Job Description

Meet the Team



The Distributed Systems Engineering group is Cisco Networking organization that champions new methodologies and builds and tests scalable software solutions that interact with widely deployed Internet products, thereby touching an endless number of users worldwide.

Our products lead the service provider industry with most of the world's largest deployments, and we promise you the real-world class experience with a world class team. Be a part of the Cisco organization that is driving the evolution and expansion into new technology areas and market segments. Join us and work on hardware and software that will run the Internet for foreseeable future.



Your Impact



As a Software Developer in Test (SDET), you will be part of Cisco's Distributed Systems Engineering team, responsible for developing automation and test frameworks to ensure the quality and reliability of complex network software systems. In this role, you will design, implement, and maintain scalable automation environments and continuous deployment pipelines using Python and Pytest. You will collaborate closely with software development and system engineering teams to build robust, efficient, and reusable automation solutions that validate software releases intended for deployment in production environments.

As a core team member of this group, you would be responsible for the test automation development and execution of the next generation of routing& packet-optical products for the Service Provider& Web OTT segment.

Minimum Qualifications:

BS/MS/PhD degree (or equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline. Minimum of 3+ years hands-on experience in software development for distributed systems, ideally within networking domains. Experience developing test automation and test suites for networking devices -- whether through CLI-based testing or controller/API-driven interactions Demonstrative experience with Python and with Pytest for automation in CI/CD environments, leveraging tools like Git, Jenkins, and open-source test frameworks.

Preferred Qualifications



Familiar with network protocols such as TCP/IP, ISIS, OSPF, BGP. Proven contributions to test automation development and framework, open-source projects, or internal automation initiatives. Hands-on experience with traffic generation tools such as IXIA or Spirent, including work in virtualized test environments. Experience and/or familiarity with AI/ML tools for testing You can demonstrate your passion for building scalable, reliable systems and thrive in a collaborative environment that values innovation, quality, and continuous improvement. Able to share examples that you are a collaborative team player with strong ownership, accountability, and a results-oriented mindset.

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 $113,500.00 to $161,400.00 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 employeesreceive 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:

$152,500.00 - $252,000.00

Non-Metro New York state& Washington state:

$135,800.00 - $224,400.00

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.