Software Engineer, Infrastructure Automation - Hybrid

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

This position is based in North Carolina and operates under a hybrid work model.

Our team is at the forefront of infrastructure modernization, dedicated to building robust control planes that power our global operations. We function as the engine behind our infrastructure, creating software-driven workflows that enable scale, reliability, and velocity across our global regions in the US, APAC, and EMEA. Our group is a diverse, collaborative community of engineers who value technical excellence and innovative problem-solving. We are passionate about moving away from manual toil and toward a self-service model that empowers our internal customers. Joining us means being part of a team that is actively shaping the future of how we manage and automate complex infrastructure at scale. 

Develops software consistent with Cisco ‘Design Thinking Principles’ with a focus on simplification and UX (User Experience) at its core, using secure coding practices, ensuring user privacy, and following software development best practices. Partners with other teams including design and product management to create the right solution for the customers. Creates technical design documentation to be used by the team as well as contributing to user documentation to be used by end users. Debugs and addresses software issues during development and in production systems to support customers. Brings new ideas for product innovation and helps improve software development processes. Leads small-to-medium features from technical design through completion to ensure high-quality, reliable deliverables that support our global production environment. 

• Software Development & Innovation: Write functional, clean code and unit tests to build scalable control planes and automated infrastructure workflows, staying current on industry trends to drive product innovation.

• Technical Leadership & Collaboration: Lead small-to-medium features from design to completion, coordinate project timelines with stakeholders, and act as a technical resource and mentor for colleagues and interns.

• Operational Excellence: Perform coding, debugging, and troubleshooting in production environments, including on-call rotations, root cause analysis, and the application of secure coding principles to ensure system reliability.

• Strategic Execution: Work independently to execute the defined software engineering roadmap, track metrics for product adoption, and develop remediation plans to ensure timely delivery of high-quality design and deliverables.

• Developer Enablement & Automation Platform Support: Provide technical support and guidance for enterprise automation tools and platforms, enabling teams to adopt self-service capabilities, troubleshoot automation workflows, resolve platform issues, and continuously improve the developer experience through documentation, training, and process enhancements.

• Minimum 3 years of hands-on experience in software engineering, building and delivering scalable applications or platform services from design through production deployment.

• Proficiency in Python for developing backend services, APIs, automation frameworks, and infrastructure workflows.

• Hands-on experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation tools such as Terraform, Ansible, Argo Workflows/CD, or equivalent technologies.

• Experience with cloud infrastructure and virtualization platforms, such as OpenStack, VMware, Kubernetes, or similar cloud technologies.

• Working knowledge of RESTful APIs, microservices architecture, and distributed systems with an understanding of scalability, reliability, and observability principles.

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines, Git-based source control, and modern software development practices, including code reviews, automated testing, and release management.

• Strong background in infrastructure management and understanding of how software interacts with hardware/OS layers.

• Familiarity with Linux operating systems, networking fundamentals, and infrastructure troubleshooting in production environments.

• A proactive, problem-solving mindset with the ability to troubleshoot complex issues in production environments.

Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with experience working in cross-functional Agile teams to deliver customer-focused platform capabilities.
Experience mentoring junior engineers or interns and contributing to a culture of knowledge sharing.
Expert knowledge of secure coding principles and threat modeling.
 

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere. 

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you. 

Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location, market conditions, job-related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. The full salary range for certain locations is listed below. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.

U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks.  Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.

U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:

• 10 paid holidays per full calendar year, plus 1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees

• 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco

• Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees

• Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)

• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next

• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members

• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

For non-sales roles, employees are also eligible to earn annual bonuses subject to Cisco’s policies.

Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. For quota-based incentive pay, Cisco typically pays as follows:

• .75% of incentive target for each 1% of revenue attainment up to 50% of quota;

• 1.5% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 50% and 75%;

• 1% of incentive target for each 1% of attainment between 75% and 100%; and

• Once performance exceeds 100% attainment, incentive rates are at or above 1% for each 1% of attainment with no cap on incentive compensation.

For non-quota-based sales performance elements such as strategic sales objectives, Cisco may pay 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.

The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:

New York City Metro Area:

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.