This role pays more than
86%
of similar roles. Most pay
$174,600–$231,000
— the shaded band above.
At the midpoint, this role pays about
$262k
versus about
$203k
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
196 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$167,700–$245,200
across 196 roles with salary data.
As a Principal Software Engineer within the Cisco IQ Services and Applications team, you will serve as the primary technical authority shaping the architectural strategy for digital services. You will define the vision for the Cisco IQ Services framework by championing an Agentic AI-first approach to complex workflows, including automated network testing, seamless migrations, and post-quantum assessments. Your daily work involves establishing standards for LLM-driven workflows, MCP integrations, and advanced prompt orchestration to power intelligent backend systems. To succeed, you must possess extensive experience in back-end software architecture using Python or Rust, along with expertise in infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform and Ansible. The role requires deep knowledge of networking protocols, large-scale infrastructure management, and the deployment of domain-specific AI architectures across cloud-agnostic environments including AWS, GCP, and private clouds to solve complex technical challenges for enterprise customers.
What does a Software Engineer earn in North Carolina?
Median $173725 from 34 postings across 14 companies.
Define the architectural strategy for the Cisco IQ Services framework using an Agentic AI-first approach.
Establish standards for LLM-driven workflows, MCP integrations, and advanced prompt orchestration.
Develop intelligent backend systems to automate network testing, migrations, and post-quantum assessments.
Architect and deploy large-scale, AI-driven applications and complex agentic workflows.
Manage infrastructure-as-code and architectural automation using tools like Terraform and Ansible.
Lead large-scale technical initiatives across the full software development lifecycle.
Design and manage cloud-agnostic, distributed architectures across AWS, GCP, and private cloud environments.
What we're looking for
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
At least 15 years of experience in back-end software architecture and core development using Python, Rust, or similar high-performance languages.
Experience architecting and deploying large-scale, AI-driven applications and complex agentic workflows.
Experience with infrastructure-as-code and architectural automation tools like Terraform and Ansible.
Proven ability to lead large-scale technical initiatives and influence cross-functional engineering organizations through the full software development lifecycle.
Domain expertise in networking protocols, large-scale infrastructure management, and system-level design.
Experience fine-tuning Large Language Models (LLMs) and deploying domain-specific AI architectures into production.
Proficiency in designing and managing cloud-agnostic, distributed architectures across AWS, GCP, and private cloud environments.
Distributed Systems
Kubernetes
Kafka
Flink
Spark
Python
Go
Java
C++
SaaS
Lakehouse Architecture
Object Storage
Distributed SQL
Generative AI
Feature Stores
Data Governance