Hardware Engineering Technical Leader

The application window is expected to close on: 12/03/2026

Meet the Team

The Common

Hardware

Group (CHG) creates innovative hardware platforms central to the AI era, power ing Cisco’s core

Switch ing, Routing, and

Wireless product s for organizations globally. Our innovations in silicon, optics, and hardware platforms—like Silicon One—are shaping the technology industry. We're a global team of creative experts, bring ing our unique backgrounds and bold ideas to push boundaries and help each other grow. Because full product development—from design to qualification to product ion—is within our team, we’re able to think differently, experiment more, and work quickly. Join us to power the future of the digital world.

Cisco Silicon One is the only unifying silicon architecture in the market that enables customers to deploy the best-of-breed silicon from Top of Rack (TOR) switch es through web-scale data centers and across service providers, enterprise networks, and data centers with a fully unified routing and switch ing portfolio. Come join us and take part in shaping Cisco's ground-breaking solutions by design ing, developing, and test ing some of the most complex

ASIC s being developed in the industry.

The Cisco Service Provider Routing

Hardware

Engineer ing team develops next-generation hardware by adhering to IEEE standards and industry best practices. Our engineer s drive innovation across the full product lifecycle, serving as IP architects, creators, and solution integrators who manage product s from concept to product ion.

We design a new class of high-performance router s for the Internet of the future: Cisco 8000 Series router s. These cloud-enhanced systems are power ed by Cisco Silicon One

ASIC s and deliver the scale, performance, and efficiency required by critical infra structure. You will collaborate with board design,

ASIC, signal integrity, power, software, mechanical, thermal, manufacturing, systems, and supplier teams to define, design, validate, and release high-performance networking product s.

Your Impact

As a Lead

Hardware

Board

Design

Engineer, you will be a recognized technical leader for a product. You will apply deep hardware expertise to define architecture, lead complex product initiatives, resolve difficult technical issues, and guide engineer s across disciplines. This is an individual contributor role with broad technical influence; it does not require people management but demands technical independence, sound judgment, visible ownership, and leadership across teams. As a Lead

Hardware

Board

Design

Engineer, you will be responsible for:

• Defining board

  -level architecture,

  technology

  choices,

  power

  -delivery strategy, and

  design

  direction for complex

  networking product

  s.

• Leading major hardware

  initiatives from requirements and architecture through

  validation

  , qualification, and

  manufacturing

  release.

• Solving novel or high-risk signal integrity, power

  integrity, reliability,

  thermal

  , and

  manufacturing

  challenges.

• Actively participating in design

  reviews, architecture discussions, cross-

  functional

  technical investigations, and laboratory work.

• Guiding teams to clear, data-driven decisions.

• Mentoring engineer

  s and improving

  hardware

  delivery processes.

• Establishing practical design

  methods, constraints,

  verification

  strategies, and quality improvements.

• Partnering with silicon vendors,

  PCB

  fabricators, contract manufacturers, and other suppliers on technical tradeoffs and

  product

  execution.

• Communicating technical risks, alternatives, and recommendations to senior stakeholder

  s.

• Contributing to product

  -line

  technology

  roadmaps.

• Owning the design

  and

  validation

  of a sub-system.

• Ensuring design

  s meet

  functional

  specifications.

• Participating as a valuable team member in cross- functional

  meetings, specification creation, and technical documentation.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical

  Engineer

  ing or

  Computer

  Engineer

  ing and 7+ years of experience, or Master’s in Electrical

  Engineer

  ing or

  Computer

  Engineer

  ing and 5+ years of related experience, or PhD in Electrical

  Engineer

  ing or

  Computer

  Engineer

  ing and 2+ years of related experience.

• Experience with hardware board design

  and system-level development, including high-

  speed

  digital

  design

  , signal integrity,

  power

  integrity, and

  hardware validation

  using lab equipment such as

  oscilloscope

  s,

  logic

  analyzers, and spectrum analyzers.

• Experience with taking board design

  s from

  concept

  through

  product

  ion, including

  schematics

  generation, layouts,

  trouble

  shooting, and hands-on use of

  design

  tools such as

  Cadence

  Concept

  and

  Allegro

  .

• Experience with networking

  , server,

  computer

  , or high-performance

  embedded

  systems, including technologies such as high-

  speed

  Ethernet

  ,

  PCIe

  ,

  DDR

  , SerDes, advanced packaging, multi-phase

  power

  conversion,

  thermal

  management, EMI/EMC.

• Experience with leading technical project

  s or

  program

  s, partnering with silicon vendors, fabricators, contract manufacturers, or

  technology

  suppliers, and leading multi-site

  engineer

  ing teams or cross-

  functional

  tiger teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Methodical, analytical approach to problem solving, experience with breaking down complex issues, evaluating evidence, and documenting clear conclusions and next steps.

• Experience with networking product

  s

  design

  .

• Experience with co-packaged optics, near-packaged optics, or optical and signal-integrity budget

  analysis.

• Experience creating test

  scripts in

  Python

  .

• Experience collaborating with cross- functional

  teams.

• Effective verbal and written communication skills.

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 $171,600.00 to $245,000.00 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:

$171,600.00 - $281,800.00

Non-Metro New York state & Washington state:

$151,300.00 - $250,900.00

* 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.