Software Technical Leader

The application window is expected to close on: 08/21/2026 Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received . Meet the Team The Ingest Processor Team is the foundational engine of the Splunk Integrated Data Platform, responsible for the architecture and evolution of high-throughput pipelines that process petabytes of data for real-time observability and security. Our work spans the Cisco and Splunk portfolio and sets the technical direction for mission-critical ingestion capabilities used by global enterprise customers. We are a collaborative engineering organization that values secure and maintainable code, rigorous testing, data-informed decisions, and pragmatic architecture. In this strategic individual contributor role, you will shape technology and engineering priorities across teams while remaining close to the hardest distributed systems problems in the platform.

Translate regional and functional strategy into a long-term technical vision for the ingestion platform, with clear engineering priorities and alignment across teams. Lead major, multi-team initiatives that advance the scale, performance, security, reliability, and cost efficiency of the Splunk platform. Set architectural direction by making whole-system trade-offs and defining new platform capabilities where customer needs require them. Influence product and program priorities, delivery timing, and technical specifications with engineering, product, and cross-functional leaders. Establish standards and sustainable processes for software development, production issue identification, response, and continuous improvement. Mentor and influence senior engineers, strengthen knowledge-sharing practices, and represent the team's technical work within the broader professional community.

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field plus 12+ years of related experience; or a Master's degree plus 8+ years; or a PhD plus 5+ years of related experience. Expertise in large-scale distributed systems, high-volume data ingestion, streaming architectures, and the performance and reliability patterns required for petabyte-scale production platforms. Specialized depth and broad technical acumen in Go or Java, including concurrency, memory management, secure coding, testing, debugging, and performance optimization in complex production systems. Experience translating business or product strategy into a technical vision and lead major engineering programs that span multiple teams, a business segment, a function, or a region. Experience defining architecture and engineering standards across teams, including observability, incident response, root-cause analysis, risk reduction, and continuous improvement for production systems. Experience with cloud-native infrastructure and distributed data technologies, including Kubernetes, microservices, distributed storage, messaging or streaming systems, and public-cloud platforms.

Industry or thought leadership in scale, performance, distributed-system design patterns, or real-time data platforms, demonstrated through broad organizational impact, technical publications, or external presentations. Exceptional ability to influence technical and product direction, build durable relationships with key stakeholders, and negotiate trade-offs in timing, design, and specifications across organizational boundaries. A strong record of mentoring and influencing senior engineers, improving knowledge-sharing systems, and raising technical judgment, code quality, and operational excellence across teams. Demonstrated product sense and customer focus, including the ability to define meaningful success metrics, drive adoption, anticipate unmet needs, and apply emerging technologies to create durable customer value. Why Cisco?  At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and