12+ years of technical recruiting experience (full-cycle preferred).
Prior experience hiring for Hardware or ASIC engineering in high tech
2+ years of experience working in a regulated industry or government contractor.
Nice to have
Recruiting across both Hardware/ASIC and AI software or platform engineering.
Track record recruiting AI/ML talent, such as machine learning engineers, AI researchers, and AI infrastructure and platform engineers, in a highly competitive market.
Thorough understanding of EEO laws and immigration in a recruiting landscape.
Influencing business leaders to adopt new or alternative talent acquisition practices.
Using data to spot trends and roadblocks, and presenting insights to VP- and SLT-level audiences.
Mentoring recruiters or leading TA projects and initiatives.
Staying current on trends in the AI field.
Hands-on use of Phenom and Workday.
Full description
The application window is expected to close on: 10/30/2026Locations: Remote US
Meet the team
Cisco's Engineering Talent Acquisition team is hiring a Principal Recruiter to build the teams behind the AI era, from the custom silicon that moves the world's data to the AI software and platforms built on top of it!
AI doesn't run on hype. It runs on silicon, systems, and software working together, and our team sits right at that intersection. We partner with leaders in Cisco's Hardware & ASIC engineering and AI Software & Platform organizations to hire the engineers and product leaders shaping what comes next. One week the search is for silicon design and verification talent; the next, it's a machine learning engineer or distributed systems engineer. Every hire directly shapes products that power AI infrastructure for some of the world's largest networks!
Your impact
We are a passionate team of Talent Advisors. We believe in constant self-betterment, force-multiplication across our organization, using data to make decisions and advise our businesses, and delivering a world-class experience for every candidate. As a Principal Recruiter, you’ll be the go-to talent expert for some of our most complex, high-impact hiring. Responsibilities include:
Full-cycle recruiting for business-critical roles across Hardware/ASIC and AI Software & Platform, shifting between specialties with minimal ramp time.
Building pipelines ahead of upcoming initiatives and pressure-testing the market on talent availability, location strategy, and alternate skill sets.
Engaging top engineers through credible, in-depth conversations about the technology, from silicon design to AI infrastructure.
Turning funnel and pipeline data into clear insights for audiences from recruiters to VP and SLT leaders, including weekly, monthly, and quarterly business reviews.
Advising senior business leaders on talent strategy through staff meetings, workforce and site planning, and roadmap discussions.
Mentoring recruiters, coaching hiring managers through tough searches, and championing new tools and process improvements across regional and global TA.
Minimum qualifications:
12+ years of technical recruiting experience (full-cycle preferred).
Prior experience hiring for Hardware or ASIC engineering in high tech
2+ years of experience working in a regulated industry or government contractor.
Preferred qualifications:
Recruiting across both Hardware/ASIC and AI software or platform engineering.
Track record recruiting AI/ML talent, such as machine learning engineers, AI researchers, and AI infrastructure and platform engineers, in a highly competitive market.
Thorough understanding of EEO laws and immigration in a recruiting landscape.
Senior Recruiter, Engineering at Cisco (San Francisco, California, US) — aijobsearch
Influencing business leaders to adopt new or alternative talent acquisition practices.
Using data to spot trends and roadblocks, and presenting insights to VP- and SLT-level audiences.
Mentoring recruiters or leading TA projects and initiatives.
Staying current on trends in the AI field.
Hands-on use of Phenom and Workday.
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:
The starting salary range posted for this position is $145,400.00 to $185,800.00 and reflects the projected salary range for new hires in this position in U.S. and/or Canada locations, not including incentive compensation*, equity, or benefits.
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:
$145,400.00 - $213,700.00
Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$129,600.00 - $188,500.00
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.