Software Engineering Technical Leader
Cisco
eMeet the Team
Outshift by Cisco is the emerging tech incubation group that explores, identifies, and creates new businesses for Cisco. We are passionate about being at the cutting edge of technology, taking Cisco into new markets and building exciting products that solve tomorrow’s biggest challenges.
Like a startup, we take an entrepreneurial approach to success. We incubate ideas into products that solve critical needs, then deliver an experience that delights users and customers from MVP to full-blown commercial offering.
Outshift is about innovation. We look from 12 months out to five years into the future, flexibly working to solve problems instead of fitting into a defined job description. We celebrate learning, and expect our teams to fail fast, challenging assumptions and finding new ways of solving problems.
Outshifters enjoy gaining experience across a breadth of technological and business challenges and can expect to shift across products/problems and build new skills regularly.
We’re building the next wave of startup-like innovation with the support of a trusted name like Cisco. Where else will you get to do this? Come create with us.
Learn more about us at outshift.com.
Your Impact
The Outshift team is highly visible within Cisco as it's leading the future innovation for the business. As part of the Cisco Corporate Strategy, Development and Incubation group, you will be working with some of the organization’s most forward thinkers.
We’re looking for a Software Engineering Technical Leader that enjoys wearing many hats: a technical leader able to rally internal partners to execute on a deadline, at your best when mentoring and guiding team members, as well as a self-starter that’s willing to jump headfirst into the codebase and start creating or improving it immediately.
In this role, you can expect to work with engineering, design, product, marketing, in defining and executing our products plans & open source initiatives.
Minimum Qualifications:
- At least 5 years of experience as a software engineer.
- At least 2 years of experience guiding technical decisions or leading engineering projects and being able to design systems that are easy to scale, understand, and maintain.
- Degree in Computer Science, Engineering or equivalent work experience.
- Strong experience building modern, cloud-based software.
- Demonstrated senior-level expertise in at least one modern programming language such as Go, Python, JavaScript (Node.js), Java, C#, C++, or Rust.
- Proficiency in additional modern languages (e.g. Python or Go) demonstrating versatility and language independence.
- Quick to learn, adaptable, and curious—comfortable working across different technologies, tools, and problem areas.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working with cloud vendors like AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure.
- Familiar with technologies like Kubernetes, containers, APIs, or microservices.
- Experience in any of these areas is a plus: cybersecurity, machine learning, generative AI, observability, or networking.
- Experience working in teams that use agile methods like Scrum or Kanban.
- You’ve contributed to open-source projects or enjoy helping others in tech communities.
- You enjoy writing clear documentation, tutorials, or blog posts to share your work.
#WeAreCisco
#WeAreCisco where every individual brings their unique skills and perspectives together to pursue our purpose of powering an inclusive future for all.
Our passion is connection—we celebrate our employees’ diverse set of backgrounds and focus on unlocking potential. Cisconians often experience one company, many careers where learning and development are encouraged and supported at every stage. Our technology, tools, and culture pioneered hybrid work trends, allowing all to not only give their best, but be their best.
We understand our outstanding opportunity to bring communities together and at the heart of that is our people. One-third of Cisconians collaborate in our 30 employee resource organizations, called Inclusive Communities, to connect, foster belonging, learn to be informed allies, and make a difference. Dedicated paid time off to volunteer—80 hours each year—allows us to give back to causes we are passionate about, and nearly 86% do!
Our purpose, driven by our people, is what makes us the worldwide leader in technology that powers the internet. Helping our customers reimagine their applications, secure their enterprise, transform their infrastructure, and meet their sustainability goals is what we do best. We ensure that every step we take is a step towards a more inclusive future for all. Take your next step and be you, with us!
When available, the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hire, full-time salaries in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including equity or benefits. For non-sales roles the hiring ranges reflect base salary only; employees are also eligible to receive annual bonuses. Hiring ranges for sales positions include base and incentive compensation target. Individual pay is determined by the candidate's hiring location and additional factors, including but not limited to skillset, experience, and relevant education, certifications, or training. Applicants may not be eligible for the full salary range based on their U.S. or Canada hiring location. The recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
U.S. employees have access to quality medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, short and long-term disability coverage, basic life insurance and numerous wellbeing offerings.
Employees receive up to twelve paid holidays per calendar year, which includes one floating holiday (for non-exempt employees), plus a day off for their birthday. Non-Exempt new hires accrue up to 16 days of vacation time off each year, at a rate of 4.92 hours per pay period. Exempt new hires participate in Cisco’s flexible Vacation Time Off policy, which does not place a defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use, but is subject to availability and some business limitations. All new hires are eligible for Sick Time Off subject to Cisco’s Sick Time Off Policy and will have eighty (80) hours of sick time off provided on their hire date and on January 1st of each year thereafter. Up to 80 hours of unused sick time will be carried forward from one calendar year to the next such that the maximum number of sick time hours an employee may have available is 160 hours. Employees in Illinois have a unique time off program designed specifically with local requirements in mind. All employees also have access to paid time away to deal with critical or emergency issues. We offer additional paid time to volunteer and give back to the community.
Employees on sales plans earn performance-based incentive pay on top of their base salary, which is split between quota and non-quota components. 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 up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.