Principal Software Engineer

Who We Are Cisco's Cloud Security organization is at the forefront of securing the modern workforce, protecting users, data, and applications wherever they reside. As the cornerstone of Cisco's Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) strategy, we deliver cloud-native protection for users, data, and applications—no matter where they reside.
What You'll Do As a Principal Software Engineer reporting directly to Senior Director of Engineering, Web and Data Security, you will serve as the overall architect for Cisco's Web and Data Security portfolio, playing a pivotal role in shaping the future of security in the AI-driven enterprise. You will lead architectural vision across SWG, DLP, CASB, and malware protection, while also driving innovations to secure sensitive data in the age of AI agents, generative models, and LLM-enabled applications. You will: * Architect Next-Gen Security: Define and drive the overall architecture for Cisco's web and data security solutions—including Secure Web Gateway, Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), and malware prevention. * Technical Leadership: Serve as the technical authority for web and data security, influencing design, implementation, and delivery of enterprise-scale, cloud-native security services. * Innovation in the AI Era: Lead technical innovation for data security, leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning to address emerging threats and compliance requirements. * Cross-Team Collaboration: Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, research, and operations teams to translate vision into robust, scalable, and secure products. * Mentorship: Guide and mentor senior engineers, helping to shape technical direction and grow technical talent within the team. * Technical Evangelism: Represent Cisco's vision and technical leadership both internally and externally, contributing to industry thought leadership and standards.
Who You Are * Expert Technologist: 10+ years in software engineering or cybersecurity, with a deep understanding of cloud security architectures and protocols. Experience with public cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and Kubernetes-based deployment. * Architectural Vision: Significant experience architecting and delivering enterprise-class security solutions—such as Secure Web Gateway, DLP, CASB, and malware detection/prevention. * AI Security Innovator: Demonstrated ability to integrate AI/ML into security products to solve real-world data protection and threat detection challenges. * Influential Leader: Strong cross-functional leadership, able to drive consensus and technical direction across teams and stakeholders. * Mentor and Collaborator: Proven experience mentoring engineers and fostering an environment of learning and technical excellence. * Effective Communicator: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills; able to convey complex technical concepts to diverse audiences.
Minimum Requirements * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field. * Deep expertise in web and data security technologies (e.g., SWG, DLP, CASB, malware prevention). * Proven track record of designing and implementing large-scale, distributed, cloud-native security solutions. * Experience working with AI/ML technologies in the context of data security or threat detection. * Ability to work cross-functionally and drive technical strategy in a complex, fast-paced environment.

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:

The starting salary range posted for this position is $225,000.00 to $325,300.00 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.

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
$225, $374,100.00

Non-Metro New York State & Washington State
$208, $330,000.00

• 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.