The application window is expected to close on: 10/30/2026
Note: This role is a Remote **, US ** but a strong preference for locations except CA, WA, DC, MD, NJ, NY, CT, MA, VA, AK.
Meet the Team
Join Cisco’s Splunk Integrated Core Platform team and help shape the architecture behind the authorization infrastructure that powers Splunk’s enterprise observability and security platform.
Our Authorization team tackles some of the most sophisticated challenges in distributed systems, identity, and access control. We design high-performance services that establish trust and enforce authorization across interconnected systems, leveraging attribute-based and role-based access control (ABAC/RBAC) to support complex enterprise environments.
With a substantial C++ codebase and an evolving Go-based, cloud-native architecture, our team offers a unique opportunity to work on deep architectural challenges, influence long-term technical direction, and build foundational systems serving some of the world’s largest enterprises.
Your Impact
As a Senior Software Engineer on the Splunk Platform Authorization team, you’ll help shape the architecture of systems that enable secure, high-performance authorization across Splunk’s enterprise platform. You’ll take ownership of technically complex initiatives, make critical design decisions, and work across engineering teams to deliver scalable, reliable solutions. This is a hands-on technical leadership opportunity where you’ll influence long-term platform architecture while contributing directly to the development and evolution of our core systems.
- Architect, design, and develop high-performance backend services using C++, while contributing to Go-based services and the modernization of Splunk’s core platform.
- Lead technical design discussions and make architectural decisions involving distributed systems, scalability, performance, reliability, and service-to-service trust.
- Own complex engineering initiatives from design through execution, breaking down large projects, identifying opportunities for parallel development, and coordinating work across engineers.
- Improve and modernize large-scale C++ infrastructure, addressing architectural complexity, technical debt, and the transition toward cloud-native and Kubernetes-based services.
- Provide technical guidance through design and code reviews, collaborate across teams, and contribute to production reliability, troubleshooting, and operational support.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field with 7+ years of relevant experience; or a Master’s degree with 4+ years of relevant experience; or a PhD with 1+ year of relevant experience.
- Software development experience in C++, including designing, maintaining, or enhancing complex backend systems.
- Experience designing and developing distributed systems or large-scale backend services in production environments.
- Prior experience in software architecture, technical design, and translating complex requirements into scalable engineering solutions.
- Experience leading technical initiatives, coordinating implementation across engineers, and driving projects from design through delivery.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Go and cloud-native infrastructure, including Kubernetes, containers, or microservices.
- Experience designing high-performance, highly available systems operating at enterprise scale.
- Understanding of identity and access management, authentication, authorization, RBAC/ABAC, or service-to-service trust models.
- Experience modernizing large legacy codebases, addressing architectural complexity, and improving system reliability and performance.
- Experience with observability platforms, enterprise infrastructure, security systems, or highly distributed cloud services.
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 $139,300.00 to $203,600.00 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:
$167,700.00 - $282,000.00
Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$149,100.00 - $250,900.00
- 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.
Cisco is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, genetic information, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis.
Cisco will consider for employment, on a case by case basis, qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.