Associate Network Architect – New Grad

Associate Network Architect – New Grad – Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the world's leading networking technology company with $55B+ in annual revenues, powering the internet infrastructure, enterprise networks, data center fabrics, and cloud connectivity used by virtually every large organization on earth. Cisco's portfolio spans enterprise networking (Catalyst, Nexus), wireless (Meraki, Catalyst Center), security (Firepower, Duo, Umbrella), SD-WAN (Viptela), collaboration (Webex), and cloud networking (ThousandEyes, ACI). Cisco's Technical Solutions Architecture team designs the network infrastructure solutions that connect Cisco's enterprise, service provider, and public sector customers. We are hiring New Grad Associate Network Architects at Cisco's San Jose headquarters.

Responsibilities

• Design enterprise network architectures for Cisco customers — campus LAN, data center fabric, SD-WAN, and cloud networking solutions using Cisco Catalyst, Nexus, and Meraki platforms
• Develop Cisco SD-WAN architecture designs using Cisco Catalyst SD-WAN (formerly Viptela) — designing branch connectivity, traffic engineering, and application-aware routing policies
• Build Cisco secure access service edge (SASE) architectures — integrating Cisco Umbrella, Duo zero-trust access, and Cisco Secure Firewall for cloud-first network security
• Design Cisco ACI data center fabric architectures — developing multi-pod, multi-site ACI designs for enterprise data center and private cloud environments
• Create network architecture documentation — HLD/LLD network design documents, IP addressing schemes, and configuration templates for Cisco solution deployments
• Support Cisco customer proof-of-concept labs — building and testing network designs in Cisco dCloud virtualized lab environments

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Network Engineering, or Electrical Engineering
• Strong networking fundamentals — TCP/IP, routing protocols (OSPF, BGP, EIGRP), VLANs, and switching
• CCNA certification is highly valued; CCNP track is a plus
• Familiarity with Python/Ansible for network automation and Cisco DevNet
• Interest in enterprise networking, data center, or cloud connectivity architecture

Benefits

• Competitive salary with Cisco annual incentive and RSU equity
• Cisco certification reimbursement — CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE tracks
• Medical, dental, and vision benefits
• 401(k) with Cisco matching and pension benefit
• San Jose headquarters with Cisco's outstanding engineering culture