Cisco: Software Test Automation Engineer

Join Cisco as a Software Test Automation Engineer designing, architecting, and maintaining comprehensive test automation frameworks that validate enterprise networking hardware, cloud controllers, and high-throughput communication infrastructure. In this role, you will champion automated quality engineering across the entire software development lifecycle, diagnosing complex distributed network behaviors and ensuring mission-critical reliability for global enterprise customers.

You will collaborate closely with software engineering pods, firmware architects, product managers, and site reliability teams to integrate robust automated regression gates into continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines. Your engineering contributions will directly elevate system resilience, accelerate release velocity, and ensure carrier-grade performance across Cisco's next-generation product portfolio.

Roles & Responsibilities:
• Architect, build, and maintain scalable automated test frameworks using Python, Robot Framework, and PyTest to validate cloud and networking platforms.
• Design, implement, and execute automated functional, integration, API, and system regression test suites across distributed testbed topologies.
• Integrate automated test jobs into enterprise continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines utilizing Jenkins, GitLab CI, and Docker.
• Perform thorough root-cause analysis (RCA) on automated test failures, reproducing system defects and collaborating with development teams on rapid remediation.
• Develop and maintain automated RESTful API test collections using Postman, Python requests, or custom networking test harnesses.
• Track, analyze, and report key software quality metrics including test automation coverage, defect escape rates, and execution pass percentages.
• Participate in architectural design reviews, sprint planning sessions, and defect triage meetings to advocate for testability and quality best practices.
• Leverage modern AI-driven developer assistants and testing tools to optimize test script authoring, test data generation, and failure pattern analysis.
• Maintain hardware and virtual test environments, configuring network switches, routers, and virtualized appliances for continuous automated validation.

Requirements & Eligibility:
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Electronics & Communication Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 3+ years of hands-on professional experience in software test automation, framework development, and quality engineering.
• Strong programming and scripting proficiency in Python with a solid grasp of object-oriented design and modular test architecture.
• Demonstrated experience with modern test automation tools and frameworks such as PyTest, Robot Framework, Selenium WebDriver, or Playwright.
• Practical understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, routing protocols, DNS, REST APIs, and microservices architecture.
• Solid experience configuring and running automated builds and test pipelines within Jenkins, GitLab CI, or GitHub Actions.
• Hands-on familiarity with Linux operating systems, shell scripting, containerization (Docker), and version control systems (Git).
• Proven analytical problem-solving abilities with high attention to detail and capability to isolate complex timing or race condition issues.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a proven track record of effective cross-functional technical collaboration.

Expected Salary:
The estimated compensation bracket for a Software Test Automation Engineer at Cisco in Bengaluru typically ranges between ₹18,00,000 and ₹32,00,000 per annum, benchmarked against verified compensation data from 6figr, Glassdoor, and AmbitionBox. Total compensation packages also feature performance incentives, annual corporate bonuses, stock grants (RSUs), and comprehensive healthcare benefits.