Job Description: Principal Engineer – Unified Communications (Webex Dedicated Instance)

Role Summary

The Principal Engineer - Unified Communications (UC) is the senior technical authority responsible for the architecture, design, and long-term strategy of the enterprise Unified Communications environment leveraging Cisco Webex Dedicated Instance (DI). This role provides deep hands-on expertise across voice, video, messaging, and contact center integrations while setting standards for scalability, resilience, security, and operational excellence.

The Principal Engineer partners closely with Network Engineering, Collaboration, Security, Cloud, and Business teams to ensure the UC platform supports mission-critical communication needs across a global, distributed organization.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Serve as the primary technical authority for the Unified Communications platform built on Cisco Webex Dedicated Instance.
• Define and maintain UC architecture standards, reference designs, and best practices.
• Lead the design of complex UC solutions including Call Control (CUCM), Unity Connection, IM & Presence, Expressway, Webex App integration, and hybrid/cloud connectivity.
• Evaluate Cisco roadmaps, Webex DI releases, and new collaboration capabilities; provide strategic recommendations and adoption plans.
• Own enterprise UC technical standards and approve deviations from architectural baselines.

Platform Engineering & Operations

• Design, build, and operate highly available, secure, and scalable UC environments.
• Lead advanced troubleshooting and root-cause analysis for complex voice, video, and signaling issues.
• Establish operational standards for monitoring, alerting, capacity planning, and performance optimization.
• Drive platform stability through proactive lifecycle management, upgrades, and configuration governance.
• Serve as final technical escalation authority for cross-domain UC incidents impacting multiple business units.

Voice, Video & Call Routing

• Architect enterprise voice solutions including SIP, PSTN connectivity, call routing, survivability, and global dial plans.
• Ensure high-quality voice and video experiences through proper QoS design, codec selection, and network alignment.
• Provide expertise in emergency services (E911), call admission control, and location-based services.

Integrations & Hybrid Connectivity

• Architect integrations between Webex DI and on-prem systems, cloud services, SBCs, and third-party platforms.
• Provide technical leadership on identity, authentication, directory integration, and SSO.
• Support integrations with contact center platforms, recording, compliance, and analytics solutions.

Security, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure UC designs meet enterprise security, privacy, and regulatory requirements.
• Partner with Security teams to define access controls, encryption standards, certificate management, and audit practices.
• Establish governance models for configuration changes, feature enablement, and vendor management.

Mentorship & Technical Influence

• Mentor and coach UC and network engineers; elevate overall technical capability.
• Lead architectural reviews, design forums, and post-incident reviews.