STEM OPT Software QA Engineer Jobs

INTRODUCTION

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 accepted until further notice.

Meet the Team

At Cisco, you’ll join a diverse and collaborative team of innovators dedicated to shaping the future of technology. As an engineer here, you’ll have the opportunity to solve complex challenges and make a meaningful impact at a global scale. We value creativity, continuous learning, and a passion for building reliable, secure, and transformative solutions. Together, we’re driving the next generation of connectivity and digital experiences.

Your Impact

As a Software QA Engineer, you will play a key role in validating and verifying the quality of our products through a balanced approach of manual and automated testing. You will design and execute comprehensive test plans, develop automation scripts and frameworks, perform hands-on manual testing, and contribute to process improvements that help deliver robust and reliable solutions. You will:

• Collaborate with front-end and back-end engineering teams to design, prepare, and execute test plans.
• Perform manual testing on new features and regression testing to validate product functionality and user experience.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts and frameworks to streamline repetitive testing and improve coverage.
• Automate provisioning of test environments and deployment of test data.
• Conduct scale and performance testing using virtualized or cloud-based environments.
• Track, document, and communicate defects, working closely with developers for resolution.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Completion within the past 3 years, or current enrollment with expected completion within 12 months, of a certification or relevant degree program (e.g., Associate's, Apprenticeship, Boot Camp, or Certification in a specialized program plus 1 year of relevant experience, or High School Diploma plus 2 years of relevant experience) or Bachelor's degree with 0 years of relevant experience.
• Ability to write functional, correct code with guidance and mentorship.
• Experience in refining and rewriting test code as part of the debugging and testing lifecycle.
• Capability to assist in scaling tests to improve system reliability and development velocity.
• Proficiency in applying secure coding principles and adhering to established organizational security guidelines and supporting automated testing methodologies and execution of tests according to pre-determined test plans.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience working in Linux/Unix environments.
• Exposure to CI/CD tools and practices.
• Experience with test management and bug tracking tools (e.g., JIRA, TestRail).
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containerization.
• Knowledge of test automation frameworks (e.g., Selenium, pyTest, Junit).
• Strong analytical and communication skills; ability to clearly document issues and collaborate with stakeholders.
• Experience with database testing and SQL.

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:

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 employees.
• 1 paid day off for employee’s birthday, paid year-end holiday shutdown, and 4 paid days off for personal wellness determined by Cisco.
• Non-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 employees.
• Exempt 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 next.
• Additional paid time away may be requested to deal with critical or emergency issues for family members.
• Optional 10 paid days per full calendar year to volunteer.

For 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%; and
• Once 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:

$104,700.00 - $153,000.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$92,100.00 - $136,000.00

• 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.