Principal Product Manager - Network Operating System Strategy & Routing Innovation

Application window expected to close on 09/10/2026; posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or sufficient applications are received.

About the Team

The Provider Connectivity Software and Architectures product management team drives the routing software, automation portfolio, and network architectures strategy and roadmap for Cisco’s service provider, cloud, and large-scale infrastructure customers. Our mission is to lead the market towards autonomous networking with next-generation routing, automation, and architectures, ensuring our infrastructure meets the extensive scale and performance demands of the AI era. By bridging groundbreaking developments in silicon and optics with sophisticated routing technologies and AIOps, we design the resilient, agile network foundations vital to power critically important workloads.

Guided by Cisco’s Guiding Principles—specifically our commitment to innovate together and prioritize customer success—we translate complex, long-term technical visions into tangible market leadership, ensuring our infrastructure remains the intelligent, robust engine for our customers' most ambitious digital transformations. Our team focuses on advancing Cisco’s routing and automation portfolio, including leadership across software technologies, network operating systems, automation, and end-to-end strategic architectures. We collaborate closely with customers, partners, standards organizations, and open-source communities to address complex networking challenges and deliver secure, resilient, and operationally efficient solutions at scale.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Vision & Roadmap: Define the long-term roadmap for routing software technologies and operating systems (including IOS XR and SONiC), ensuring alignment across hardware platforms, Cisco Cloud Control, Crosswork automation, and observability.
• Industry Influence & Thought Leadership: Serve as the primary voice for Cisco’s routing innovation by representing our interests in standards bodies (IETF, SONiC community), engaging with executive-level strategic customers, and driving industry discourse through publications and conferences.
• Multi-functional Execution: Partner directly with engineering, sales, and business unit leaders to prioritize investments and deliver differentiated, scalable software solutions that translate technical foresight into commercial success.

Requirements

• 15+ years of professional experience in networking software, routing technologies, and network operating systems.
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or similar STEM field.
• Expertise in one or more of the following core networking domains and protocols: IOS XR, SONiC, Linux-based network operating systems, Segment Routing (SR-MPLS/SRv6), EVPN/VXLAN, MPLS, BGP, IS-IS, OSPF, network security, model-driven programmability (YANG, NETCONF, gNMI), and cloud-native software architectures.
• History of defining long-term technology strategies and successfully translating them into product roadmaps.
• Established reputation as an industry-inspiring leader with a track record of participation in technical committees, patents, and/or major industry forums.
• Executive communication skills with the ability to influence customers, engineering teams, partners, analysts, and senior leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience contributing to or leading open-source communities and global networking standards.
• Deep experience with cloud-native software architectures and AI-driven infrastructure operations.
• Proven ability to build and maintain trusted relationships with the world’s largest service providers and cloud operators.

About 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.

Pay

The starting salary range for this position is $233,900.00 to $330,400.00 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.

Full salary ranges for specific locations:

• New York City Metro Area: $233,900.00 - $380,000.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $220,900.00 - $344,300.00

For quota-based sales roles, the ranges include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan with Cisco matching contribution
• Paid parental leave
• Short- and long-term disability coverage
• Basic life insurance
• Eligibility for grants of Cisco restricted stock units, vesting over time
• Paid time off:
  • 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: 16 days of paid vacation per full calendar year (accrued at 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees)
  • Exempt employees: Flexible vacation time off with no defined limit (subject to business availability)
  • 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 for critical or emergency family issues
  • Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer
• Annual bonuses for non-sales roles (subject to Cisco’s policies)
• For sales roles: Performance-based incentive pay split between quota and non-quota components, with specific payout structures based on revenue attainment.