Wireless Software Architect (Hybrid) at Cisco in Milpitas, CA

Wireless Software Architect (Hybrid) Location: Milpitas, California, US Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received. Meet the Team We are a focused group of engineers with deep wireless and algorithmexpertise, working within a larger organization responsible for Cisco's enterprise Wi-Fi access points. We combinethat expertisewith strong embedded software engineering, working closely together and moving fast. The problems we solve are real, spanning industries including industrial, medical, and smart office environments, and more. Rightnowwe are actively investing in Wi-Fi 8, device health intelligence, and Edge AI, bringing neural processing directly onto access points to enable real-time network intelligence and next generation physical AI applications. Your Impact •Design and develop next generation enterprise Wi-Fi access point software, focused on performance and reliability at the network edge. •Solve real world wireless challenges across industrial, medical, and smart office deployments, including dense client environments, robotic fleets, and mission critical IoT. •Work on Wi-Fi protocols (802.11ax/be/bn, MLO, OFDMA, MU-MIMO, 6 GHz / AFC), IoT stacks (802.15.4, BLE, Thread, Matter), and radio coexistence in dense, interference heavy environments. •Build and integrate Edge AI capabilities directly on access points using on device NPUs, including model optimization (quantization, pruning), inference frameworks (TFLite, ONNX Runtime), and real time ML pipelines for anomaly detection, RF intelligence, and network assurance. •Work closely with silicon vendors and platform teams to get the most out of advanced Wi-Fi 8 chipsets, including NPU and other offload paths. Minimum Qualification •PhD in Engineering or Computer Science with 3+ years of industry experience, orMaster'sdegree with 6+ years. •Strong understanding of Wireless technologies. •Proficiencyin C and/or C++ on embedded platforms •Experience with embedded systems, SoC integration, or Linux kernel/driver development •Comfortable working across software and hardware boundaries, from driver and firmware up through cloud platforms Preferred Qualifications •Background in Edge AI or embedded ML: on-device inference, model quantization, NPU/DSP acceleration, or real-time ML systems. •Understanding of wireless protocol stacks: 802.11, 802.15.4, BLE •Familiarity with Wi-Fi 7 / Wi-Fi 8 features •Experience using agentic coding tools (Codex, Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, or similar) and AIassisteddevelopment workflows in a production engineering environment. •Strong written and verbal communication; able to explain complex technical concepts across engineering and non-engineering audiences. 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 $165,000.00 to $241,400.00 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.