The application window is expected to close on:

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

This is a hybrid opportunity based out of Cisco's San Jose office.

Meet the Team

Cisco Cloud Control: Cisco Cloud Control is redefining how enterprises operate - a unified, AI-native platform that brings Networking, Security, Observability, Compute, and Collaboration under a single, intelligent management pane. We are a high-velocity team with outsized scope and executive backing. We ship iteratively, measure relentlessly, and obsess over time-to-value for customers and the ecosystem alike.

Your Impact

Join our team to shape and deliver the user experience for Cisco Cloud Control—Cisco’s next-generation AI-powered cloud management platform. As a Principal engineer you will:

• Build services and libraries for a model-driven, multi-tenant application platform for consumption by first party and third party developers as well as end customers

• Design and implement stream-processing data pipelines for events, CDC, and near-real-time data movement.

• Translate declarative models into platform behavior such as APIs, schemas, validation, permissions, and runtime contracts.

• Build reusable platform capabilities that application teams consume rather than one-off services.

• Design tenant isolation, access-control boundaries, quotas, and operational guardrails into the platform by default.

• Improve developer experience through clear APIs, code generation, testing patterns, operational tooling, and spec-driven GitHub workflows.

• Partner with product and application teams to turn ambiguous requirements into concrete, testable increments.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 15 years of experience, Master’s with 12 years, or PhD with 8 years of relevant experience.

• Ability to build and operate scalable, highly distributed multi-tenant systems with strict isolation and security boundaries.

• Expertise in stream-processing architectures using Kafka or equivalent technologies, including experience with Change Data Capture (CDC) systems like Kafka Connect.

• Experience in building external-facing developer platforms or infrastructure-focused products.

• Proficiency in end-to-end system design (including observability, failure handling, and ergonomics) and the implementation of complex authorization models such as RBAC, ABAC, or policy-based enforcement.

Preferred Qualifications:

• An AI-first mindset paired with the ability to exercise sound technical judgment and decompose vague, complex problems into well-scoped, actionable deliverables.

• Experience building shared infrastructure, abstractions, and "paved roads" that enhance productivity across engineering teams.

• Proficiency in spec-driven and schema-driven development, including the use of code generation, strongly typed API contracts, and implementation traceability.

• Understanding of the unique architecture and operational constraints associated with both SaaS and on-premise deployment models.

• Ability to mentor immediate team members while effectively driving technical decision-making across cross-functional and cross-organizational boundaries.

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 $231,400.00 to $331,800.00 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