Site Reliability Engineer, Linux (Remote)

The application window is expected to close on 09/29/2026. This is a remote role based out of the US.

About the role

The Linux SRE team at Cisco serves as the foundational backbone of our infrastructure, responsible for the OS configuration, automation, and base images that power our global hybrid environment. We manage the critical layer across 6,000 servers as they transition into a modern Kubernetes ecosystem, ensuring stability from the kernel up. Our team is a tight-knit group of systems experts who thrive on solving complex, low-level debugging challenges while maintaining high-velocity automation. We are currently tackling the exciting evolution of our infrastructure, migrating from legacy monoliths to isolated, scalable repositories that define the future of operations. It is a dynamic environment where deep technical ownership is valued and every engineer has the autonomy to shape our operational standards.

The Site Reliability Engineer (Linux) role is the critical link between our low-level infrastructure and high-level service delivery, ensuring the stability of 6,000+ servers as we transition to Kubernetes. You will take full ownership of our OS configuration and automation strategy, serving as a key driver in reducing operational toil for the entire engineering organization. By working across the full stack—from kernel modules to container orchestration—you will directly influence the reliability and security of the Meraki platform. This role offers the unique opportunity to lead infrastructure modernization projects that move us from legacy management to a scalable, automated future.

Responsibilities

• Automate Linux host lifecycle management, including configuration, patching, and image creation, to ensure consistent and reliable deployments across our hybrid environment.
• Migrate Ansible components from our existing monorepo into isolated, purpose-built repositories to improve maintainability and accelerate infrastructure delivery.
• Debug complex production issues across OS, performance, and service layers to minimize downtime and enhance the overall stability of our network services.
• Design, build, and improve infrastructure tooling that increases engineering velocity and streamlines adoption of best practices.
• Partner with security and compliance teams to embed FedRAMP requirements into our infrastructure-as-code, ensuring that secure practices are built into every deployment.
• Lead the transition of workloads to Kubernetes clusters by optimizing container base images and host configurations to support our evolving service architecture.
• Own the reliability of critical infrastructure end to end, iterating and adapting as necessary to evolving requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in STEM and 5+ years of relevant experience, or Master's degree in STEM and 3+ years of relevant experience or equivalent related work experience.
• 5+ years of experience working with Linux in a production environment.
• Experience with Python or Ruby for infrastructure automation and scripting.
• Experience with Ansible for configuration management at scale.
• Experience debugging complex system issues across OS, performance, and service layers.
• Must be a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent resident, asylee, or refugee) due to potential work in FedRAMP High or IL-5 environments; some work may be limited to U.S. citizens on U.S. soil.

Qualifications

• Experience with Kubernetes cluster management and containerization (Docker).
• Knowledge of systems-level languages such as Go or C.
• Familiarity with compliance frameworks like FedRAMP or NIST.
• Ability to lead technical projects from ambiguous requirements to production.

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.
• Cisco restricted stock units (RSUs) with vesting schedules.
• Paid time away: 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; 80 hours of sick time off on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, with up to 80 hours carry‑over.
• Non‑exempt employees receive 16 days of paid vacation per full calendar year (accrued at 4.92 hours per pay period); exempt employees participate in flexible vacation time off program with no defined limit.
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer.
• Eligibility for annual bonuses (non‑sales roles) and performance‑based incentive pay (sales roles) per Cisco policies.

Pay

The starting salary range for this position is $128,600.00 to $184,900.00 for new hires in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation, equity, or benefits. Individual pay is determined by hiring location, market conditions, job‑related skillset, experience, qualifications, education, certifications, and/or training. Location‑specific full salary ranges are:

• New York City Metro Area: $155,000.00 – $256,000.00
• Non‑Metro New York State & Washington State: $138,100.00 – $227,900.00

For quota‑based sales roles, the posted ranges include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined. Employees in Illinois participate in a unique time‑off program to meet local requirements.