The application window is expected to close on: 06/23/2026

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

Meet the Team

The Cisco Enterprise Routing team is responsible for the end-to-end lifecycle of the platforms that serve as the "connective tissue" for businesses worldwide. Their work ensures that data—ranging from simple office emails to high-bandwidth video conferencing and cloud-based applications—moves securely and efficiently across branch offices, campus networks, and multi-cloud environments.

We are seeking a highly skilled Software Development Manager to join our team focused on the development of Cisco’s new generation Secure Routers. The team is responsible for development across many software layers including low-level drivers, advance networking protocols, high-performance packet forwarding, modern cryptographic security, AI-driven features, modern CPU architecture, and system optimizations for scale and performance.

What You'll Do

In this role, you will lead a senior engineering team responsible for delivering Cisco’s new generation of Enterprise routers, including Forwarding Plane capabilities for packet processing across modern networking platforms. You will guide high-level technical execution, drive engineering consistency across development cycles, and ensure smooth delivery across multiple concurrent workstreams. Success in this role requires strong ability to lead experienced engineers, good technical judgment, and good soft skills to collaborate with many cross functional teams.

Role & Responsibilities

• Lead a distributed team of senior engineers and technical leaders delivering Enterprise Next-Gen Routers including Forwarding Plane and Platform features
• Review/Respond to Product Requirement Docs (PRDs)
• Lead a team to design and validate products according to system/software functional specifications
• Lead a high-performing team of engineers to deliver exceptional results by optimizing development workflows and championing an AI-centric approach to software delivery
• Manage and coordinate engineering execution across multiple Cisco Sites
• Partner with cross-functional teams including hardware, platform software, test, and product engineering to align milestones, schedules, and deliverables
• Oversee development quality including unit testing strategy, defect triage, release planning, and branch management
• Work closely with the field to successfully enable the products/solutions
• Drive quality improvements and operational efficiencies

Who You'll Work With

Enterprise Routing has one of the most successful businesses within Cisco and it has a dominant market share.  We’re the Platform team in Enterprise Routing Group and we’re responsible for delivering high quality products with schedule fidelity. Our team is involved in every stage of the product journey, from initial requirements and design to development and deployment. We also act as the ultimate escalation partner for the Cisco TAC team, providing expert, high-level resolution for the most sophisticated customer scenarios.

Who You Are

Minimum qualification

• Typically requires MSCS/EE combined with 5-7 years of related experience or BSCS/EE combined with 7-10+ years of experience
• 2-3 years of technical leadership (team lead, senior engineer mentoring others, or project ownership)
• Demonstrated ability to drive delivery of features/projects
• Strong understanding of computer networking concepts
• Strong knowledge of data structures and algorithms
• Experience with Linux systems programming
• Experience working on embedded systems or firmware
• Knowledge of memory management and performance optimization
• Experience with code version control, code reviews, and testing practices
• Strong communication skills across engineering and cross-functional teams

Desired Skills:

• Exposure to hardware-software integration (ASICs, SDKs)
• Able to handle multiple tasks at once and work independently with minimal managerial mentorship
• Be open to continuous learning and committed to ongoing self-improvementl

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 $149,100.00 to $218,900.00 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, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
• Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees
• Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)
• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

• .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;
• 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;
• 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and
• Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

$183,800.00 - $303,100.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$163,600.00 - $269,800.00

* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.

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