Software Engineer - Networking at Cisco in North Carolina

Software Engineer - Networking Location: RTP, North Carolina, US The application window is expected to close on: 05/18/2026 Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received. This is an onsite role based in the Research Triangle Park, NC office. While the team may have hybrid days, this is at the discretion of the team and is subject to change at any time. Meet the Team Cisco Silicon One is the center of Cisco’s ASIC design and is driving the development of next-generation network devices for the 5G and AI era. Our outstanding team works in a startup atmosphere within a stable and leading corporate environment, and our design center hosts all silicon Hardware and Software development fields under one roof. Our devices are crafted for universal adaptability, delivering high speed without sacrificing programmability, buffering, power efficiency, scale, or feature flexibility. The Cisco Silicon One team develops breakthrough silicon products. We enable the use of these innovative products in the fast-paced world of Open Standards, Open Networking, and massively Scalable Cloud Data Centers. If you want to work with amazing people and innovative customers developing the next generation of elite products, join us! Our team develops the full software stack enabling the Silicon One network processors. We work with the Open Standards community and our incredible customers to deliver best in class routing and switching platforms. Work also with architecture and design teams to define the next generation of ASIC products being developed. You will work cross-functionally with ASIC teams, customer engineering teams to understand and prioritize features, capabilities. These platforms play a key role in the emerging field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. We work with subject-matter experts around the world who share a common mission to deliver world-class products and to have fun doing it! Your Impact In this role, you will be tasked with designing, developing and testing software features for control plane and data plane on Cisco’s Silicon One NPU. You'll develop core software technologies at the heart of tomorrow's leading infrastructure solutions, taking on the entire range of challenges from user-facing APIs, through high-level algorithms, all the way down to firmware. You will design and develop software driving the world's most advanced infrastructures, using modern C++ and Python. As the SME of specific areas of development on the NPU you will take complete ownership of delivering software features in these areas in a timely manner and with outstanding quality. You will gain intimate knowledge of the Silicon One hardware architecture, software programming models and work with the architecture and design teams to define the next generation of ASIC products being developed. You will serve as the subject-matter expert for multicast on Silicon One, owning features such as PIM, IGMP/MLD snooping, multicast replication, and MVPN. You will also augment the team on L2 switching features and platform infrastructure as needed Minimum Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related degree and 7+ years of experience in an Engineering role or Master's degree with 4+ years of related experience. Experience in C++ and Python. Experience with ASIC/NPU SDK development or dataplane/forwarding plane programming. Experience with networking protocols and technologies. Preferred Qualifications Experience in analytical reasoning and debugging, with practical experience in using tools such as GDB, PDB, etc. Experience with cloud, data center, or edge networking products Experience with writing and testing software for high performing and scalable networking products. Experience with Layer 2/3 networking protocols, with specific depth in multicast (PIM, IGMP/MLD). Why Cisco? 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. Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada: The starting salary range posted for this position is $137,000.00 to $200,500.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits. 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: $165,000.00 - $277,600.00 Non-Metro New York state & Washington state: $146,700.00 - $247,000.00 * 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.