Software Engineer Compiler II

Please note this posting is to advertise potential job opportunities. This exact role may not be open today but could open in the near future. When you apply, a Cisco representative may contact you directly if a relevant position opens.

Applications are accepted until further notice.

Meet the Team

Network Engineering builds the foundational software and hardware systems that connect the world. Within our Core Platform Software and Tool chains organization, our team develops, optimizes, and maintains the mission-critical compiler, debugger, and code analysis tool chains that power Cisco IOS-XE, Silicon One, and cloud-scale routing platforms. We operate at the leading edge of systems engineering—bridging modern processor architectures with LLVM/GCC optimizations, custom IR transformations, and high-fidelity runtime debugging infrastructure.

As active contributors to the open source toolchain ecosystem, we solve complex low-level engineering challenges to maximize code generation efficiency, developer velocity, and binary resilience across Cisco's global product portfolio.

Your Impact

As a Compiler Software Engineer II, you will architect, implement, and optimize advanced compilation, code analysis, and debugging tool chains that power Cisco's core networking platforms. You will develop sophisticated compiler transformations and runtime diagnostic tools in modern C/C++, optimize LLVM/GCC backends and intermediate representations (IR) for ARM
64 and x86 architectures, and enhance GDB/LLDB debugging capabilities. You will build robust automated validation pipelines using Python and CI/CD frameworks, advance DWARF debug format standards, and integrate AI-assisted developer productivity tooling into modern engineering workflows. Success in this role means driving end-to-end toolchain excellence, delivering high-performance code generation improvements, and contributing impactful enhancements to open-source systems.

Minimum Qualifications

• Meet one of the following (completed within the past 3 years or expected to be completed within the next 12 months
  ):-A Master's degree with 0 years of work experience
  ; or-A Bachelor's degree with 2 years of work experience.

• Qualifying education and work experience should be in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.

• Demonstrated proficiency in C and C++ (C++17/C++20) with strong foundations in systems programming, memory management, pointer arithmetic, and core algorithms.

• Hands-on academic research, project, or industry experience in compiler construction, intermediate representations (IR), code generation, or LLVM/GCC backend infrastructure.

• Strong understanding of computer architecture (ARM
  64 or x86), assembly language, operating system internals, and runtime debugging fundamentals (GDB, LLDB, DWARF).

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience contributing to or extending open-source tool chains (LLVM, Clang, GCC, GDB, LLDB), including writing custom LLVM optimization passes or toolchain diagnostics.

• Deep familiarity with DWARF debug format specifications, object file structures (ELF), symbol resolution, linkers (LLD, Gold), and binary utilities (GNU Binutils).

• Experience developing automated regression testing frameworks and performance benchmark suites using Python and Linux shell utilities in modern CI/CD pipelines.

• Experience configuring, cross-compiling, and packaging tool chains for Embedded Linux, RTOS, or large-scale distributed networking operating systems.

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