Principal Engineer

Meet the Team: Technical standards are a critical part of that mission and of Cisco’s current and future business. The Global Technology Standards (GTS) team demonstrates Cisco’s industry leadership, builds industry coalitions and expands standards coalitions beyond Cisco to amplify market influence and technology leadership. The team sits within Cisco’s Corporate Strategy team, and helps with bidirectional influence between the ecosystem and Cisco's corporate strategy. The GTS team is a collaborative group of primarily senior engineers and technologists with established leadership profiles in standards development and industry consortia. The breadth of the team’s standards expertise includes current Cisco focus areas such as AI agents, AI infrastructure, networking, routing, switching, wireless, security, data, and quantum.

Your Impact: As a Principal Engineer reporting to the VP of Global Technology Standards, you will bring domain expertise across multiple technology areas and/or product portfolios relevant to Cisco. You will:

• Serve as “Trusted Advisor” and collaborate with Cisco business leaders to define standards strategies and communicate progress against strategic objectives internally and externally.
• Drive Cisco’s engagement across multiple Standards Development Organizations (SDOs) where alignment is needed to advance Cisco’s product and technology vision.
• Pursue leadership roles in external standards and coordination as applicable with open‑source organizations of strategic importance to Cisco.
• Help shape direction in key existing SDOs and support the development of new standards and open‑source initiatives needed by the industry.
• Work with industry partners through existing organizations and new relationships to build initiatives important to Cisco’s future business.
• Support standards strategy development across Cisco’s businesses especially focusing on cross‑BE areas.
• Evangelize Cisco’s standards work with account teams and customers, while cultivating relationships with high‑value customers to build visibility and gather feedback on GTS initiatives.
• Represent Cisco at key standards leadership meetings and present your work and the team’s work at industry events including Global and European initiatives.
• Contribute to Cisco’s technology and patent portfolio.
• Mentor engineers across the company who are engaged in standardization and related areas.
• Contribute to streamlining standards operations, including governance, IPR, employee programs, and coordination of standards‑related compliance and legal support.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in an engineering, technology strategy, architecture, research, or standards related role.
• 10+ years of industry experience.
• Deep knowledge of the technology, frameworks, and industry trends relevant to multiple Cisco business areas, including AI, IP networking and security.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Highly recognized leader in one or more external standard organizations such as IEEE, IETF, WFA, or other industry‑specific SDOs.
• Deep technology expertise demonstrated through projects and experience outside of standards.
• Additional expertise in wireless, mobility, applications, enterprise, and cloud technologies is desired.
• Proficiency in standards strategy, technology and product understanding, including the ability to demonstrate a strong network of industry collaborators.
• Excellent communication skills and experience working with a remote team.

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.