Description
The Catalyst Engineering IOS XE Platform Independent team at Cisco designs and develops high-performance system software for a wide range of Cisco platforms. As a Software Engineer, you will design and develop next-generation control-plane and data-plane software for Cisco IOS XE and its enterprise networking and security platforms.
Responsibilities:
- Lead large and complex features from requirements definition and architecture through implementation, validation, and production deployment.
- Drive technical decisions and system-level trade-offs for platform-independent database infrastructure.
- Establish standards for developing clean, secure, scalable, and maintainable software.
- Lead architecture, design, and code reviews, as well as threat-modeling and production-readiness assessments.
- Develop strategies, tools, and processes that improve software quality, reliability, performance, and engineering productivity.
- Resolve complex customer and production issues by leading root-cause analysis and implementing sustainable corrective actions.
- Partner with product management and engineering leaders to establish best practices, influence product roadmaps, and contribute to strategic technology decisions.
- Negotiate scope, architecture, timelines, and technical trade-offs with cross-functional stakeholders.
- Mentor senior engineers, strengthen knowledge-sharing practices, and develop technical leadership across the organization.
- Represent the team in technical forums and clearly communicate strategic priorities, risks, decisions, and outcomes to leadership.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree with 9+ years, or a Master’s degree with 6+ years, of relevant experience.
- Strong understanding of operating systems such as Linux, Unix, or RTOS, with experience in the Linux kernel, device drivers, and board support packages (BSPs).
- Proficiency in C programming and Python scripting for automation, tooling, code generation, and prototyping.
- Strong software engineering fundamentals, including modular design, clean coding, unit testing, and code reviews.
- Experience developing software or firmware for networking products.
- Excellent knowledge of software architecture and system design.
- Proven technical leadership experience guiding high-performing teams in designing and delivering high-quality features and solutions.
- Hands-on experience with generative AI assistants, natural language processing, and agentic AI technologies or frameworks such as OpenAI models, Gemini, and Model Context Protocol (MCP).
Preferred Qualifications:
- Hands-on experience with networking protocols such as TCP/IP, BGP, and OSPF, along with complex system architectures.
- Implementation experience in one or more of the following areas: high availability, inter-process communication, memory management, distributed communication infrastructure, serviceability, containers, or virtualization.
- Experience with NETCONF, RESTCONF, gRPC, Protocol Buffers, cloud technologies, or network automation.
- Familiarity with Cisco platforms, IOS XE, and hardware architecture.
- Cisco certifications such as CCNA, CCNP, or CCIE are a plus.