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title: OSPO at Cisco

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# OSPO at Cisco

**THIS POSTING IS NOW AVAILABLE AT:**
https://jobs.cisco.com/jobs/ProjectDetail/Open-Source-Technical-Leader-1394420/1394420

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Emerging Technologies and Incubation

Open Source Program Manager, Engineering

## Who We are

We are Cisco Emerging Technologies and Incubation (ET&I), a group passionate about identifying breakthrough emerging solutions that build new markets and businesses for Cisco. We incubate these new opportunities in partnership with our business groups, partners and other startups. The team also coordinates and contributes to Cisco’s meaningful work with Standards bodies and manages research partnerships with leading-edge Universities.

As part of that mission, the [Open Source Program Office](https://opensource.cisco.com/) serves a critical role in creating and maintaining a portfolio of open source projects, as well as nurturing new and existing communities.

We are driven by new product innovations, solutions to customer pain points, next-gen research output from academic engagements, aligning to Cisco’s strategic vision, but most importantly, the intrinsic understanding that open source software runs the world and must be supported by those who consume it.

## What You'll Do

Our ventures, and therefore our open source efforts, target a wide-ranging set of real-world problems that span the breadth of the software-centric disruptions happening across multiple industries, such as:

- Modernization of applications and the cloud native mindset
- Application, API, systems, and network observability, security/hardening
- Data governance, privacy, and authenticity
- Challenges due to data-heavy edge compute applications
- Automation across various verticals such as supply chain and healthcare
- AI as applied to infrastructure and applications
- Future of the Internet, including Quantum networking

and much more!

Here’s an ever-growing list (in no particular order) of some of the foundations/efforts you might work with/on:

- Linux Foundation (LF)
- Open Source Initiative (OSI)
- Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF)
- Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF)
- Inclusive Naming Initiative (INI)
- All In for Students
- LF Networking
- LF Public Health (LFPH)
- TODO Group
- OpenInfra Foundation
- Open19 Foundation

As a member of the Open Source Program Office, you will:

- Partner with teams all across Cisco to refine our open source strategy
- Define areas, projects, and communities that Cisco should invest in
- Help guide and drive engineering teams on open source contributions
- Help grow and nurture open source ecosystems
- Architect and build systems that accelerate our open source contributions
- Participate in InnerSource efforts to strengthen collaboration across internal teams using open source principles/practices
- Present at conferences, write blogs, and assist in building communities and mindshare

You might be running community meetings, presenting to executive leadership, reviewing/improving community health documentation, hacking on user management tooling, coordinating security vulnerability response, or collaborating on CFPs (Call for Proposals).

Every day and everyone has a different adventure in open source!

## Who You Are

As everyone’s journey is a little different, there are no explicit education or years of experience requirements.

We believe that curiosity and dedication to the work will contribute to a thriving OSPO.

Here are some of the skills we’re hoping you’ll bring to the team:

- Growing and maintaining healthy, respectful relationships with reports, peers, management, and customers
- Demonstrated commitment to lifting others as you rise
- Have run open source projects, have driven open source contributions, or have built or grown communities in relevant foundations
- Understanding of version control systems, like git, and packaged offerings, like GitHub or GitLab
- Knowledge of one or more programming languages
- Experience with software design and release management
- Comfort with customer-facing interactions, preferably with real-world production deployment experience
- Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills, backed by solid technical writing abilities and communication skills

***This list is neither exhaustive, nor will lack of any of these skills disqualify you from working with us.***

***Frequently-cited statistics show that women, trans, non-binary people, as well as other structurally marginalized groups apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications.***

***We strongly encourage you to break those statistics and apply!***

Above all, we believe in a few things, and hope you share in these values:
- #BeKind
- Default to openness; information is most valuable when shared
- Document your work, early and often
- Question process if it feels unnecessary or exclusionary
- Automate or develop process for tasks that are repetitive or low value

## Why Cisco

At Cisco, each person brings their unique talents to work as a team and make a difference.

Yes, our technology changes the way the world works, lives, plays and learns, but our edge comes from our people.

- We connect everything – people, process, data and things – and we use those connections to change our world for the better.
- We innovate everywhere - From launching a new era of networking that adapts, learns and protects, to building Cisco Services that accelerate businesses and business results. Our technology powers entertainment, retail, healthcare, education and more – from Smart Cities to your everyday devices.
- We benefit everyone - We do all of this while striving for a culture that empowers every person to be the difference, at work and in our communities.

Colorful hair? Don’t care. Tattoos? Show off your ink. Like polka dots? That’s cool. Pop culture geek? Many of us are. Be you, with us! #WeAreCisco
