As a Senior Software Engineer in Cisco’s Distributed System Engineering group, you will join the SONiC Optics team to develop and integrate optical subsystems into next-generation networking systems. Your daily tasks include enhancing software modules within SONiC for pluggable optics and Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), contributing to platform adaptation layers interfacing with hardware components like ASICs and BMCs, and implementing drivers and APIs for optics management. You will collaborate closely with hardware teams to expose device capabilities through software interfaces and validate performance characteristics of optical solutions. Additionally, you will design scalable software components, engage in unit testing and automation efforts, and contribute to the SONiC open-source community. The role requires expertise in C/C++/Python, Linux-based systems, networking protocols, and debugging tools for distributed or embedded environments, with a preference for experience with SONiC, optics technologies, hardware-software interfaces, and CI/CD pipelines.
Skills
Python
C/C++
Linux
SONiC
Docker
Kubernetes
CI/CD
Telemetry
Networking Protocols(L2/L3)
Debugging Tools
Containerization Technologies
Terraform
PostgreSQL
Git
Open Source Contribution
What you'll do
Develop and enhance software modules within SONiC to support optical subsystems.
Implement platform adaptation layers for interfacing SONiC with hardware components like ASICs and BMCs.
Assist in validating performance, reliability, and thermal characteristics of optics solutions.
Contribute to the design of scalable software components for managing optical systems.
Participate in debugging system-level issues across software and hardware boundaries.
What we're looking for
5+ years of software development experience
Minimum 3 years of Linux-based systems and system-level programming (C/C++/Python)
2+ years of networking protocols experience (L2/L3, switching, routing)
Experience with debugging tools in distributed or embedded systems environments
Familiarity with hardware-software interfaces and platform abstraction layers
Knowledge of telemetry, monitoring systems, and data plane/control plane interactions
Experience with CI/CD pipelines and automated testing
Market check
Salary context
This
$165,000–$241,400
range sits above
72%
of similar postings on FindRole.
Peer median band
$129,650–$214,950
Median floor and ceiling across peers.
Typical midpoint (25–75%)
$140,714–$213,562
Middle half of comparable postings.
Based on 240 comparable postings.*
* 240 is the maximum number of comparable postings sampled.
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
103 open roles
on FindRole.
Listed pay typically runs
$165,000–$241,400
across 103 roles with salary data.
Remote (Usa-San Jose, US)108 days ago
$165,000–$277,600
SONiC-NOS
Wireshark
Python
C++
Linux
GDB
IXIA
Spirent
High Speed Serdes
MAC ports
PRBS
ANLT analyzers
L2 switching
networking protocols
Cisco Silicon One