Senior Hardware Design Engineer at Cisco Systems, Inc.
Job Description
The application window is expected to close on 12/12/2025.
The job posting may be removed earlier if the position is filled or if a sufficient number of applications are received.
This role requires the employee to work onsite at the San Jose office location.
Meet the Team
We are a close-knit, creative, and multi-skilled team where each person is unique, but we bring our talents together to design complex next generation Data Center switching products. These are cloud-enhanced systems powered by specialized Cisco Silicon One ASICs. These high-bandwidth networking switches deliver the performance and functionality that scale to meet the needs of future large Data Centers & AI Clusters.
Your Impact:
Designing the hardware for Data Center Products to deliver the best quality, best power efficiency, for groundbreaking network technology at the highest bit rates possible.
Responsible for hardware definition and design, development, analysis to qualification and final product release.
Work closely with other multi-functional teams and vendors during the development of the product, solving complicated problems along the way.
Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or computer engineering or related degree
8+ years of experience in hardware system design or similar networking products
Experience with design for high-speed signals e.g. SerDes / serial transmission technologies
Experience with electrical diagnostics and measurement equipment e.g. oscilloscopes, digital multimeter, Logic Analyzers, TDR, Network Traffic generators (Keysight, Spirent)
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with networking protocols like 802.3 e.g. speeds (800G/400G/100G/40G/25G/10G).
Experience with CPUs/embedded CPUs, FPGAs/PLDs and good understanding of control interfaces such as PCIe, MDIO, SPI, I2C
Experience with hardware design tools (e.g. Concept, Allegro, etc.)
Familiarity with Python, or similar scripting and execution languages.
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 $168,800.00 to $241,200.00 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 ofunused sick timecarried forwardfrom one calendar yearto 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:
$168,800.00 - $277,400.00Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:
$148,800.00 - $248,200.00* 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.
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