Hire Cisco developers

Hands-On Assessment (1-2 Hours)

 
• Provide a scenario and ask the candidate to design a Cisco-based network solution: e.g., build a multi-region SD-WAN + Meraki network for global offices, with automated provisioning and monitoring. Evaluate architecture, automation/scripts, monitoring plan and roll-out strategy.
 
• Offer a troubleshooting challenge: e.g., intermittent latency or packet-loss across your Cisco backbone—ask candidate to walk you through diagnosing (logs, counters, trace routes), propose remediation (topology change, QoS tuning, firmware/ASIC issues) and monitor success.
 
• Ask about integration: show a snippet of code or API (Cisco DevNet, Meraki REST) and ask how the candidate would build automation or link network events to DevOps/CI pipelines or business alerting systems.

Expected Expertise by Level

 
• Junior: Experience configuring Cisco devices, basic automation scripts, standard network troubleshooting under supervision.
 
• Mid-level: Independently manages multi-site Cisco networks, writes automation for provisioning/configuration, monitors network health, collaborates with dev/devops, optimises performance and cost.
 
• Senior: Architect of Cisco-based networking strategy: designs global network architecture, leads automation/DevNet initiatives, mentors others, ties network infra to business strategy, manages reliability at scale.

KPIs for Measuring Success

 
• Network availability & latency: % uptime of Cisco network, average & 95th percentile latency throughput across nodes.
 
• Automation adoption & provisioning speed: Time to provision new network segments/sites, reduction in manual config operations due to automation.
 
• Incident metrics: Mean time to detection/resolution (MTTD/MTTR) of network issues, number of outage incidents caused by network mis-config.
 
• Cost efficiency: Reduction in network operational costs, better utilisation of Cisco licensing/hardware, fewer manual interventions.
 
• Business impact: Time-to-market for new regional network roll-out reduced; zero/downtime for major updates; improved end-user performance or service availability linked to network infra improvements.

Rates & Engagement Models

Cisco-developer roles blend deep networking knowledge with automation/programming and business integration—so rates vary by region and seniority. For remote/contract engagements expect hourly ranges in the ballpark of $70-$150/hr depending on experience, location and job scope. Engagements might include a site-roll-out sprint, network automation overhaul, or embedded long-term network engineering role.

Common Red Flags

 
• The candidate treats Cisco devices like “just routers” without automation or integration capabilities—no experience with APIs, REST, DevNet or network programmability. :contentReference[oaicite:7]{index=7}
 
• No real-world experience with Cisco deployments at moderate/large scale — only toy labs or single-site setups. :contentReference[oaicite:8]{index=8}
 
• No monitoring/troubleshooting mindset: only config deploys but unable to explain how they handled latency, packet loss, scaling, multi-site operations or cost/licensing trade-offs.
 
• Cannot articulate how network infra links to business outcomes—focusing solely on “we configured Cisco switches” without metrics or value delivered.

Kick-off Checklist

 
• Define your Cisco-network scope: Which Cisco platforms are used (Meraki, SD-WAN, Catalyst, Nexus etc)? What geographic scale (global/regional)? What automation/integration/deployment pace is needed? Which applications/users depend on the network?
 
• Provide your baseline: Current network state, pain-points (latency, outages, manual provisioning, licensing issues, cost overruns), existing automation level, monitoring/observability stack.
 
• Define deliverables: e.g., build automated provisioning for new offices; migrate to SD-WAN architecture; integrate Cisco network events into DevOps/alerting; reduce network incident rate by X %; document network automation/monitoring standards.
 
• Establish governance & maintenance: Configuration/version control for network automation, monitoring dashboards and alerts for network infra, upgrade/patching plan for devices, license management, training/hand-over to operations team.

Related Lemon.io Pages

 
• Hire DevOps Engineers
 
• Hire Cloud Network Engineers
 
• Hire AWS Networking Engineers
 
• Hire Security Engineers

Why Hire Cisco Developers Through Lemon.io

 
• Specialist network automation talent: Lemon.io connects you with developers experienced not just in network configuration—but in Cisco-specific automation, programmability and infrastructure scaling.
 
• Flexible remote engagements: Whether you need a short sprint to roll-out Meraki across offices, or an embedded network-automation engineer for your team, Lemon.io supports remote matching, vetted talent and global hiring.
 
• Outcome-oriented delivery: These developers are oriented toward business outcomes—not just “set up switches” but “reduce provisioning time, improve uptime, seamlessly integrate network with devops and apps”.

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