Principal Software Engineer

About the role

The Mobility Engineering Control Plane team focuses on the development and management of Cisco's Mobility Services Control Plane (MSCP), a cloud-native, next-generation control plane designed to unify and simplify network management across multiple mobile network generations including 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G. This role serves as the technical and strategic lead for Cisco’s multi-million-dollar Service Provider programs, delivering 5G Standalone (SA) network solutions for Tier-1 North American Service Providers.

Responsibilities

• Drive the vision, strategy, and execution of packet core solutions, ensuring alignment with Cisco initiatives and evolving industry trends.
• Perform Strategic Leadership & Business Growth: Serve as the technical and strategic lead for Cisco’s multi-million-dollar Service Provider programs. Perform pre-sales efforts by conducting Proofs of Concept (POCs) and technical demonstrations to identify and capture new business opportunities. Partner with Services Delivery and Sales teams to define new offerings, scope project work, and develop accurate Level of Effort (LOE) estimates.
• Lead the design and deployment of 5G SA network architectures, specifically focusing on Cloud-Native Network Functions (CNF). Define new feature requirements for packet core mobility solutions, managing the interlock between Customer Experience (CX) delivery teams and internal Engineering groups. Drive global delivery teams to implement innovative automation frameworks, significantly increasing deployment efficiency.
• Oversee the build, launch, and operation of Tier-1 service provider networks by managing a diverse team of delivery architects, technical leaders, software engineers, and network consultants.
• Define and prioritize software releases and feature roadmaps in coordination with Product Management and Engineering to ensure timely support for critical customer programs. Establish robust program workflows and governance models to improve delivery efficiency and enhance the overall customer experience. Work with Project Managers to define timelines, allocate resources, and monitor key delivery achievements. Identify, assign, and review critical tasks for global teams to ensure execution excellence and strict alignment to project schedules.
• Serve as the primary executive escalation point, managing conflicts, mitigating risks, and driving multi-functional resolution for business-critical issues. Lead Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and executive-level program reviews with VPs and SVPs to report on progress, strategic initiatives, and business value. Facilitate customer workshops to drive product enablement, technology adoption, and long-term satisfaction. Collaborate with Engineering and R&R (Reliability & Resilience) teams to innovate operational processes, reduce OPEX, and perform root cause analysis on revenue-impacting issues.
• Lead globally distributed, cross-functional teams across multiple regions, ensuring high-quality, consistent delivery. Mentor and train new talent, fostering professional development to strengthen the broader Engineering organization. Drive multi-functional initiatives to ensure alignment and consistent customer satisfaction across all North American Service Provider programs.

Qualifications

• Bachelors + 15 years of related experience, or Masters + 12 years of related experience or PhD + 8 years of related experience.
• 3 + years of experience in design and deployment of 5G network.
• 3+ years of experience leading engineering initiatives from concept through delivery.

Skills

• Demonstrated experience managing and improving business-critical service operations, including revenue impacting Issues.
• Experience mentoring or guiding senior engineers and technical leaders.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with a track record of partnering effectively across teams.

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.

• New York City Metro Area: $231,400.00 - $381,600.00
• Non-Metro New York State & Washington State: $222,900.00 - $343,600.00

Pay

The starting salary range posted for this position is $222,900.00 to $295,200.00 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.

Schedule

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.