Leader, Software Engineering

Location: San Jose, California, US

Remote Type: Hybrid

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

The application window is expected to close on: 09/29/2026

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

Hybrid: Based in Milpitas, CA, being in the office 1 - 2 days a week.

Meet the Team

Cisco’s Security Business Group (SBG) is at the forefront of protecting the world’s most critical infrastructure. We are seeking a collaborative Engineering Manager to lead one of our Security Platform teams.

Your Impact:

• Security Platform Leadership: Lead cross-functional initiatives to define and implement unified policy outcomes across the SBG ecosystem. Challenge existing assumptions and use data-driven insights to advocate for innovative, scalable security solutions.

• Customer-Focused Delivery & Clarity: Drive clarity in ambiguous environments by distilling complex security challenges into actionable plans, ensuring the team remains focused on measurable customer outcomes.

• Technical Partnership & Architecture: Leverage your strong technical background and hands-on expertise to partner with Tech Leads, driving pragmatic, high-quality architectural solutions and collaborative decision-making.

• AI-Driven Software Delivery: Champion AI/ML integration into the platform workflow, utilizing your demonstrated hands-on experience to design solutions that boost efficiency and remove delivery barriers.

• Team Leadership: Foster a culture of high performance, inclusivity, and continuous learning. Mentor engineers, manage career development, and attract top-tier talent to build a world-class platform team.

• Cross-Functional Influence: Partner with Product, UX, and SBG business units to translate policy requirements into technical strategies that drive platform adoption and achieve shared Cisco/SBG goals.

• Risk Management: Proactively manage technical and project risks by navigating constant change and high-demand requirements through rigorous, continuous prioritization to ensure system stability and compliance.

• Executive Communication: Synthesize complex platform updates into clear, concise communications for senior leadership, representing engineering progress and strategic vision.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Experience: 8+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 3–5 years in a formal Engineering Management role leading high-performing, cross-functional teams.

• Technical Background: Experience delivering large-scale Java/GoLang, Data Engineering, Data Streaming, ADLC cloud-native AWS, services. Candidates must demonstrate deep technical fluency—beyond people management—to provide architectural oversight and design guidance.

• AI Proficiency: Demonstrated hands-on experience building and integrating AI/ML solutions into software workflows, including a clear understanding of the associated risks.

• Project Management: Proven ability to successfully lead and deliver 2–3 complex, high-impact initiatives simultaneously in a fast-paced, high-demand environment.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Communication & Influence: Strong executive presence with the ability to synthesize complex technical updates for senior leadership and drive consensus across multiple cross-functional business units.

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 $183,800.00 to $263,600.00 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:

$183,800.00 - $303,100.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$163,600.00 - $269,800.00

* 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.