Principal Software Engineer, Tetragon

Cisco

Principal Software Engineer developing Tetragon, a Kubernetes-aware observability and security tool for Cisco Isovalent. Guiding architectural direction and solving complex system-level challenges in modern cloud-native environments.

Posted 7/11/2026full-timeRemote • California, Maine, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $231,400 - $331,800 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudDistributed SystemsGoJavaKubernetesLinuxPythonRust

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Develop high-quality Go (and eBPF) code for the Tetragon project
Extend Tetragon capabilities to mitigate security vulnerabilities
Enhance Tetragon to better understand and control the execution flow of native (e.g., written in C/C++) or runtime-based (Java, Python, Go, etc.) applications
Enhance Tetragon capabilities to filter malicious network packets that can trigger vulnerabilities in applications/systems
Enhance Tetragon, and potentially the kernel and the eBPF sub-system, to mitigate against kernel-level vulnerabilities
Design and optimize systems to deploy and manage Tetragon across large fleets, in K8s or other environments (VMs)
Architect infrastructure that converts raw event data into intelligence streams with minimal performance overhead
Partner across teams to align requirements, define integration points, and deliver production-ready solutions
Contribute to open-source projects and represent Cisco Isovalent in community discussions
Participate in architecture reviews, code reviews, and documentation

Requirements

What you’ll need

Bachelors + 15 years of related experience, or Masters + 12 years of related experience, or PhD + 8 years of related experience or equivalent experience
10+ years of experience in systems programming (C, C++, Go, Rust, or similar; Tetragon is primarily written in Go)
Proven experience leading technical direction or architecture for runtime security systems, observability, or similar
Experience in OS-level development, distributed systems, or database systems
Experience in debugging and performance optimization with a track record of delivering scalable systems
Experience building eBPF-based systems for observability or security use cases (preferred)
Solid background in Linux systems and kernel-level concepts (preferred)
Familiarity with Kubernetes and cloud-native environments (preferred)
Familiarity with CVE workflows, vulnerability data pipelines, or security event modeling (preferred)
Familiarity with how vulnerable software is exploited at all levels (preferred)
Strong experience in networking protocol analysis or experience in developing networking switches (e.g., L2/L3 protocols like ARP, DHCP, SNMP) (preferred)
Contributions to open-source projects in networking, observability, or distributed systems (preferred)

Benefits

Comp & perks

medical, dental and vision insurance
401(k) plan with a Cisco matching contribution
paid parental leave
short and long-term disability coverage
basic life insurance
10 paid holidays per full calendar year
1 floating holiday for non-exempt employees
1 paid day off for employee’s birthday
paid year-end holiday shutdown
4 paid days off for personal wellness
16 days of paid vacation time per full calendar year for non-exempt employees
flexible vacation time off program for exempt employees
up to 80 hours of unused sick time carried forward from one calendar year to the next
additional paid time away may be requested
optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer

ATS Keywords

✓ Tailor your resume

Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools

C ProgrammingC++ ProgrammingRust ProgrammingDebuggingPerformance OptimizationLinux SystemsDistributed SystemsDatabase SystemsSecurity Event ModelingVulnerability Data Pipelines

Soft Skills

Technical LeadershipCollaborationCommunication