Principal Software Engineer, Cisco IQ Validation

Cisco

Confirmed live yesterday High trust

Remote Hybrid

Quick summary

Work type: Remote
Location: Raleigh, NC
Salary: $223,100–$301,100 / yr
Posted: 11 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live yesterday
Closes: Sep 30, 2026
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $196k

This role $262k

$124k most similar roles pay here $320k

This role pays more than 89% of similar roles. Most pay $174,600–$218,312 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $262k versus about $196k 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.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Software Engineer, Cisco IQ Validation

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Principal Software Engineer - Cisco IQ Validation serves as the primary technical authority for the Cisco IQ Validation framework. Joining a global team focused on mission-critical services, you will architect the future of network validation ecosystems by championing an Agentic AI-first approach to automate testing and lifecycle management during complex change cycles. You will define strategic visions for scalable backend services, establish standards for LLM-driven workflows and prompt engineering, and mentor other leaders to ensure architectural consistency. The role requires expertise in Python, Rust, or similar high-performance languages, along with experience in SD-WAN and data center infrastructure. Key technical requirements include building complex agentic workflows, managing cloud-agnostic distributed architectures across AWS and GCP, and utilizing tools like Terraform and Ansible to automate the validation of enterprise network environments and ensure stability during critical operational transitions.

What does a Software Engineer earn in North Carolina?

Median $173725 from 34 postings across 14 companies.

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Skills

Python Rust LLM Agentic AI Prompt Engineering SD-WAN Data Center Infrastructure AWS GCP Terraform Ansible infrastructure-as-code Software Architecture

What you'll do

Architect scalable backend services to automate the validation of complex SD-WAN and data center infrastructure.
Lead the strategic vision for an Agentic AI-first approach to automate network testing and lifecycle management.
Establish standards for LLM-driven workflows, MCP integrations, and complex prompt orchestration.
Define best practices for prompt engineering to ensure high-fidelity and secure AI-driven network validation outputs.
Mentor engineering leaders to ensure architectural consistency and long-term technical excellence across the organization.
Develop multi-year technical roadmaps in partnership with stakeholders to align with global innovation goals.
Advance infrastructure and deployment methodologies to improve system resilience for mission-critical network services.

What we're looking for

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.
15 years of experience in backend software architecture and core development using Python, Rust, or similar high-performance languages.
Experience in networking with expertise in SD-WAN, data center infrastructure, or related enterprise network technologies.
Experience architecting and deploying large-scale, AI-driven applications and complex agentic workflows.
Experience leading large-scale technical initiatives and influencing cross-functional engineering organizations through the full software development lifecycle.
Experience fine-tuning Large Language Models (LLMs) and deploying domain-specific AI architectures into production environments.
Proficiency in designing and managing cloud-agnostic, distributed architectures across AWS, GCP, and private cloud environments.
Experience with infrastructure-as-code and architectural automation using Terraform and Ansible.

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