actions.
What we're looking for
Bachelor’s degree in computer science or related field with 17+ years of software engineering experience; Master's with 14+ years; or PhD with 10+ years.
10+ years of specialized experience in designing and scaling distributed systems, hyperscale cloud platforms, or high-throughput data architectures.
5+ years in a Principal-level role demonstrating sustained technical influence across multiple engineering organizations.
Experience building and operating LLM-based production systems, including managing model lifecycle, evaluation infrastructure, and security commitments.
Prior experience designing and delivering production-grade multi-agent systems.
Expertise in AIOps domains, specifically event correlation, root cause analysis, and closed-loop remediation at scale (preferred).
Deep knowledge of inference optimization techniques, including speculative decoding, KV/prefix caching, and model distillation/routing strategies (preferred).
Recognized thought leadership in the external technical community, such as patents, published research, or significant open-source contributions (preferred).
Artificial Intelligence
Generative AI
Large Language Models
Deep Learning
Natural Language Processing
Time Series Modeling
Unsupervised Learning
Distributed Training
GPU
Multi-GPU
Data Processing
Cybersecurity
Observability