Consulting Engineer

Meet the Team

Cisco's Customer Experience (CX) Professional Services Service Provider PDI (Plan, Design, Implement) team is a group of elite technical experts driving the architecture, deployment, and optimization of 5G Core, Telco Cloud, and edge computing infrastructures for Japan's leading telecommunications carriers.

We are leading the monumental industry shift from legacy hardware-centric networks toward modern, agile, and resilient Telco Cloud platforms powered by Kubernetes and advanced virtualization. Working in close synergy with Cisco's global Business Units (BU) and Centers of Excellence (CoE), we operate as One Team to architect and deploy mission-critical mobile platforms that demand world-class reliability, ultra-low latency, and massive throughput.

Your Impact

As a Consulting Engineer, you will act as a technical lead responsible for the end-to-end design, implementation, and performance optimization of Kubernetes/KVM-based cloud-native infrastructures and high-speed data planes leveraging CNDP (Cloud Native Data Plane) for Japan's tier-1 Service Provider clients.

You will own the complete technical delivery lifecycle-from customer requirement scoping and Detailed Design (LLD) authoring to configuration manifest creation, PoC/lab staging, field implementation, kernel/data-plane tuning, and production cutover-ensuring a robust, high-performance foundation for 5G Cloud-native Network Functions (CNFs) and Virtual Network Functions (VNFs).

What You'll Do

• Cloud-Native Architecture & Design: Lead the High-Level and Low-Level Design (HLD/LLD), parameter definition, and test plan creation for bare-metal / VM-based Kubernetes and KVM/OpenStack virtualization platforms in 5G Core and edge environments.

• Data Plane Acceleration & Performance Tuning: Apply high-speed packet processing technologies-including CNDP (Cloud Native Data Plane), DPDK, SR-IOV, and eBPF-to conduct benchmarking, kernel parameter tuning, and throughput optimization meeting stringent carrier-grade SLAs.

• Container Network Interface (CNI) Engineering: Architect, integrate, and troubleshoot advanced container networking environments utilizing Multus CNI, Calico, SR-IOV CNI, and high-performance routing protocols.

• PDI Technical Delivery & Cutover Ownership: Serve as the technical lead across the full PDI lifecycle, driving staging validation, on-site deployment, cutover runbook execution, and real-time risk mitigation during critical maintenance windows.

• Global Collaboration & Knowledge Scaling: Partner with global architecture teams (India CoE, US BU Engineering) to resolve complex product roadblocks, while translating project learnings into reusable templates and design collateral for the broader team.

Who You Are

You are a seasoned infrastructure and platform engineer with deep Linux/Kubernetes expertise, a strong data-plane engineering mindset, and proven execution discipline in large-scale Service Provider environments.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in the design, deployment, and operation of container platforms (Kubernetes / Docker) or enterprise virtualization environments (KVM / OpenStack).

• Deep understanding of Linux OS internals (RHEL / Ubuntu), kernel parameter tuning, system administration, and container network stack troubleshooting.

• Practical knowledge or implementation experience with accelerated data-plane technologies (e.g., CNDP, DPDK, SR-IOV, eBPF, or fast packet processing).

• End-to-end PDI (Plan, Design, Implement) delivery capability, including authoring Detailed Design documents (LLD), execution runbooks, and test verification procedures.

• Native or business-level fluency in Japanese (client-facing advisory and technical documentation) with professional working proficiency in English (collaborating with global engineering teams).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Practical experience deploying or validating 5G Core components (UPF, SMF), vEPC, or Telco CNFs (Cloud-native Network Functions).

• Professional certifications such as CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator), CKAD, RHCA, or RHCE.

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and automation experience utilizing Python, Bash, Ansible, Terraform, or GitOps frameworks.

• Familiarity with CI/CD delivery pipelines (GitLab, Jenkins) and containerized deployment workflows.

• Understanding of Cisco compute/networking solutions (Cisco UCS servers, Nexus switches, Cisco Telco Cloud architecture).

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.