The posting
Please note this posting is to advertise potential job opportunities. This exact role may not be open today but could open in the near future. When you apply, a Cisco representative may contact you directly if a relevant position opens.
Applications are accepted until further notice.
Meet the Team
Network Engineering builds the foundational software and hardware systems that connect the world. Within our Core Platform Software and Toolchains organization, our team develops, optimizes, and maintains the mission-critical compiler, debugger, and code analysis toolchains that power Cisco IOS-XE, Silicon One, and cloud-scale routing platforms. We operate at the leading edge of systems engineering—bridging modern processor architectures with LLVM/GCC optimizations, custom IR transformations, and high-fidelity runtime debugging infrastructure. As active contributors to the open source toolchain ecosystem, we solve complex low-level engineering challenges to maximize code generation efficiency, developer velocity, and binary resilience across Cisco's global product portfolio.
Your Impact
As a Compiler Software Engineer II, you will architect, implement, and optimize advanced compilation, code analysis, and debugging toolchains that power Cisco's core networking platforms. You will develop sophisticated compiler transformations and runtime diagnostic tools in modern C/C++, optimize LLVM/GCC backends and intermediate representations (IR) for ARM64 and x86 architectures, and enhance GDB/LLDB debugging capabilities. You will build robust automated validation pipelines using Python and CI/CD frameworks, advance DWARF debug format standards, and integrate AI-assisted developer productivity tooling into modern engineering workflows. Success in this role means driving end-to-end toolchain excellence, delivering high-performance code generation improvements, and contributing impactful enhancements to open-source systems.
Minimum Qualifications
- Meet one of the following (completed within the past 3 years or expected to be completed within the next 12 months):
-A Bachelor's degree with 0 years of work experience; OR -An educational or workforce development program (e.g., Associate's, Apprenticeship, Boot camp, or Certification) with 1 year of work experience; OR -A High school diploma (or equivalent) with 2 years of work experience.
- Qualifying education and work experience should be in Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
- Demonstrated programming proficiency in C or C++ with a strong foundational understanding of memory management, pointer arithmetic, and data structures.
- Foundational understanding of computer architecture (ARM or x86), operating system fundamentals (processes, memory management), and the ability to read assembly language.
- Coursework, academic research, or hands-on project experience in compiler construction, code generation, LLVM infrastructure, or debugger fundamentals (GDB, LLDB, DWARF).
Preferred Qualifications
- Hands-on experience with LLVM, Clang, GCC, or GDB open-source toolchains, including writing custom LLVM passes or toolchain extensions.
- Familiarity with DWARF debug format specifications, object file structures (ELF), symbol tables, and binary analysis utilities (GNU Binutils).
- Practical experience developing test automation scripts using Python and Linux shell utilities in a CI/CD environment.
- Experience configuring or cross-compiling toolchains for Embedded Linux or networking operating systems (routers/switches).
- Interest or experience integrating AI-assisted developer tools or modern IDE plugins (VSCode, Language Server Protocol / DAP) to enhance software development workflows.
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. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.
We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.
Message to applicants applying to work in the U.S. and/or Canada:
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. For locations not listed below, the recruiter can share more details about compensation for the role in your location during the hiring process.
U.S. employees are offered benefits, subject to Cisco’s plan eligibility rules, which include medical, dental and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability coverage, and basic life insurance. Please see the Cisco careers site to discover more benefits and perks. Employees may be eligible to receive grants of Cisco restricted stock units, which vest following continued employment with Cisco for defined periods of time.
U.S. employees are eligible for paid time away as described below, subject to Cisco’s policies:
- 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, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco
- Non-exempt employees** receive 16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year, accrued at rate of 4.92 hours per pay period for full-time employees
- Exempt employees participate in Cisco’s flexible vacation time off program, which has no defined limit on how much vacation time eligible employees may use (subject to availability and some business limitations)
- 80 hours of sick time off provided on hire date and each January 1st thereafter, and up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
- 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 also 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, which is split between quota and non-quota components, subject to the applicable Cisco plan. 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 0% up to 125% of target. Cisco sales plans do not have a minimum threshold of performance for sales incentive compensation to be paid.
The applicable full salary ranges for this position, by specific state, are listed below:
New York City Metro Area:
$107,800.00 - $157,400.00
Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$94,800.00 - $140,000.00
* For quota-based sales roles on Cisco’s sales plan, the ranges provided in this posting include base pay and sales target incentive compensation combined.
** Employees in Illinois, whether exempt or non-exempt, will participate in a unique time off program to meet local requirements.
