Software Engineer (Hybrid)

Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.

This is a hybrid role, with occasional onsite work at Cisco’s RTP, NC office.

Meet The Team

The Trust Anchor Module Firmware team develops firmware targeted for secure execution environments within roots of trust and abstraction-layer libraries to facilitate integration of those roots of trust. These roots of trust are combined with additional security IP, often created by sister teams, and then provided as a security solution that Cisco product teams then integrate into their hardware products to meet an array of hardware and firmware security requirements. Frequently, we partner closely with the product teams to ensure successful integration of our solutions. The team has ten members, but the extended team they work closely with is much larger. The work environment can be dynamic, but we are a closeknit team that support each other. This team and the overarching team, the Trustworthy Hardware & Firmware team, are exciting because hardware and firmware security has never been more important from a compliance and customer requirements perspective, and it's our job to make sure Cisco's hardware portfolio meets those requirements, in large part through adoption of our solutions with our support.

Your Impact

You will play a pivotal role in securing Cisco’s hardware portfolio by developing firmware for trusted execution environments. You will be responsible for balancing technical innovation with a commitment to engineering excellence, ensuring our security solutions are robust, well-documented, and seamlessly integrated across the company. This role offers the unique opportunity to help shape the team’s culture by promoting rigorous development standards and collaborating closely with multi-functional partners to solve complex, high-stakes security challenges.

• Develop secure firmware for specialized execution environments within roots of trust to protect Cisco’s hardware against evolving security threats.

• Promote engineering discipline and rigor by implementing consistent multi-member peer review processes, AI-assisted code analysis, and comprehensive testing to ensure the highest level of quality.

• Collaborate with multi-functional teams to provide library code and technical guidance that ensures seamless integration of security solutions.

• Implement end-to-end testing and provide direct debugging support to product teams to resolve integration issues and maintain the reliability and interoperability of our security solutions.Drive self-directed, high-quality technical contributions to support critical initiatives, ensuring that all work meets both internal and regulatory security requirements.

Minimum Qualification

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field with at least 2 years of relevant experience, or a Master’s degree with no relevant experience required

• Experience with firmware development for embedded systems or trusted execution environments 

• Experience with secure coding practices and hardware-based security technologies

• Experience in debugging firmware and integration issues across hardware platforms

• Experience in documenting technical designs and code specifications for complex systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical concepts effectively in both verbal and written formats

• Proven experience working multi-functionally with diverse engineering teams to drive project alignment and adoption

• Experience with Root of Trust (RoT) technologies and cryptographic operations

• Demonstrated commitment to engineering rigor, including consistent use of peer review processes and automated testing frameworks

• Ability to work independently and take ownership of specialized firmware modules within a fast-paced environment

• Experience using AI-assisted coding tools to accelerate 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:

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

* 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.