Software Engineer Intern

About the Role

At Cisco, we build the software that powers the global internet. Join our engineering team to develop the infrastructure that connects billions of people, businesses, and governments. You will work alongside industry experts to solve complex technical challenges in networking, cloud, and system engineering.

Your Impact & Responsibilities

You will develop, test, and refine the software that forms the backbone of our platforms—from networking protocols and embedded systems to scalable cloud applications. Your work will directly influence the reliability and performance of our global solutions. We value engineers who prioritize quality and continuous improvement. You will be expected to influence technical decisions, optimize system designs, and use AI-assisted workflows to streamline development. You will take ownership of your projects, adapt to evolving challenges, and deliver high-quality, secure, and privacy-focused code.

Specializations

This internship offers opportunities across three specialized tracks:

Software Engineer - Networking Protocols

• Focus: Developing next-generation networking protocols, improving network performance and scalability.
• Key Skills: Data Structures and Algorithms, TCP/IP, routing, switching, C/C++, multi-threading, socket programming, network simulation tools (Cisco Packet Tracer, GNS3, Wireshark), modern security frameworks (firewalls, Zero Trust, TLS).

Software Engineer - Application Development

• Focus: Building scalable, high-impact cloud applications and creating intuitive user experiences.
• Key Skills: Computer science principles, development frameworks, Java, Python, Go, React, HTTP, RESTful APIs, database concepts (SQL/NoSQL), system design for cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP).

Software Engineer - Embedded and System Development

• Focus: Low-level programming and embedded systems, building high-performance systems where software meets hardware.
• Key Skills: Computer architecture, digital design principles, C/C++, Python, memory management, resource-constrained environments, OS internals (processes, threads), exposure to microcontrollers, RTOS, device drivers, hardware-software interfacing.

Common AI Proficiency Requirements (All Profiles)

Candidates must demonstrate a forward-thinking approach to AI-integrated engineering:

• AI-Assisted Development & SDLC: Active use of AI tools (e.g., Cursor, GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex) to accelerate coding, automate testing, and improve code quality, while maintaining human-in-the-loop accountability and process transparency.
• AI Agents & Advanced Workflows: Experience or strong interest in moving beyond basic prompting to autonomous systems, including task decomposition, agentic development, and exposure to frameworks like LangChain, LangGraph and the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
• LLM Fundamentals & Architecture: A solid conceptual understanding of Generative AI, including token usage, context windows, RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), vector databases, and the basics of production engineering (guardrails, monitoring and scaling).

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Computer Science/Electronics (0 years of experience).
• This vacancy is for 2028 Batch.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proven ability to resolve complex technical problems.
• Excellent collaboration and communication skills.
• Self-motivated with a strong drive to achieve results.

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.