Senior Software Engineer - AI / Agentic Automation

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

The Cisco IQ and Validation team is developing AI-powered capabilities that transform how network validation and automation are performed. Our engineers work across Agentic AI, LLMs, MCP, A2A, backend services, workflow orchestration, and cloud-native technologies to build production-ready solutions. We are a collaborative global team of engineers, architects, AI specialists, and network automation experts solving complex technical problems together. This is an opportunity to work hands-on with emerging AI technologies while building software that directly contributes to the evolution of Cisco IQ and Validation.

Design, develop, test, deploy, and operate production-grade backend services and AI-enabled automation capabilities for Validation. Build agentic workflows where LLMs interact with tools, APIs, execution engines, and network environments to perform validation activities. Develop and integrate MCP and A2A capabilities, agent routing, tool invocation, workflow orchestration, approval-gated actions, and streaming execution events. Troubleshoot complex issues across application, API, database, workflow, infrastructure, and runtime layers to ensure reliable production operation. Mentor engineers and contribute to technical designs, engineering practices, and continuous improvements across the team.

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience in backend, full-stack, automation, or distributed systems development.
• Bachelor's degree in STEM + 7 years of professional experience developing, deploying, and maintaining production software or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of production-level Python development experience. Experience with Go, Rust, TypeScript, React, Node.js, .NET, PostgreSQL, Redis, Kafka, or similar technologies.
• 2+ years of experience building REST APIs, database-backed services, distributed workflows, or event-driven applications.
• 2+ years of experience with Generative AI, LLMs, Agentic AI(multi-agent systems), AI tool integrations, or AI-enabled application development.
• 2+ years of hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD, cloud-native deployment, or production software operations.

* Experience building multi-agent systems, including planner/executor patterns, agent handoffs, state management, retries, checkpointing, or durable workflows.

* Experience implementing MCP or A2A integrations, including tool discovery, schemas, authentication, context propagation, streaming, or approval workflows.

* Experience with LangChain, LangGraph, or similar AI/agent development frameworks.

* Experience with network automation, device connectivity, testing/validation platforms, or infrastructure automation.

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.

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 ofunused sick timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto 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:

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

* 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.