Senior Director, Hyperscaler Systems Architecture (San Jose)

The application window is expected to close on: 07/31/2026Job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.Meet The Team:We are a dynamic and driven team dedicated to delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower hyperscalers to deploy massive networks fueling AI clusters, general-purpose computing, Data Center Interconnect (DCI), and Edge. Our mission is to provide seamless integration of silicon, hardware, and software, ensuring hyperscalers are successful and deliver outstanding business outcomes for Cisco. Every day, we collaborate with customers to define impactful requirements, drive engineering efforts from concept to execution, and handle escalations. Join us in shaping the future of networking at a scale that transforms industries!What You’ll Do:As a Senior Director for theHyperscaler Systems Architecture, you will lead the definition, strategy, and shaping of the portfolio and solutions tailored for large-scale web customers. You will collaborate closely with customers, sales, engineering, and marketing teams to design products that enable business transformation. At Cisco, product and architecture leaders are empowered and trusted to be the voice of the customer. In this role, you will establish strategic roadmaps, drive priorities to meet objectives, and explore new horizons in technology. You will also serve as a technical advisor to leadership and influence industry standards. Key Responsibilities:Portfolio Strategy: Evaluate and influence the technology strategy for Silicon, Optics, and Interconnects technologies with focus on the Hyperscaler segmentRoadmap Planning: Shape the systems roadmap for scale-out, scale-up, and scale-across systems. Technical Oversight: Review and approve RFx responses (RFI, RFP, RFQ) to ensure customer commitments, architectural claims, performance numbers, and margin assumptions are aligned. Modern Tooling: Drive hands-on simulations for functional and performance analysis using modern industry tooling. Customer Engagement: Engage with Hyperscaler customers on technology, roadmap positioning, and value propositions. Partner with technology providers for assessments and project collaboration. Participate in industry events to drive product messaging and strategy. Cross-functional Alignment: Drive alignment across various internal stakeholders including Silicon, HW, Optics, and software teams to ensure business success. Leadership & Mentorship: Mentor and coach the product management, technical marketing, and engineering communities to strengthen technical expertise. Desired Qualities: Webscale Experience: Previous experience working with or for Webscale companies in architecture, engineering, or validation. Technical Expertise: Advanced knowledge in areas as high-speed optics, coherent pluggables, silicon-design principles, liquid cooling, high-speed SerDes, interconnects, and system design.Architectural Fluency: A solid background in network system design and the trade-offs involved in defining new products. High-Stakes Performance: Ability to lead and perform under pressure in front of customers and internal R&D teams. Influence: A strong track record of growing and influencing others across all levels of senior leadership. Minimum Qualifications:Education: Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent work experience (preferably in networking hardware). Experience: 10+ years in engineering, solutions architecture, or product management (preferably in networking silicon). Domain Knowledge: Demonstrable experience in Service Provider Networking, Data Center Networking, or directly with Hyperscalers.Preferred Qualifications:Advanced Degree: Master’s degree or PhD is preferred. Full-Stack Fluency: Experience with the combination of ASIC, Hardware (Systems and Optics), and the software stack. Matrix Leadership: Prior experience leading cross-functional teams as a product or engineering leader within a fast-paced matrix organization. Customer Insight: Deep understanding of networking customer requirements and usage models 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 $280,100.00 to $384,800.00 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 employees1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by CiscoNon-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 employeesExempt 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 nextAdditional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family membersOptional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteerFor 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%; andOnce 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:$280,100.00 - $442,600.00Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:$267,600.00 - $390,300.00* 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.Job SummaryJob number: 2014850Date posted : 2026-07-09Profession: Product and EngineeringEmployment type: Full time