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Cisco Principal Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

... principal engineers, elevating technical leadership and architectural consistency • Represent Cisco externally through industry forums, standards bodies, patents, publications, and strategic ...

Overview The Security Principal Engineer provides technical leadership, guidance and mentorship for ... Expert knowledge of Cisco Routers (ISR GEN1/2), Switches (including NEXUS and Catalyst Line ...

Overview The Security Principal Engineer provides technical leadership, guidance and mentorship for ... Expert knowledge of Cisco Routers (ISR GEN1/2), Switches (including NEXUS and Catalyst Line ...

Overview The Security Principal Engineer provides technical leadership, guidance and mentorship for ... Expert knowledge of Cisco Routers (ISR GEN1/2), Switches (including NEXUS and Catalyst Line ...

The Security Principal Engineer provides technical leadership, guidance and mentorship for a team ... Expert knowledge of Cisco Routers (ISR GEN1/2), Switches (including NEXUS and Catalyst Line ...

Principal Software Engineer

Fulton, MD · On-site

$222K - $295K/yr

Meet the Team Cisco & Splunk are here to build a safer and more resilient digital world. The world ... Your Impact * As a Principal Engineer, you willbe responsible forchartering the vision and ...

New

Responsibilities In this role, you will serve as Lead Principal Engineer for a Multi-Level Secure ... Utilize expertise in Cisco technologies, including routers, switches, firewalls, and other ...

Responsibilities In this role, you will serve as Lead Principal Engineer for a Multi-Level Secure ... Utilize expertise in Cisco technologies, including routers, switches, firewalls, and other ...

Responsibilities In this role, you will serve as Lead Principal Engineer for a Multi-Level Secure ... Utilize expertise in Cisco technologies, including routers, switches, firewalls, and other ...

Sr. Principal Engineer

Fremont, CA

$137K - $189K/yr

We are looking for a Senior Principal Network Engineer to join our team in one of today's most ... Configure and provide ongoing support for Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASAs). * Work ...

Sr. Principal Engineer

Fremont, CA · On-site

$137K - $189K/yr

We are looking for a Senior Principal Network Engineer to join our team in one of today's most ... Configure and provide ongoing support for Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASAs). * Work ...

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Cisco Principal Engineer information

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$74K

$147.2K

$212.5K

How much do cisco principal engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for cisco principal engineer in the United States is $147,220.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $118,500.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a Cisco Principal Engineer typically collaborate with cross-functional teams within large-scale projects?

As a Cisco Principal Engineer, you will frequently collaborate with cross-functional teams, including product managers, solution architects, software developers, and customer support specialists. Your role often involves providing technical leadership, aligning project goals, and ensuring that architectural standards are met throughout the project lifecycle. Effective communication and mentorship skills are essential, as you'll guide teams through complex problem-solving and facilitate knowledge sharing. This collaborative environment helps drive innovation and ensures successful project delivery.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Cisco Principal Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Cisco Principal Engineer, you need deep expertise in network architecture, advanced troubleshooting, and extensive experience with Cisco technologies, often supported by certifications like CCIE. Familiarity with network management tools, automation platforms, and security systems is typically required. Outstanding leadership, strategic thinking, and effective communication skills help you guide teams and collaborate with stakeholders. These abilities are crucial for designing robust solutions, leading complex projects, and driving innovation in networking environments.

What are Cisco Principal Engineers?

Cisco Principal Engineers are senior-level technical experts who play a critical role in designing, developing, and implementing advanced networking solutions. They are recognized as authorities in their field and often lead large, complex projects, mentor other engineers, and help set technical strategy within Cisco. Their responsibilities include solving challenging technical problems, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and influencing the direction of Cisco’s products and technologies. To become a Principal Engineer at Cisco, extensive experience, deep technical knowledge, and strong leadership skills are typically required.

What is the difference between Cisco Principal Engineer vs Cisco Network Architect?

AspectCisco Principal EngineerCisco Network Architect
Required CredentialsCCNP, CCIE, extensive experience in networkingCCNP, CCIE, strong design and planning skills
Work EnvironmentHands-on technical roles, troubleshooting, implementationDesign, planning, and architecture of network solutions
Employer & Industry UsageLarge enterprises, service providers, Cisco partnersEnterprises, consulting firms, network design companies

The Cisco Principal Engineer focuses on advanced technical implementation and troubleshooting, while the Cisco Network Architect specializes in designing network solutions and strategies. Both roles require similar certifications and are vital in enterprise and service provider environments, but they differ mainly in their focus on hands-on technical work versus strategic design.

More about Cisco Principal Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Cisco Principal Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Cisco Principal Engineer job openings:
Infographic showing various Cisco Principal Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 91% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,220 per year, or $70.8 per hour.
Principal Engineer (Golang, Distributed Systems) - Isovalent Secure Workload team

Principal Engineer (Golang, Distributed Systems) - Isovalent Secure Workload team

Cisco

Milpitas, CA • Hybrid

$231K - $331K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 13 days ago


Cisco Systems rating

8.0

Company rating: 8.0 out of 10

Based on 42 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

46th of 142 rated electronics manufacturers


Job description

The application window is expected to close on: 07/15/2026

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

This position is Hybrid, requiring attendance at our Milpitas office approximately one day per week, or as needed.

Meet the Team

Iovalent, now part of Cisco, is the company founded by the creators of Cilium and eBPF.Cisco Secure Workload is a flagship security product offering workload protection, micro-segmentation, and is part of the Hybrid Mesh Firewall solution. Cisco Isovalent and Cisco Secure Workload are together building the next generation of products for securing workloads and AI infrastructure.

We believe in fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where every team member feels valued, respected, and empowered. We believe that every employee contributes to our success, and we are committed to fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply and join us in our mission to deliver exceptional products and services.

Your Impact

We are a highly dynamic engineering organization that works on building software for workload security products that cater to highly complex and scalable customer environments to protect their crown jewel application workloads from increasingly complex threat vectors.

As a Principal Engineer with our Backend Services team, you will work with and provide technical leadership to a team of highly motivated engineers working on solutions to ship or deploy for our customers, with a focus on improving Scale, Performance, Reliability, Robustness, and, most importantly, Security.

In this role you'll act as a SME, advising on technical vision, roadmaps, leadership, and make architectural contributions in backend services that:

  • Collect and process telemetry at scale from data sources in customer environments
  • React to changes in environment and render policies in highly scalable manner to large number of enforcement points
  • Implement API endpoints that need to respond with minimal latencies even when crunching large volumes of data.
  • Will be deployed in highly complex distributed system environments and involve failure modes unique to those environments.
Minimum Qualifications
  • At least 10+ years' experience building software systems in one or more programming languages such as Go, C++, or Java.
  • At least 5+ years in a technical leadership role in a software engineering environment
  • Masters + 10 years related experience, or Bachelors + 12 years of related experience, or PhD + 5 years related experience or equivalent related work experience; degree to be in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field.
  • Agile experience
Preferred Qualifications
  • Proficiency in Computer Science foundational areas, including algorithms, systems, databases, performance engineering and security architecture
  • Schema/Data modeling design experience
  • Experience with large-scale event processing architectures
  • Experience in systems programming and performance engineering
  • Experience working with security architecture and database design
  • Kubernetes experience
  • Experience programming using cloud APIs for AWS, Azure, or GCP
  • A technical leader who embraces agile methodologies that involve rapid prototyping by feedback gathered from customers, peers and technical solution architects, customer enablement engineers and support engineers.
  • A software engineering technical leader enjoys architecting, designing, analyzing, and brainstorming solutions that improve the product and produce customer-facing capabilities.
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, 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:

$231,400.00 - $381,600.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$222,900.00 - $343,600.00

* 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.


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About Cisco Systems

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Cisco Systems, a global tech titan based in San Jose, CA, US, operates in the information technology and services industry. Founded in 1984, the company was derived from a project between two computer scientists from Stanford University. They aimed to connect different networks of computer systems at the university, resulting in the first multi-protocol router, and subsequently, the birth of Cisco. As an industry-leading manufacturer of networking hardware and telecommunications equipment, Cisco's product and services range includes routers, switches, firewall devices, and telecommunication technology. The company's mission, "to shape the future of the Internet by creating unprecedented value and opportunity for our customers, employees, investors, and ecosystem partners," is a testament to its pursuit of technology-forward innovation and customer satisfaction.

Industry

Computer and computer peripheral equipment and software wholesalers

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

San Jose, CA, US

Year founded

1984

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