Software Engineering Technical Leader

Cisco

Remote Actively hiring Posted this week Verified listing

San Jose, CA Posted 3 days ago Apply by Aug 1, 2026 $210,600–$305,100 / year

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99+ other roles within 25 mi Near San Jose, CA

Market check

Salary context

Above market

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $181k

This role $258k

$121k most similar roles pay here $325k

This role pays more than 97% of similar roles. Most pay $149,950–$212,077 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $258k versus about $181k 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 134 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $168,800–$241,400 across 134 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR

Join Cisco’s cloud security team as a senior architect responsible for designing and evolving high-performance data planes using VPP to secure large-scale distributed systems. You will lead the development of packet processing architectures that ensure performance, scalability, and reliability while contributing to the VPP open-source ecosystem. Key tasks include defining benchmarks, securing traffic in distributed environments, leading cross-team initiatives, applying AI-driven practices for observability, mentoring engineers, and driving systemic improvements through root cause analysis. Ideal candidates have extensive experience with C/C++, packet processing, networking, and cloud security data planes, along with a background in VPP/DPDK technologies and delivering complex systems in production.

Skills

VPP C/C++ DPDK Distributed Systems Cloud Security Data Plane AI/AIOps Observability Anomaly Detection Root Cause Analysis Mentorship Open Source Contribution Networking Packet Processing Linux

What you'll do

Lead the design and development of large-scale cloud security data plane systems using VPP.
Define and drive performance benchmarks for security workloads in distributed environments.
Design secure traffic processing systems across distributed cloud infrastructures.
Drive meaningful contributions to the VPP open-source ecosystem with features and optimizations.
Apply AI/AIOps practices for observability, anomaly detection, and operational efficiency.
Mentor engineers and guide best practices in design and implementation.

What we're looking for

6+ years of C/C++ development experience in packet processing and networking.
Expertise in designing and implementing large-scale cloud security data planes.
Experience with VPP (Vector Packet Processing) and DPDK technologies.
Strong background in distributed systems, performance benchmarks, and scalability.
Proven track record of contributing to open-source projects like VPP.
Ability to mentor engineers and guide best practices in system design and implementation.