Software Engineer (Python/Wireless)

Meet The Team

The Cisco Wireless Feature & System Engineering team builds end-to-end wireless capabilities across access points, controllers, and cloud-managed platforms. We design features that span device software, control planes, and management systems to deliver seamless, secure, and high-performance enterprise Wi-Fi.

Your Impact

A software engineer specializing in wireless technology at Cisco is responsible for driving the design, implementation, and optimization of wireless solutions for customer projects and accounts. This role requires a deep understanding of current and emerging wireless standards, including Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn / Ultra High Reliability), 802.1X security types, and Layer 2 protocols. The engineer will leverage AI/ML knowledge to uplift test automation, develop new test plans, and build productivity-enhancing tools, ensuring superior wireless network reliability, latency, performance, and customer outcomes.

In this role:

• Lead technology design, planning, and deployment of wireless solutions, including small to mid-size or moderately complex systems, ensuring reliability, availability, latency, resilience, and performance targets are met across current-generation and emerging Wi-Fi 8 environments.

• Collaborate with customers to plan, design, configure, and validate Cisco wireless technologies, including Wi-Fi standards through Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn), Layer 2 protocols, WLAN technologies, and 802.1X security types.

• Write new test automation scripts and uplift existing test scripts using Python to enhance wireless technology testing frameworks and improve automation efficiency.

• Utilize AI/ML techniques to uplift test automation frameworks, develop new test plans tailored to wireless and Wi-Fi 8 reliability requirements, and build tools that improve productivity and streamline testing and deployment processes.

• Assist with integration and implementation of tools, systems, and service assurance related to wireless networks, including continuous monitoring, telemetry analysis, and alerting in test and production environments for latency, packet loss, roaming, interference, and reliability conditions.

• Support presales by translating business requirements into technical wireless solution designs and creating customer collateral, documentation, and knowledge transfer materials.

• Drive customer technology transitions and influence solution architectures and services in wireless networking, including readiness planning for Wi-Fi 8 and Ultra High Reliability capabilities.

• Comply with company policies and utilize relevant tools to support Professional Services strategies and goals.

• Act as an individual contributor and mentor within the team, providing guidance and support to peers and engineering interns.

• Lead corrective actions, including root cause analysis and process improvements on escaped defects for specific product features.

• Implement automation frameworks and execute test cases and plans for projects with multiple features, including Wi-Fi 8 functional, interoperability, performance, reliability, and regression validation.

• Report issues and findings with root cause analysis and potential software solutions; advocate for quality improvements and strategic changes.

• Oversee creation and storage of test plans and documentation; translate dashboard metrics into consumable documentation such as release notes, bug reports, and test results.

• Collaborate with other engineering groups to document test cases and apply best practices for document review.

• Develop productive working relationships with peer stakeholders within and across teams.

• Work independently with guidance from leadership to determine the best approach to accomplish work and act as a resource for less experienced colleagues.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Deep domain-based engineering and configuration knowledge of Cisco wireless technologies, with knowledge of current Wi-Fi generations and emerging Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn) concepts.

• Working knowledge of Wi-Fi  standards, including Ultra High Reliability objectives, deterministic and tail-latency behavior, packet-loss reduction, roaming continuity, overlapping-BSS performance, multi-AP coordination concepts, coexistence, and backward compatibility.

• Strong expertise in AI/ML applications for test automation and productivity improvements.

• Experience in writing comprehensive test plans and building automation tools for wireless functional, interoperability, roaming, latency, packet-loss, reliability, and performance validation.

• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills specific to wireless networks, including interference, congestion, roaming, latency, packet loss, and multi-AP deployment scenarios.

• Excellent communication and customer engagement abilities.

• Experience in solution design activities.

• Ability to create and deliver technical documentation and training materials.

Key technologies:

• Wi-Fi Standards: Knowledge of Wi-Fi generations, including Wi-Fi 6/6E, Wi-Fi 7, and emerging Wi-Fi 8 (IEEE 802.11bn / Ultra High Reliability). Understanding the evolution of these standards and their security, reliability, latency, power-efficiency, coexistence, and performance objectives is essential.

• Wi-Fi 8 / IEEE 802.11bn: Familiarity with the emerging Ultra High Reliability amendment and its focus on WLAN reliability, latency, throughput, roaming continuity, power efficiency, peer-to-peer operation, coexistence, and overlapping-BSS performance.

• Layer 2 Protocols: Familiarity with Layer 2 security policies such as WLAN, Static WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA3, and especially 802.1X authentication. Knowledge of encryption types like TKIP, AES, CCMP, and GCMP is important.

• WLAN Technologies: Expertise in Cisco wireless solutions, including configuration of WLAN security, use of Cisco Wireless LAN Controllers, and deployment of secure WLANs with features such as Fast Secure Roaming (802.11r), AAA integration with RADIUS and Cisco ISE, multi-AP architectures, and telemetry-driven assurance. Familiarity with Wi-Fi 8 goals for improved reliability, latency, roaming resilience, and operation across overlapping BSS environments is desirable.

• 802.1X Security Types: Deep understanding of 802.1X authentication mechanisms including EAP types such as PEAP, EAP-TLS, LEAP, and EAP-FAST. Knowledge of how 802.1X integrates with AAA servers (e.g., Cisco ISE) for centralized policy management, and how it supports secure network access and segmentation.

• Python programming for developing and uplifting test automation scripts, enhancing wireless technology testing frameworks and productivity.

• AI/ML Knowledge: Proficiency in applying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to improve wireless performance and operational efficiency. The role includes uplifting test automation, generating wireless test plans, building productivity tools, and validating Wi-Fi 8 reliability objectives.

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. 

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