Leader, Technical Systems Engineering

Application window expected to close on 08/20/2026; posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or sufficient applications are received.

About the role

Cisco Network Engineering and Operations (NEO) is seeking a talented and experienced Technical Manager to lead and mentor a team of passionate engineers. The Technical Manager will play a pivotal role in driving the development and ongoing lifecycle of observability and automation capabilities used to run Cisco’s internal network. We are Customer Zero!

The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background in software engineering, excellent leadership skills, a proven track record of delivering high-quality software, and familiarity with networking. This is a hybrid role based in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, with the expectation of being on site at least one day per week.

Responsibilities

• Grow and mentor software engineers and technical leaders
• Deliver continuous feedback and performance review of engineers, with input from technical leads and senior leadership
• Track and facilitate progress on projects, adhering to Cisco IT’s “Ways of Working” (Agile)
• Help engineers grow their development skills including leveraging AI capabilities to scale
• Be a role model of company culture and values

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 8+ years of relevant experience, or Master’s degree in STEM with 6+ years, or PhD in STEM with 3+ years
• 3+ years of Engineering Management experience
• 5+ years of experience in Software Development (any language), with at least 2+ years of experience with Python specifically
• 1 year of AI-assisted software development is required
• 3+ years of applicable networking experience

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong technical background and good understanding of cloud-native technologies
• Experience interacting and working with customers/clients
• Experience managing independent, strong, dispersed, and diverse teams
• Strong networking background and certifications are a big plus
• History of full lifecycle management of applications

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.

Pay

The starting salary range for this position is $138,000.00 to $176,000.00 for new hires 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 specific locations is listed below:

• New York City Metro Area: $165,600.00 - $243,200.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $147,700.00 - $215,000.00

For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Basic life insurance
• Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment
• 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
• 4 paid days off for personal wellness
• Non-exempt employees receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period
• Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, with no defined limit on vacation time (subject to availability and business limitations)
• 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, with up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward
• 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 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, split between quota and non-quota components